need help asap!

[dethfire]

I've never coached before and I just landed a job for high school girl varsity and we had our first practice yesterday!

Here are the three major problems right now. This is only the second year they've offered soccer. So there is no infrastructure and no administrative exp and of course extremely thin funding. Second, we are in a small gym right now till it gets warmer. 30 girls in a small gym is crazy, hard to do any drills or even run!! Thirdly, I can't cut anyone, yet only have 1 team! There are good players and then complete newbies who can barely kick a ball. How in the world can I make this work?

[Val]

Another book recommendation for you, the one we're reading in the book club, How to Coach a Soccer Team. I found lots used on Amazon for about $10.

Indoor practises are the hardest, given your numbers. I feel for you. If you're just starting out, you're going to need cones, because you've got to mark off a lot spaces in a small area. What's your total budget? Since you are at a HS, I presume you don't have to buy uniforms. But I'm sure you don't have much more than that. Get a soccer booster's club, mostly of the parents. you'll need cones, 10-15 balls and you need to get those immediately. I guess you could ask parents to have kids bring balls, but I'm not thinking this is feasible at a HS. Since you've got overwhelming numbers, reward the kids with playing time who's parents are the most active in the booster's club. Unless of course, they are hostile or no-shows for practise. But you've been hired to build a program as much as a soccer team, and you're in a difficult situation. And you need good parents, right now.

Secondly, as to the numbers issue. Have you identified any kids to be your captains, either from last year's team or by skill level? If not, you need good captains, you need them fast, and you need to empower them. Talk to other coaches, teachers, administrators, the Athletic Director (I know, I know, this takes a lot of time, that you're not being paid for, but you have to do it). Get three to five girls who can be your demonstrators, your co-coaches, your on-field leaders (this is where the recommendations of coaches and faculty will be so important). Meet with them, several times if need be, build them into your core. Show them what your scrimmag plans are well ahead of time, and break your team down into groups with the girls leading/demonstrating. Meet with the girls and their parents and explain that you're not trying to create elites, but rather leaders. Remind the parents that the best way to learn something is to teach something and that these captains are going to be your leaders and teachers.

Time in a gym is hard for us all, see DanD's small spaces thread. I know it's important to make a good first impression, but I'd focus on having lesson plans for when you go outside (which the Carr or the Harrison books will help with) and your captains and parents.

[dethfire]

Thanks! Do you think I could make the next couple practices hell with conditioning and hope some ppl will drop? There are some overweight and just very unathletic girls. Also for captains, we've just had one practice so far and it's considered a "tryout", shouldn't I wait a week to name captains?

[ian.curry]

Personally, if they were the problems and there was no way of changing them immediately - I'd tell them to get someone else to do it.

As a coach/manager surely you must reserve the right as to who you want to coach, to play for the team etc. If you are getting paid for it then I guess less so, but if it is your free time, its your rules.

Is it the cold thats keeping you from outside(eg frozen pitches) or is the the light(too dark). If neither of the above apply then get them outside, that'll get numbers down quicker than fitness sessions.

Finally, if you feel you have to carry on with the conditions you gave us, you already know that you will struggle.
When I was indoors with my school team I had up to 18 lads for a one hour session on a 5 a side court. Simple - can't do proper sessions.
Instead - rotating games of 5 v 5 or 4v4, for up to 5 minutes each.

[dethfire]

Originally Posted by ian.curry

Is it the cold thats keeping you from outside(eg frozen pitches) or is the the light(too dark). If neither of the above apply then get them outside, that'll get numbers down quicker than fitness sessions.

Finally, if you feel you have to carry on with the conditions you gave us, you already know that you will struggle.
When I was indoors with my school team I had up to 18 lads for a one hour session on a 5 a side court. Simple - can't do proper sessions.
Instead - rotating games of 5 v 5 or 4v4, for up to 5 minutes each.

Thanks for your understanding and support, I don't feel crazy or a loser now! One of the problems is that there is still a bit of snow on the ground and where there isn't it's wet. Also we don't have a practice field in order, so that is a problem. See what I mean, the admin is just not working out right now. I will do my best and prolly just do small games and conditioning indoors. Thanks!

[Jerzy]

Originally Posted by dethfire

Thanks! Do you think I could make the next couple practices hell with conditioning and hope some ppl will drop? There are some overweight and just very unathletic girls. Also for captains, we've just had one practice so far and it's considered a "tryout", shouldn't I wait a week to name captains?

If it's tryouts, do you have the right to cut players? Not much of a tryout if its no cuts...

Also, you know you've been given a program to get off the ground. Are you a teacher at the school? If not, it explains why no one at the school wanted to take the team. If it was a winning organization there would have been lots of takers. So, you're building and one day you'll be looking back on this with rose-colored glasses

I've taken a club-team at the high school level to varsity as well, and had much the same issue. I agree with Val, you ought to consider that you're building a program as much as a team, and your soccer boosters ought to be a priority. I had one driven mom who took over, but she really wanted her soccer-playing son to have the same neat tracksuits that the baseball team got.

I wouldn't take the weed-out-the-weak with lots of running because you still don't know who's going to do this thing. Maybe lots of 1v1 drills to see who has the competitive mentality. Like Ian said, you could do lots of 5v5 with a keeper, I presume on your gym floor, and you may want to schedule two rounds of practice, half the kids from 3:30 to 4:30 and the rest from 4:30 to 5:30.

[dethfire]

instead of cutting, what do you think about creating a depth chart. list the girls and say they higher you are the better chance you have in playing and we will use the top 18-20 for games? Isn't that fair and I bet some on the bottom will just leave. Good idea?

[Jerzy]

I'm still confused. Can you cut or not?

I don't like a printed depth chart. Too informal. While I was a good athlete in general, I'll always remember the feeling reading the cut list of varsity basketball (what could I do, I was a 5-10 center with white man's disease). Not a good feeling.

I still think you're still in your first year, and I know numbers are unmanageable, but if your administration has told you not to cut, well, just trying to discourage others into dropping is not good either. Do you have a JV team? Could you try to use the second group to play JV, and as far as I know, your players can be JV up to 11th grade.

[Val]

This may help you. This is the D License Manual and has some philosophy and organization, as well as drills for your reference.