Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

[Reed John]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

We played 11 aside (3-3-4) from age 9 on (that was the earliest soccer available in my day - tells you a lot about the growth of the game here), but the goals were smaller (and the fields were just a little smaller). When I was 11, I had a coach who actually had a clue and he had us practice 6 on 6 or 5 on 5 on a small field, but we still played on the big field.

I imagine part of the reasoning was that 11 a side means more opportunities for more kids to play (we also played with no limit on substitutions).

Of course, they could have just put more teams in the league, but then that means finding more coaches and more difficulty scheduling games and practices.

My little nephew is not yet five and has started playing some sort of organized soccer. I don't think they actually play matches, but just learn the basics, become comfortable playing with the other kids and they get to kick into a small goal. He seems to like it. I plan to encourage him to pursue it if he wants. I managed to order him a black Orlando Pirates ball. He loves all things piratical.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

I imagine part of the reasoning was that 11 a side means more opportunities for more kids to play (we also played with no limit on substitutions).

This is an important point, I think. Since soccer is seen as a "participation sport" in much of the US (and Canada), it's sometimes more important to get kids "active" than to upgrade their skills. This creates a very different approach to youth football than you would see in countries where football is more developed.

[Reed John]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

And I'm all for that, especially at a young age. I'd rather see America collectively become a lot healthier than to win the World Cup.

The best solution would be to spread kids out over more teams so everyone can play a lot and get lots of coaching, but it's hard to find enough coaches and pitches.

[Jorge Porbillas]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

Izbušen dana Ples wrote:

Unfortunately, the Welsh are the same

at which age group?

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

A 4-2 win last night against league-leading Etobicoke Energy, on a completely disastrous pitch (the middle strip was fine, but the wings looked like they hadn't been mowed since 2006). Central defence remains a problem.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

First place! Two more wins (7-1 over Leaside B, 8-1 over Moordale) leaves the boys with 15 points from six matches. I missed the Moordale match, but the Leaside B game was lovely. It was played at the Etobicoke Flats, which is a nice proper pitch and we got to see their lovely passing game again. And the defence looked completely in control, which was a nice change.

But it's overly dependent on one kid in central defence. He wasn't there Saturday for the first round of the TSA Cup. The draw managed to put together last year's two finalists - us (the winners) and Leaside A. They won, 1-0. So much for the title defence.

Still, there'll be room for revenge on July 14th when we play them in the league. Increasingly, this season looks like it may be down to Islington, Leaside and out boys, so the Leaside game and the August 29th season-ending game against Islington look to be crucial.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out what the right thing to do with Benito is. The coach brought in a second keeper in the winter to make sure there's back-up. But because he's in the team, and the coach tries to give everyone reasonably equal playing time, it means Benito now sits for between a third and a half of the game. Since in most games our keepers are not all that busy, it means he's really not developing as a player. Against Leaside B, his first touch of the game came during the handshakes after the final whistle. He's starting to talk about switching teams. Generally, I'm not in favour of this (the coach at Eagles gave him a real break a couple of years ago and I belive loyalty needs to be repaid) and I've already told him that if he moves, he's the one that has to tell his coach (too many kids get their parents to do it for them). But it may be what he needs to actually stay interested in the sport.

Anyone have any advice on this?

[Ball Comrade]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

congrats, and all that. I've been meaning to ask since I first opened this topic, but what did the lad do to get sent off at under-11 level? That hardly ever happened when I played junior football, and yellow cards were extremely rare.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

He slugged a kid. Happens about once a season.

He's a really nice lad: big, fast, slightly round but with a low centre of gravity that makes him difficult to handle. He gets fouled a lot and refs never call it (I've found that consistently in our league if there is doubt about who is in the wrong the call always goes against the larger child, which means this lad never catches a break). Anyways, in this particular instance, one kid on the other team who had been chippy all night had landed a particularly nasty and painful foul on our boy - and had got away with it. When he came in a second time and made exactly the same nasty tackle, our boy just got up and took a really hard swing at him.

[Ek weet nie]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

As a goalkeeper whose development was stymied by playing for the best team in the league until I was 14 I'd move him to one of the teams that gets beat 8-1. He'll make so many saves he won't get despondent about conceding, will get more practise and the odd bad game will be easier to take due to the fact that he can look back on his other great saves.

Obviously concentration is a big part of a keeper's development but you won't improve that until he's about 15 or so. The main thing at his age is shot stopping and cross practise. I'd suggest he plays a couple of games outfield if possible in friendlies to give him a different perspective too.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

I'd been thinking that, too, Nil. This team used to get pasted regularly, and that's how Benito got to be as good as he is.

The thing is, if he gets through this season with this team, then they will qualify for the top league in the province, in which they probably will get pasted with some frequency. I guess the moment of decision will come if and when they finish lower down and end up playing in a less competitive league.

[Ek weet nie]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

I presume province leagues require a lot of travelling time to or from matches so equally as important as his footballing development is where his friends are. If he has good mates at the present club, you're probably better off keeping him there.

I'd also question the manager as to why a backup keeper is needed at that age group. 13 matches in the league means that if Benito is unavailable then one of the other kids can fill in.

The Dublin schoolboy Leagues generally have 26 to 30 league matches and three or four cups a season to play which gives more scope for equal player time and more practise.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

Why a backup? Because the U-11 season is the one in which the top teams from the regional leagues get picked to go into one of three divisions at the provincial level. Judging by the competition so far, the league winner isn't likely to drop more than 6 points. So playing two games without a regular keeper is a big deal.

Also, we thought it would be a longer season with a smaller and more skilled group of teams. Last season the TSA had two divisions of ten teams. This year it is one division of fourteen. So a number of very weak teams are mixed in there, which has been disappointing from a competitive POV.

[Ek weet nie]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

Yes, but they are 11. It's about enjoyment and skill building at that age. It shouldn't matter what league they are doing it in.

That's probably too idealised. Of course, the team want to win and be successful and that's what the kids think is important. Also, I'm comparing this to my experience of Dublin schoolboy football where there are about 100 teams at each age group with school football on top of that.

[Reed John]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

If he's thinking about switching teams because he wants to play more, that's a remarkable level of maturity and forsight for his age, I think. In my experience, kids think winning is important and too many parents and coaches don't do much to disabuse them of that notion. It's good that you're thinking about his development (especially since I imagine all of these league fees and so forth are costing you an arm and a leg). Even if he doesn't reach his dream of playing for Torquay United, the process of working to get better at something is a great education and a reward unto itself.

Perhaps he could go to the coach and discuss his concerns and that he's contemplating a switch but that he really doesn't want to because of loyalty. That's a fairly grown-up sort of conversation to have at age 11 but it sounds like he can manage it.

I wish I had more coaches who focused on skills development over winning. I did have a really good baseball coach when I was 11, but it was in the "B" Little League, to which I was relegated after failing to make the "A" League, partially because they contracted some teams that year and there were only a few slots available for non-coach's sons and partly because I didn't have a good day at the tryout and partly because I had never been taught how to hit properly. That failure changed my whole life. I hit something like .800 that year and got a lot better thanks to my coach, but from that point on, I considered myself a non-athlete and a loser so I stopped trying and didn't like sports for a few years. Totally changed the trajectory of my young life. In some ways for the better, I suppose.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

So, a typical season. Lying fourth with four games to go. Blew a game against the top team because of weak finishing and a couple of key missing players (summer vacations, always summer vacations). We could finish as high as 2nd providing we win all our remaining games. This would put us into the province's highest league next year. More likely, we will end up 3rd or fourth, I think, which means we will start next year a level down.

However, from a personal point of view this is somewhat academic as Benito has decided to switch teams. The coach's decision to give two keepers equal playing time means he has had very little playing time this year and he simply doesn't find it fun anymore. He wanted to quit football altogether (he's become quite keen on tennis this summer), but I've told him he needs to stay involved in team sports, so we will simply look for another team instead. Even the possibility of playing on BMO field in the winter league won't shake him.

I feel conflicted about this. I like the team and the coach and feel grateful to him for giving my son a chance to play on the team (he was pretty marginal at first but got better rapidly). But on the other hand, I feel a bit angry at the coach for bringing in a second goalie and giving him equal playing time. Benito's improving play in goal was one of the things that turned Eagles into a good team. I understand why the coach wanted a backup, but by giving him equal time he really drained the experience for my son (who I think feels a bit betrayed). I know I shouldn't bitch - I'm not the coach, and I don't want to be one of those parents who undermines the coach, but I'm still a bit upset at him. I prefer to teach kids loyalty to the club, but my son was sufficiently unhappy that it was time to move along.

Was I right to do this?

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

6-2 over Sporting last night in a reprise of the Portuguese Cup. Down 2-1 at half, the team showed uncharacteristic resilience (being usually possessed of an Arsenal-like ability to dominate without scoring) to come back and stomp the opposition in the second half.

The ref lost control early in the second half, too, which meant there was fouling all over the place. The sixth goal game on a fairly weak penalty, after which the Sporting coach pulled his team off the field. yes, indeed. And this was after he did nothing to stop his bench chanting "We hate the Eagles" for the last ten minutes of the match. Classy.

It was even better for us over on the stands. This game is always a bit of a derby, and so having Portuguese women hurling epithets at each other isn't uncommon. This was only mildly embarassing until one very large man on the other side decided to try to start making threats at the father of one of our boys. Much chest-bumping ensued. Fortunately, a major thundershower started at that point and the situation defused pretty quickly.

Meanwhile, Benito has been offered the starter position at Etobicoke and he'll be trying out at Leaside next week. They're both a half hour away by car which is going to make practices hell. But at least they're all playing at BMO under the bubble this winter, so the games will be close by. I have a slight preference for Etobicoke because it's the weaker team and he'll get more activity, but it's Benito's call.

He went and talked on his own to his coach last night to tell him he was leaving and to say thanks for the last three years, which made me proud of him.

[Bored Of Education]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

I prefer to teach kids loyalty to the club, but my son was sufficiently unhappy that it was time to move along.

Was I right to do this?

Again, AG, this is the problem with going to one 11-a-side team at 11. If it had kept to a more sensible 7,8 or 9-a-side, there could be two teams and no problems.

I have just found out the the U-11s have trimmed down to an 18 man playing squad feeding an 11-a-side team with all the players outside the squad training only.

As we have 50+ kids in our u-9s age group this year, I find it ludicrous that we are talking about cutting it down to two teams of 11 (I am tihnking we should look at having a third team as well)

Also, I do think that there is a problem tying kids down to particular positions this early. Having said that, I have a couple of kids who just want to play in goal and I know how much easier it makes it for coaches to have kids willing to do that.

Ultimately, you did the right thing as your son should be enjoying himself

[Reed John]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

I have just found out the the U-11s have trimmed down to an 18 man playing squad feeding an 11-a-side team with all the players outside the squad training only.

So you're expecting a bunch of 10-year-olds to be willing to be on the practice squad and never get to play in a game? I can't fathom that. When I was 10, we were still very much in the "everyone plays, everyone learns, everyone has fun" mode of sports.

AG's story reminds me of this.

At that age playing time is much more important than winning. Kids should play to have fun and to learn the game.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

I have just found out the the U-11s have trimmed down to an 18 man playing squad feeding an 11-a-side team with all the players outside the squad training only.

That's insane.

Our club starts them out at about age 5, with maybe 130 kids playing each other in a 10 team house league. At age 7 they start picking "rep" teams - the best 13-14 or so, who play other clubs in a city-wide league (our club actually does have two teams, but Benito, on grounds of pride, refuses to drop down to the other team to get more playing time...he'd prefer another club altogether). By age 11 or so, house league kind of tails off, and what's left are the good kids. So it's pretty competitive by that age here

Still, within the rep squads, coaches are pretty good about giving everyone equal time. I can't fathom a training squad at the age of 10. That just seems too odd for words. Is the club actively trying to drive away kids?

[Bored Of Education]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

I have got no idea, AG.

The level above me, (U-10s) the manager has told the kids that he wants to trim 5 players off the squad completely. It's fucking mad.

I wouldn't be surpised if a fair few clubs and managers do it

[Reed John]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

Even having a "B" squad probably drives kids away. In my experience, the moment a kid is told they're second rate, they'll probably lose interest in the game, whatever it is.

As I recall, athletic success at age 8-11 has as much to do with the involvement and quality of coaching from the kid's dad (not to be sexist but in those days, at least, it was still always the dad) as it does with their inherent athletic ability.

It's a shame to drive kids away at that age. I knew some kids who couldn't make an "A" team when they were 10 or 11 because they didn't have good coaching or some other disadvantage, but turned out to be great athletes in other sports a few years later when they were in high school.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

At younger ages, they try disguising the "A" and "B" by calling them "east" and "west", or "blue" and "gold". But by age 10, the kids all know damn well who's the better team, so they just go with A and B.

[Bored Of Education]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

By age 10? Bloody hell, I had kids of 7 saying they didn't want to be in the "crap team". Obviously, once I found this out, he spent a month in the B team.

I have to have A & B teams most of the time as other teams have them and you don't want kids teams getting hammered or being completely out of their depth. I do love it when another team wants to play mixed teams though

Where I do get around it somewhat is by having an "A" and "B" team but only one squad from which they are picked from. This means that I have, maybe, the 5 better kids who are always in the A team, then 10 who go between the two maybe another 4 or 5 who will rarely go in the A team (usually for mixed ability games)

I have found that the overall standard across the regular 18 boys who play in games has got a lot better this season esepcially rather than just the top level.

I have also been helped by a couple of sensible parents who have noticed that their kids are a bit out of depth in the A team and have asked (or their kid has asked) for them to be spend a bit of time in the B team

[Anton Gramscescu]

Toronto Eagles U-11Boys...The Season Starts Here!

So, full circle.

Benito's new Etobicoke team played his old Eagles team this AM under the dome at BMO. He made probably the best save of his life in the first half, coming out to poke away a ball on a breakaway and then recovering to tip what looked like a certain goal into an empty net over the bar. His new team, certainly the weaker side, harried and fought and eventually won 1-0.

Catharsis. Redemption. It was like a movie script. I've not seen him that happy - or that assured - on a football pitch in ages.

He's now convinced he's heading to Berkeley on scholarship.