• We estimate there are roughly 250 children per grade eligible to play a sport within our community. This equates to roughly 125 players per gender per grade.
• ORVFC registers between 375-450 players each season for the entire club
• In U10 and above, ORVFC currently has 15-20 per gender per grade per season
• In the U06 and U08 age group, ORVFC has 30-40 per gender per grade per season
• About 25% of our players will not play every season
• Our players vary widely by playing style, skill and commitment. About 5-10% have the potential to play at the highest level, 30-35% are at the novice level and the rest are somewhere in between

We have small numbers with widely varying ability levels. It is easy to see that participation is not static but one also needs to remember that player abilities are also evolving. So creating a set team that stays together season to season in an age group rarely works in our club. The same kids don’t sign up each season and all players do not evolve at that same rate which makes it impossible to field a set team at the right competitive level for all the kids on the team.

Even if we had the perfect number of players per grade and per gender, we do not believe having set teams is the optimal framework for player development. For example, on set teams players are often not forced to adapt to playing with a new set of players or coaches might tend to keep a player in a set position or set role on the team. The result for the player is often boredom and complacency. We do see the value in gaining familiarity with other players but we place more value in the younger ages on the ability of a player to come to the field, blend into a new group and learn how to play with each other to achieve the goals of the game.

Our Goals for the Team Formation Process

• We replace specific “team bonding” with “grade bonding” – players connect with other kids from their grade
• Players learn how to play with different players from their grade and possibly players from the grade above or below depending upon the numbers and the available competitive levels for a particular season
• Players participate in training sessions, 3v3 tournaments or matches with multiple coaches

Each age group (by gender) will train together whenever possible. This is considered to be the “pool of players”. The pool is considered a single unit. The coaches for the age group (the coaching “pool”) are responsible for the rogression of all the players in the pool regardless of the team that s/he might coach any given season. Regardless of playing style, skill and commitment, all players in the pool will be exposed to the same training. The players should identify with this group and its connection to the club. The player’s connection with the team s/he might play on any given season needs to be downplayed as they might not be on that team in the following season but the player will remain a member of the pool.

In training sessions, we tend to use “dynamic grouping” by playing style and/or ability when necessary. “Dynamic” is defined as grouping and ungrouping of players multiple times during the training. At the training session, there will be some exercises where a group with similar playing styles or ability will be grouped together and then other exercises where the groups are randomly mixed up across all three. Sometimes groupings will be kept together over multiple sessions in order to give the players time to progress in that activity.

All players are expected to participate in the weekly 3v3 competition. This is a critical component of player development. It emphasizes the development of many of the skills players need in order to participate in the large sided of games of competition at older ages. This competition is also ideal for those players that want to develop, to stay connected with the kids from their grade on the soccer field, to skip the obligation for traveling to weekly matches for that season and to show up when they can. Teams are formed on the fly each week by the coaches overseeing the 3v3 sessions. Sometimes team formation will be totally random. Sometimes they will create divisions that will group players for different reasons based upon observations being made during the season. The primary purpose for the 3v3 competition is to replicate the “pickup” or “playground” environment of the past. We offer some incentives for kids to participate but the goal is for them to get a concentrated number of touches within a one hour session.

As your child progresses from grade to grade, the options for league competition expands. The leagues available to us are far from perfect. Competitive levels are difficult to gauge season to season. We do our best in this environment. Our goal is to achieve a .500-.700 season for each team. We look for wins, losses and prefer games with close scores. This is a development environment and lopsided scores will help no player. We form teams for those players willing to participate in the 3v3 sessions and participate in a larger sided match on a separate day during the weekend. These teams will first be focused by grade and gender. Many times, we have an uneven number of players in a grade and we will combine players with an older or younger grade based upon the competitive levels available to us. We have chosen not to exclude players that wish to participate in supplemental teams (e.g., we have 18 players but only roster 12 per team which requires us to exclude 6) but look to group players across the grades in order to provide a larger sided game option to those who really want to participate. We will try to roster the teams in a way that is appropriate to the targeted level of competition. This means team rosters will vary greatly season to season. Some players will not be on the team they want to be on because of friendships. We are empathetic with this feeling of frustration but have tried to mitigate this by having all the players train and participate in 3v3 together. Our hope is that all players look to work through the frustration and do the best they can in playing with this different group of players for 8 games. If the frustration is so great that the player is unable to participate feel free to contact the Club President to discuss.

The creation of team rosters is a collaborative effort among the coaches within a grade and gender group. Given our player and coach pool philosophy, the coaches are quite familiar with all the players in a grade. Immediately after registration, the pool of players for the upcoming season is presented to the coaching staff. There is a discussion about appropriate competitive levels, player relationships and our competition goals for the upcoming season. In one season, we might feel it is appropriate to field a highly competitive team and less competitive team. In some instances we might choose to field two less competitive teams. At the end of the day, it’s a judgment call on the part of the coaches and we won’t be able to meet the expectations of all players. The Director of Coaching (DOC) sits in on all the roster sessions and has final approval over any selections. Parents that feel their child is not being treated fairly for any reason should reach out to the DOC to discuss privately. The DOC will visit all of the groups during the season and talk frequently with the coaching staff to gather observations about the season. It is important to remember that we want ALL of our players to develop and if something is happening to keep a player from doing this then we do want to explore what is going on to see how we can address. This said, a roster situation may not be addressed until a following season. So please don’t wait until after you receive a team assignment to talk to the DOC. Reach out in advance so s/he can be made aware of your concerns for your child’s long term development and a strategy for your child can be developed for the future.

Occasionally we might move a player “up” an age group. Our purpose for this is to provide the player with a faster paced competitive environment with bigger, stronger and faster players. In the past, there have been some unintended consequences doing this:

1. The player feels emotionally overwhelmed by playing at a faster speed against older kids;
2. The player feels isolated from his/her age group which the player will eventually need to play within or;
3. The player survives and manages to hold his/her own on the field but does not thrive

Our concern with each of the options is that we are trying to help the players build self-confidence on and off the ball. The results above do not encourage this but sometimes it does work. The player thrives and is re-energized by the play. Therefore, we like to keep the option open but it is reviewed on a case by case basis. The final decision rests with the Director of Coaching or the Club President. If a player is invited up to play in an older division for a given season, it should not be assumed that the player will continue to play in the same older division season after season. Our philosophy is to provide a player a greater challenge but then allow that player to return to his/her age group and continue skill mastery in less-aggressive environment. This is about technical skill development and building confidence on the ball. This requires different competitive situations to allow the player to develop.

Sometimes the perception is that an aggressive player should be playing in an older age group. We disagree. An aggressive player is not necessarily a more skilled player. In such a situation, the coach needs to work with that player to help him/her focus on channeling the aggression appropriately and focus on the technique development necessary to improve his/her skills. Our history is filled with kids who were dominant at a young age because they were aggressive but were then surpassed a few years later by kids who improved their skills and used that ability to run circles around the aggressive, less-skilled players.

Some players will sign up for more than one club especially as they move from the U08 through the U12 divisions. Go to our website http://www.orvfc.org/westpa.html for information on the broader soccer community in western Pennsylvania. Our experience has been that playing for more than one club between U08 and U12 years creates too many conflicts for players. The Sentinels will have playing opportunities 2-4 times per week and the other club will require the same. Our charter association, PAWest Soccer Association defines a player that plays in more than one club as a “competitive player”. Teams are only allowed to have a certain number of competitive players on any given team depending upon the competitive level of the team.

Given our smaller number of registered players as we move through the older age groups, the number limitations for rosters, our goal to serve all players within the club, the potential scheduling conflicts and the challenges for roster creation – the Sentinels have chosen to enforce a One Club, One Season rule for its Supplemental Team formations. Any player that decides to join another club will permitted to train and participate in the 3v3 sessions but will be excluded from participating in a Supplemental Team. Any player that decides the other club is not what they wanted and seek to return to the Sentinels will be welcomed back at any time and able to participate in Supplemental teams. 

Once players reach the U14 and older age groups – team formation is a little different. Roster sizes increase to 22 players and our players start taking more of a leadership role in team formation. For example, we might have (15) 8th grade girls that have played years of soccer and are looking for the Sentinels to be a platform to register their team and compete. They might do this in order to better prepare for HS soccer and many of them might actively be playing for another club. Those situations will be reviewed and permitted on a case by case basis.