2010

Ohio River Valley FC and FC Pittsburgh Partnership

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:27:00 -0400

Exciting news.

Click here to read the press release.

User Registration Service Overview

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:10:00 -0500

There are (3) areas of registration that each family must perform:

QVRA Online Registration
This requires the user to create a Userid and Password that will allow the family to update information unique to the family, sign-up for specific programs, pay any funds due, request uniforms when required, etc. The contact information collected here for the family is the primary source of data the club will use to communicate with the family.

Event Cancellation System
ORVFC uses www.rainedout.com to make urgent announcements about event cancellations. The reason we use this service is that it will allow us to send a text message to a family member's cell phone when an event has been cancelled or delayed at the last minute due to weather. This service requires the family create a unique userid and password and ALSO to select which groups the family would like to receive notifications about in the event of a cancellation. This last step is critical. We have families signing up but not selecting any groups. These groups are refreshed at the start of each new season with new teams. So it is important for the family to log back in and select the appropriate new groups. If you have signed up before, the login to the system is located at the bottom of the new signup page (just scroll down to the bottom).

Training/Match Automated Reminder System
Through our continued partnership with the Quaker Valley School District, we are now posting the ORVFC training and match schedules on the same technological platform the school uses for its athletic teams. Through this service, you are able to become a member of the school system by signing up for the RSS alerts located at the top of the posted schedule on the site. This service requires a unique userid and password and will send you an automated email reminder about the time and location for upcoming event(s) on the schedule. This means we no longer have to commit a volunteer to sending out reminders. Families that require this type of prompt can program the site to do it automatically.

3V3 Fall 2009 Award Winners - Girls

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:34:00 -0500

Congratulations to all our players for a great season. Listed below are the girls that accumulated the most points in their respective age groups during the Fall 2009 Season while playing in our weekly 3v3 tournaments:

3V3 Fall 2009 Award Winners - Boys

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:28:00 -0500

Congratulations to all our players for a great season. Listed below are the boys that accumulated the most points in their respective age groups during the Fall 2009 Season while playing in our weekly 3v3 tournaments:

ORVFC & 3v3

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:27:00 -0500

3v3 soccer is ORVFC’s effort to use structure to promote unstructured learning environments. In this case, soccer is the game and there are only a few rules. The rest is left to the kids.

Each 3v3 session is a 75 minute event once per week where players in an age group show up and play (3) 20 minute games. There are 3 to 6 players on each team. Teams are formed on the fly each week. Sometimes they are randomly selected. Sometimes they are formed by the playing styles or by gender. The point is the players never really know week to week what challenges they will need to overcome.

All 3v3 sessions are played locally (no travel) and we try very hard to hold them at the same time each week. Players are expected to attend but if they can’t make it for some reason it is OK as teams are formed based on whoever shows up for that given week.

There are 3 players on the field for each team at any given moment. Substitutions can be performed on the “fly”. Games are broken into two 10 minute halves with running time. The game is designed to ensure as many touches on the ball for each player.

We strive for limited coaching during the events. The primary goal is to let the players figure out what they need to do and to communicate with each other on the field. There will be times where it is OK for coaches to offer ideas to the players and ask questions that might help the players figure out alternative solutions on their own. This goal of limited coaching means that any parent can serve as a field monitor during the event. The parent is there to keep track of scores and to remind the players of the basic rules if necessary. This means any parent that is going to be there anyway can help us manage the event. It makes it easier for the parents to help without making a full-season coaching commitment.

After each game, the players on the winning team will receive 3 points, and if it is a tie, all players on both teams receive 1 point. All players receive 6 points for just attending the event for that week. We believe that if the player simply shows up, the player will improve by the sheer act of playing and this should be heavily rewarded. Points are tabulated through the season and players can monitor their progression.

The reason we developed this point system is that we are looking for a way to entice the players to join in. We are trying to challenge that tendency to just stay inside. The point system is purposely designed to reward the player that consistently shows up and those that figure out how to win the game. Sometimes it is through an aggressive playing style but many times you see players outsmarting each other to overcome a playing style.

The reward system of the program is designed to acknowledge that winning is a desired end. That is the objective of the game itself – to win. However, the large number of opportunities to perform reinforces that intensity of play during the game itself but minimizes its importance immediately afterwards because the players quickly start a new game against different opponents. Our hope is that players learn how to win, how to lose and when they come to the field they do the best they can. Most importantly, they become self-motivated to participate because they gain satisfaction from stepping on the field and playing with their peers.

Important Characteristics of 3v3

High concentration of touches on the ball for all players
Promotes player decision-making on the fieldIntense cardiovascular effort
Frequent transitions back and forth between attack and defense
Communication between players replaces direction by coaches from the sidelines

Organizational Goals for 3v3

Promotes the multi-sport athlete
Provides club with multiple levels of competition within and across age groups
Players nurture technical skills through large amounts of low pressure repetition
Access to many different opportunities to play

Playing Up - Our Approach

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:25:00 -0500

Here are some thoughts on a child "playing up" in an older age group:

The desire to have a child play in an older age group results from one or a combination of the following:

The parents gain a source of pride from the implied status that comes from their child playing in an older age group
The parents personal philosophy is that a player only develops when a player is placed into competitive situations above the player's current abilities
The coaches feel the current age group competitive levels do not provide enough of a challenge for the player and it is impeding the player's progression
The player becomes disinterested in playing in the current age group because it does not provide the necessary challenge and may very well be developing bad habits

Typically, most organizations will resist the decision to move a player up an age group if the first two points listed above are the motivation. However, the last two points do support such a move. The discomfort that comes from openly discussing all the possible motivations will often lead to hard and fast policies by the organization that are not in the best interest of the player.

What is the Ideal Situation?

Developmentally, the ideal is to have different levels of competitive pressure within an age group. This is especially true for players in the 4th, 5th and 6th grade years due to the increased importance of peer review. All players need the opportunity to attempt skills in both "high and low pressure" situations. In the former, the player is truly challenged to perform the skill successfully at a high rate of speed. In the latter, the player reinforces self-confidence and perfects technique. Without the opportunity to rotate back and forth between high and low pressure environments, optimal development is less likely to happen.

If a player is always competing at the highest level, there is a high probability the self-confidence of the player will suffer and proper technique will not be mastered because the pace of play is just too fast or intimidating. Conversely, if the player is always competing in a low pressure environment, the player is never truly tested, bad habits can appear, motivation is impacted and progression can easily slow.

An example of an optimal situation would involve a group of 100 5th grade boys that could be grouped into low, medium and high pressure groups. Then throughout the season, players are moved back and forth between those groups based on their performance and personal commitment to improve. Players that are moved into the higher pressure situation are not faced with the added social pressure of playing against older players but are challenged to play at this faster pace.

Why Does This Happen?

In soccer in western PA, the primary reason for not having different competitive levels within an age group is the high number of clubs. We have 140+ clubs serving an area that should have no more than 20.

Why Doesn't "playing up" Always Work?

Ironically, moving a player to an older age group does not always mean the player will be placed in a "higher pressure" situation because the level of play may not be more skilled. However, there will definitely be older players and ask yourself this: If you were a 4th grader would you be happy about or benefit from having a 2nd grader play better than you on the field? Probably not. There is a lot of social pressure placed on both sides of the equation in this scenario and it doesn't always result in better play from the players.

What is the Sentinel's Solution?

Like other organizations, we do not have sufficient numbers in our age groups. However, we have designed what we feel is an answer to this challenge that works. We have implemented a weekly 3v3 tournament in all age groups. Each week teams are formed on the fly based on whoever shows up that week. Players are free to move back and forth across age groups to play in these tournaments. All the player needs to do is check the schedule and show up when it is convenient.

This allows the family and the player to decide when the time is right to play with an older group and it is not a firm, season-long commitment. The player can do it when the player wants to do it. The player is also not separated from his/her immediate age group. Typically, we recommend the player sign-up for the appropriate age group (based on the player's grade) and then look to play up via the 3v3 format.