Paid
Coaches- Good for the game?
Paying
for training is a serious obstacle
for many families and could put
competitive soccer out of reach
for many children. Any youth club
using or considering using paid
trainers should also try to provide
some sort of scholarship system
to make sure that anyone that
has the talent to play is able
to play.That would be my main
recommendation.
Where
I live, paid trainers are now
pretty much standard at the competitive
levels, which wasn't the case
6-8 years ago. Some clubs even
have mandatory training session
for less competitive teams. I
don't doubt that there are now
more educated and prepared youth
soccer players, but clubs without
the proper resources face a serious
competitive advantage in attracting
top-notch players, which could
harm overall competition in the
long run.
Having
paid coaches also creates numerous
management issues. Who is ultimately
in charge and of what? Some issues
to address are hiring and firing,
putting together a game-plan for
coaching the club as whole, and
more.
While
I am confident in the next generation
of America’s soccer stars
and the trainers that have helped
to shape them, it is undeniable
that youth clubs using paid trainers
to coach their best teams must
address a number of issues to
make the program run smoothly.
