Archive
A Number of Key Organizations Join iSoccer’s Movement!
Albion SC; San Diego, CA [www.albionsoccer.org]
A member of the Southern California Development League, Albion is lead by TD/DOC, Noah Gins, who “has pushed the club to the top of youth soccer in the US.” They “aim to be recognized as the model program for youth soccer players…to fully develop and be capable of reaching” any level. Noah had this to say about iSoccer: “We looked long and hard at iSoccer and after really looking at it, recognized that it was a perfect fit to give our players something new and allow them to challenge themselves against their own teammates or players from around the country on a technical level. What will end up really happening is each player will challenge themselves more and in the end progress their individual game by gaining more touches and become more motivated to achieve success on the ball. We are excited to be launching the program at Albion SC immediately!”
Ballaz International; Kingston, Jamaica [www.goballaz.com] 
iFootball (iSoccer) forms its first partnership in Jamaica! In early 2002, Ballaz Director and Founder, André Virtue, began sharing his dream to use his talent in football to impact the lives of Jamaica’s youth and has continued to share every since! Scott Leber, iFootball Founder & CEO had this to say about the relationship: “”We’re thrilled to be working with such a like-minded organization and very excited to establish our first partnership in Jamaica as well as the Caribbean! Their dedication to player development through individual ownership of, and dedication to, ball mastery ties directly to iFootball’s methodology of motivating the individual player to spend more time with the ball. Also, teaching life lessons through the game of football is a big part of what iFootball does, and Ballaz International clearly strives for the same goals…”
Heat FC; Las Vegas, NV [www.heatfcnevada.com]
Heat FC was founded in 2003. The Board of Directors of Henderson United Youth Soccer Association (now Southern NevadaSoccer Association) has had from its inception a commitment to excellence in the development of youth soccer players. Heat FC is the result of its determination to provide a full range of playing options for youth players, recreational through the highest competitive levels. Starting its 8th year, Heat FC has become one of the largest competitive clubs in Nevada. Led by Club Director, Eric McDonald, Heat FC lives by the motto: “Player Development for Competitive Success…it is what we do and what we achieve!”
Issaquah SC; Issaquah, WA [www.issaquahsoccerclub.org] 
About Issaquah SC: Founded in 1980, the Issaquah Soccer Club has established itself as a valuable member of the greater Issaquah/Sammamish communities and is dedicated to promoting sportsmanship and the love of soccer. The Issaquah Soccer Club is home to over 300 youth soccer teams, helping more than 3,000 children each year, learn, compete and grow as athletes and citizens. The club is one of the largest and most successful youth soccer clubs in the Northwest.
Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club; Milwaukee, WI [www.mksc.org]
MKsc signs up its MK Elite Strikers program, led by Michael King, for the Fall, 2011.
About MKsc: “In the late 1960s, organized soccer was virtually unknown in most areas of the country. However, the soccer phenomenon swept the Milwaukee area in 1968 when the Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club (MKsc) began formal operations. MKsc founders had a vision: attract, develop, and retain soccer players of all ages and abilities without regard to gender, race, national origin, religion or socioeconomic status. To do this, MKsc created a cost-effective and financially stable organization with quality coaches, referees and administrators. While American youth soccer did exist before 1968 through ethnic clubs, the sport was not widely accepted. In its first year of operation, MKsc started small with 78 players on five teams (four youth and one adult). Games were played on a weekly recreational basis. But MKsc quickly grew.
Today MKsc enjoys a membership of 7,000. Players range from 5 to 21 years of age and enjoy recreational soccer as well as highly competitive play. MKsc spans from as far north as Germantown to as far south as Mukwonago. Remarkably, MKsc is home to 650-plus teams encompassing 1,300 coaches and 64 different leagues. Our membership includes 40 percent women and serves nearly 14,000 children throughout the Milwaukee area with our programs and clinics. The Kickers are as diverse as they are large and are committed to children as well as the game of soccer.”
NYPS & FPS; Rochester, NY & Longwood, FL [www.globalpremiersoccer.com]
New York Premier Soccer launched in 2010 via a partnership with Rochester Futbol Club. NYPS also operate a premier program in the greater Buffalo region under the name NYPS Knights.
Florida Premier Soccer was launched in the summer of 2010 in Orlando in partnership with multiple clubs in central Florida including FC America.
Making the Most of Your Time with the Ball
Full Article: http://www.ourgamemagazine.com/?p=1459
By Scott Leber, iSoccer.org – This fall, thousands and thousands of hours are going to be spent training to improve a young player’s technical ability. And a great question to ask is, “Are we making the best use of that time?” Across the country, players are getting a lot of touches on the ball – however, they may not be training at the speed or the sharpness that is required in games.
Coaches often ask players to dribble in a box or allow players to have less than perfect touches. But in a game, we are not dribbling in a box and the ball turns over every time there is a lazy or poor touch. When we don’t provide enough pressure, a time constraint, or a space constraint, we may not be challenging our players to develop the proper tools to solve the problems that the game demands.
Therefore, as much as possible, we need to train in game-like setting when working on our individual skills.
So how do we do it?
First, we have to ask the player to be deliberate with every single touch. Try and isolate a specific skill or skills to leave no room for interpretation – the coach and player knows exactly what is being asked to perform and players can really see where their weaknesses are. If the first touch has to be with the outside of the right foot and at a forward angle, demand it. If you want the pass to hit the right foot, demand that type of accuracy. If you want a quick outside right touch and then an inside right foot touch past the defender after the scissor, demand it.
Next, we can limit the time they have to do the skill and keep score. When placing a time constraint and a score to a skill, we are requiring players to perform the skills at their absolute maximum speed for that time period. You will be amazed when the work rate jumps 15 to 20 percent! Players will consistently want to beat their old scores while wanting to compare themselves with their teammates. Building a healthy sense of competition in practice can be motivating and fun for all the players.
Finally, when you add deliberate training + time constraint + score keeping, we are applying the best pressure we can to an individual player – the pressure to be better than yourself. Players can now set their own goals and see their own improvement. Individual achievement in a team setting can be very powerful. The strongest and weakest players on the team can score and improve at their own rate without being dependent on anyone else.
So let’s make the most of this fall! Be deliberate with every touch. Perform the skill at game speed. And always push yourself to improve your score!
Scott Leber is the Founder and CEO of iSoccer.org. iSoccer was founded in 2008 with a single objective: How to motivate players to train harder and increase their technical ability. Check out iSoccer.org to learn more about the iSoccer skills test, tracking tools and age group technical standards.
Former WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci Joins Board of Directors at iSoccer.org
[Go to iSoccer.org to begin knowing your level so you can raise your level]
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 29, 2011) – iSoccer.org, the popular online training product and motivational tool for recreational and competitive soccer players, has added former WPS Commissioner and Stanford soccer standout Tonya Antonucci to its Board of Directors. Antonucci is the CEO of the Women’s Soccer Initiative (WSII), which launched Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) and was Commissioner of the league from 2007-2010, as well as a member of the board for professional soccer with US Soccer from 2009-2011. She launched the Yahoo! Sports property and was formerly a General Manager at Yahoo!, overseeing the company’s award-winning 2002 FIFA World Cup ™ site.
“We are incredibly pleased to have Tonya join our board. She brings a wealth of experience in a space that is critical to our development and success: the merging of technology and soccer,” said iSoccer CEO & Founder, Scott Leber. “Her insights will be invaluable as we continue to grow our brand and refine our product.”
iSoccer launched its new web interface in early September 2011 and has collected nearly 500,000 individual assessments since launching as an online training tool in 2010. Following a series of ball tests on the field, each individual assessment is then entered online by players. The aim of iSoccer’s assessment is to provide a standard by which players can gauge their progress and coaches can pinpoint areas for technical improvement and individual progress.
“iSoccer’s product is unique in the marketplace,” said Antonucci. “It fuses the benefits of online technology and national standards with individual player assessments to provide a platform for technical proficiency and improvement. It’s such an incredibly useful tool for all teams, coaches and individuals that I envision it growing into a must-have in both elite and recreational training and development..”
Region IV Camp Girls Level Compared to Division I Women College
[Go to iSoccer.org to begin knowing your level so you can raise your level]
The iSoccer assessment was used at the Region IV ODP camp in Moscow, Idaho this past summer. Over 850 players were assessed and over 11,000 assessment results were collected. This report organizes and graphs the data, and compares the Region IV Girls’ results to the 2010 national standards as well as the emerging division I college standard.
To see the scores and graphs, download the full report: 2011 Region IV Girls Report by iSoccer
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