Whether you are playing in the game or sitting on the sidelines at the fields in Denver on Saturday, you need energy to sustain yourself. Food consumption is one of the primary sources for our ability to perform at work, at school, or at the soccer fields. The energy we have to use is a direct reflection on the types of foods we eat. Foods filled with protein, magnesium, vitamin e or naturally occurring caffeine (just to name a few) all give us energy and work together to make us perform at our best. I’ve been involved in many discussions about snacks after soccer games and it is always a touchy subject. On the one hand, our soccer organization thrives off of the community feeling where players are able to enjoy each other’s company after a game. On the other hand, not everyone is familiar with or understands how the nutrients in food replenishes our bodies. What I do think we can all agree on is foods such as Doritos, sodas or candy are not good ideas for after game snacks. That being said, the most important thing for a healthy child on game day is a healthy breakfast or lunch filled with all the energy providing nutrients they need to sustain themselves during the game and after the game. If a healthy meal is provided prior to the game, a player should not need snacks afterwards, unless it is an extremely exhaustive match or they are dehydrated, at which time they should be drinking water. Similarly, if after a soccer game, a child is hungry and needs to replenish energy, parents should take into consideration when the next full meal is and provide their child with lunch or dinner, not snacks. Providing snacks after Skyline Soccer games has become the standard and that is not going to change. Kids love it and parents like providing satisfaction to their kids. The snacks provided should be something that helps them sustain or replenish the energy they already have, not give them the “crash” feeling, where one gets tired very quickly after expelling energy or eating overly processed foods. If the correct snack is provided ( as outlined in one of our previous posts ), snacks can be a great addition for the kids at the end of a game, not only providing some additional energy and recovery for them but giving them the opportunity to sit down with fellow teammates and “break bread”.

Not too long ago I came across a Ted Talk by Harish Manwani, the COO of Unilever, the world’s thirds largest produces of consumer goods. His talk shed light on the idea that businesses should not only create economic value, but should also create social value. He believes that profit is not always the point. Early in his career he came to the realization that his role at Unilever was not only about selling soap but also about changing lives. Changing lives, for Manwani, is his “true north” – his unwavering goal no matter the circumstances. Soccer clubs in our country, including Denver youth soccer clubs have become quite the sustainable and profitable businesses over the past 2 decades. We have done a phenomenal job at creating boards, finding donors, sponsors, club members and even state governing boards to ensure legal/fair play occurs between clubs. Clubs around the country, as well as in Denver, have been host to a significant number of kids that have gone on to play collegiate and professional soccer. Club directors and coaches alike, have done their job in attracting recreational, intermediate, competitive and even elite players. All of which have found homes in clubs all around our nation. Often, we as club directors and coaches do whatever we can to produce the best output on the field. As a result, we focus on the athlete and not the person. We default to strategy, tactics, and technique while missing out on imparting values like integrity, good character, and love. We treat players like tools to get the job done on the field, asking them to do whatever it takes to ensure success. The cliché that coaching kids in a sport helps them in the real world is true. However, reality tells us that we miss huge teaching opportunities more often than we care to admit because we are focused only on winning. Harish Manwani would say that we are focused only on the “profit” side of things. The truth is, we all like winning, so we emphasize it. I, myself, have been guilty of it. Statistics tell us that less than 1% of most club players will make it to the highest levels of professional soccer. Unfortunately, I have found myself focusing on the success of the 1% as opposed to helping prepare the 99% for life. We, at Skyline, are more than a soccer club. We are not just offering the opportunity to play organized soccer; we are in the business of shaping lives. Our “true north,” as Manwani would call it, is that all children that want to play soccer should do so, regardless of ability to pay or pure talent and skill.  The bond between a coach and a player can be one of the most impactful relationships in a child’s life. Because of small team sizes and the amount of time spent on the field with each player, this relationship can significantly compliment what a parent is teaching at home. Or, in some cases, fill a void. As soccer clubs, we need to be cognizant that we are stewards of our future leaders’ development. It is my belief that we at Skyline Soccer are helping build and establish moral warehouses in each of our players by teaching them integrity, discipline, courage and good sportsmanship. We are creating more winning teams in the game of life than any amount of technical and strategic coaching a player can receive on the soccer field.

With the new World Cup uniform just being released, I thought it would be a appropriate to go through the Top 5 National Team jerseys of all time. Keep in mind, this is my exclusive, unbending, 100% perfectly correct opinion and should not be questioned at anytime. As I often explain to the players I coach, “I am the law“. 5. “The Denim Kit” What most people view as one of the ugliest uniforms the National Team has ever donned, I happen to think they are arguably the coolest and most memorable. This uniform was worn in the 1994 World Cup held in the United States. While the away kit is completely unique and interesting, in my mind, it’s not as cool as the home kit. The home kit featured these wavy red lines like an American flag blowing in the wind. Cheesey? Totally. But at six-years-old, I loved every bit of it. In the United States, these uniforms became known as “The Denim Kit”. This is because of the signature away kit that featured a denim looking top with stars imprinted on it. The key important detail with this uniform that the U.S. got wrong for the World Cup was they went with red shorts, not the denim shorts. It completely changes the uniform and was the major downfall of the entire kit. Had they stuck with the denim shorts rather than the red shorts they went with, this kit would be further up the list. 4. 1992-94 Worn from 1992-1994, these uniforms were decommissioned for The Denim Kit. It’s one of the few uniforms that incorporates the perfect balance of red, white, and blue. There’s something so right about watching Cobi Jones fly down the flank with his signature Speed Move wearing this kit. In a way, uniforms are almost defined by the players that wore them. Think of your favorite team and their favorite uniform. I imagine some of you love the current Denver Broncos uniform because you think of Elway raising the Lombardi with it, or you have other fond memories associated with it. The same situation applies here. The 1992-94 team really ushered in soccer to the United States. If you look at US Soccer before the 94 World Cup, most would struggle to bring a player to mind. After 1994, most would struggle not to be able to name a player on that same roster. For me, uniform #5 and #4 signify the key moments when soccer became something that the country would never look at the same way again. 3. 2004 Throwback I’m a huge fan of throwbacks in any sport, but this one especially. As a homage to the 1950 kit, this uniform was worn exclusively as a 3rd jersey in 2004. I found 2 things that were really unique about this kit: I like that Nike elected not to put their logo on the top and that they went with a 3/4 sleeve. These two things are both extremely rare and give it a unique feel that is both completely vintage, but modern at the same time. Each time you see throwbacks in sports, there’s always an attempt to imprint a modern twist on it, but most the time it falls short at one key point. The Packers throwback “helmets” are a great example. As you can see to the right, they just don’t work. I think this throwback excels in almost all aspects. The USA shield in the top left is perfectly retro just as the red sash that slides across the front. The color scheme and balance is extremely well done. The major flaw where it went wrong is the collar. The collar is in fact completely retro in how it’s over-sized and doesn’t have the more modern fit you’d expect it to have. That’s one area where it would’ve helped to incorporate a tighter fit rather than the loose approach they went with. 2. 2013 Centennial Kit Yes, that’s right, it’s back-to-back throwbacks at #3 and #2. In this case, it’s a throwback done completely right. Simple, smooth, modern fit, with just the right amount of controversy to make it even more memorable. This uniform was worn in the game known as “Snowclasico”, where the United States beat Costa Rica in Denver, CO. The field conditions kept the game in question for all 90 minutes, but the uniform dazzled the whole game. You could argue that the U.S. uniforms look great by comparison, because of the calamity of the Costa Rica uniforms, but I beg to differ. I believe they would stand on their own in any game. 1. 2014 World Cup Kit Classic, smooth, all white. To me it’s perfect for the World Cup. While it hasn’t stood the test of time just yet, I think they will. When you look at them from afar, they look like an all-white kit, but as you get close up, you can see the details. This is the only uniform on this list with a collar. Generally, the U.S. has gone away from collars on their uniforms, and I think it makes a great splash in this kit. The true test of a uniform is two major things: 1. When you see it, do you see your team? When I see this kit, I see the United States. It’s sleek, young, and fresh, just like our team. Red accents on a white uniform always draw my attention when I see them on a field. The kit hits a home run with the shade of blue they used. Blue in the USA kit has been the color that is always tweaked. We’ve seen royal blue, navy blue, and even baby blue throughout the years. I think the dark royal they used in this jersey with the numbers and the Nike logo is the best option to balance out the colors. 2. Would you buy it? Currently I own my fair share of US gear, but I don’t own a single jersey. Not one. I would buy this jersey in a heartbeat, and I would wear it out in public. Feel free to argue your top 5 uniforms and let us know what one says USA to you!

I recently found this letter online written by Brian Gotta, the President of CoachDeck. Although this is written from the perspective of a little league baseball coach, the thoughts and ideas brought forward in this letter are just as true for youth soccer coaches. I hope you take the time and energy to read it! Today I heard a comment made about me behind my back. I started to turn around and look, but then decided better of it and kept my eyes on the field. My wife hears things like this more often than I do, because many of you don’t know who she is. She tells me what you say. I have received angry emails, full of “suggestions,” about who should be playing where and how I lost that day’s game for the kids. I thought I’d write an open letter to all of you parents, even though I might never send it. I’ll start it this way: “I am a volunteer.” I’m the one who answered the call when the league said they didn’t have enough coaches. I understand that you were too busy. I have some news for you. I’m not retired. I’m busy too. I have other children and a job, just like you do. Not only do I not get paid to do this – it costs me money. I see you walk up to the game 15 minutes after it started, still dressed for work. Do you know I’ve already been here over an hour? Imagine if you had to leave work early nearly every day. I’ve never seen you at a practice. I’m sure you’re plugging away at the office. But I’m out here, on the field, trying my best to teach these children how to play a sport they love, while my bank account suffers. I know. I make mistakes. In fact, maybe I’m not even that great of a coach. But I treat the kids fairly and with respect. I am pretty sure they like coming to my practices and games, and without me or someone like me, there’d be no team for them to play on. I’m part of this community too and it’s no picnic being out here on this stage like this. It’s a lot easier back there with the other parents where no one is second-guessing you. And I also know you think I give my son or daughter unfair advantages. I try not to. In fact, have you ever considered that maybe I’m harder on him than on the others? I’m sure he hears plenty of criticism at school from classmates, who hear it from you at home, about what a lame coach I am. And if, even unconsciously, my kids are getting a slight advantage because I know them better and trust their abilities, is that the worst thing in the world, considering the sacrifice I’m making? Trust me, I want to win too. And if your son or daughter could guarantee we’d do that, I’d give them the chance. After this game is over, I’ll be the last one to leave. I have to break down the field, put away all the equipment and make sure everyone has had a parent arrive to pick them up. There have been evenings when my son and I waited with a player until after dark before someone came to get them. Many nights I’m sure you’ve already had dinner and are relaxing on the couch by the time I finally kick the mud off my shoes and climb into my car, which hasn’t been washed or vacuumed for weeks. Why bother cleaning it during the season? Do you know how nice it would be if, just once, after a game one of you offered to carry the heavy gear bag to my car or help straighten up the field? If I sound angry, I’m not. I do this because I love it and I love being around the kids. There are plenty of rewards and I remind myself that while you’re at the office working, your kid is saying something that makes us all laugh or brings a tear to my eye. The positives outweigh the negatives. I just wish sometime those who don’t choose to volunteer their time would leave the coaching to the few of us who do. Brian Gotta is a former professional youth baseball coach and current volunteer Little League coach and board member. He is the President of CoachDeck and also author of four youth sports novels which can be found at www.sportsbooks4kids.com. He can be reached at brian@coachdeck.com.  I hope that you take the time to thank your coach who does put in a lot of work and energy to teach our players soccer. Skyline wants to take this chance to once again thank our countless volunteers who put in their time, energy and enthusiasm to helping the players in Skyline, in Denver, and within the soccer community. We are truly thankful for you and could not continue to offer the programs we do without help from the great coaches we have here in Denver!

There are just over 7 billion inhabitants on earth. About 3.5 billion of them consider soccer the sport of choice. Soccer is simple, yet complicated all at once. You only require a pair of rolled up socks, or a decent amount of aluminum foil or duct tape to make the coveted sphere that needs to be shared among 22 players. Your goals don’t require much other than two objects a few feet apart to mark the goal. In some countries they use stones, in some parks in inner city Los Angeles they might use trashcans, others even use trees to mark the goal. The simplicity of the sport can draw an American accustomed to cheerleaders, timeouts, advertising, and all the pomp and circumstance that goes with American football or basketball to miss its beauty. Needing only a ball and a patch of ground, players of humble origins have had access to soccer over the years, allowing them to dream big dreams of playing the sport at a national/international level. While this is often the case in most countries, we in America have a knack for taking something so inexpensive and simple and making it unattainable for many children in our country. Over the past decade, club soccer has become a sport mostly for those of substantial means. Clubs and leagues have become big business as they compete for players, and consequently, have become out of financial reach for many families. Where does that leave kids with all the passion in the world, but no means to pay for the season, uniforms, tournaments and soccer parties? We don’t need to travel across the world to see the impact the high cost of soccer is having on local families. Take two neighborhoods in the Denver area for example, Elyria Swansea and Westwood. Both communities have less park space per capita than other neighborhoods in Denver. In these neighborhoods, nearly 50% of a family’s’ income is allocated to housing alone. Playing soccer or participating in a team sport becomes a luxury when a combined yearly household income hovers around $37,000 with a family of four to feed. Skyline International is working hard to give these children an opportunity to remove obstacles that are keeping these potential athletes from participating on the same level playing field. This spring, Skyline will be giving the opportunity to 6 teams (3) from the Swansea area and (3) from southwest Denver to play organized soccer. The families will be paying a reduced registration rate, subsidized by fundraising, grants, and sponsorships. In my humble opinion, no other sport transcends ethnic, religious, and socio-economic boundaries like soccer does. This June, regardless of the time of day, the majority of the world will find refuge in pubs, living rooms, local cafes and carnicerias to see the World Cup in Brazil. Many will put aside their daily routines to attend this appointment with the rest of the world. My hope, is that as many underprivileged children in Denver do the same, they will watch the World Cup knowing that Skyline International Soccer has given them a platform to live out their soccer dream.

Ups and downs are a natural part of any youth athlete’s experience. There will inevitably be those days when your child has a frustrating performance or their team wins or loses in a really tough match. How you help your player manage these ups and downs can have a huge impact on your child’s overall experience within youth sports. It can influence the way they perceive themselves and even impact their interest and engagement level with sports – for better or worse. Here are some things to remember when talking to your player after a rough game! These helpful suggestions were put together by Mom’s Team – a great online resource for parents with active youth. 1. Realize that, with time and your continued support, your child will improve. 2. Recognize that youth sports are not exclusively about winning; define success in terms of performance qualities instead of outcomes. 3. Give your child the respect they deserve; if achieving athletic success was easy, athletes wouldn’t be so admired and respected, be proud of your child’s persistence. 4. Emphasize the friends your child is making through their involvement in sports. 5. Remember that, many times, all your child needs is your love and understanding and you being there for them. Make your child feel important, no matter whether they win or lose, plays well or play poorly. 6. Accept your child for who they are, not for what they have achieved; acceptance must never be dependent on a good performance or winning. 7. Take a positive approach, develop and maintain open lines of communication with your child, even when your points of view on a given subject differ; talk things out, give them the benefit of your point of view; don’t simply say yes or no; let the final decision be your child’s; giving your child the right to express their opinions fosters self-reliance, self-responsibility, and ultimately the ability to think for themselves. 8. Always take the time to help your child re-evaluate their involvement (reasons, values, goals, commitment); this helps your child gain a sense of self-control and self-direction and fosters increased self-motivation. 9. Practice careful listening techniques: show through posture, facial expressions, and gestures that you are really paying attention; employ “active” listening: paraphrase what you feel or understood your child has said; this allows your child to reinterpret if they feel that the point has been misunderstood, or re-state the last portion of what was said; use bridges, such as “I see,” “yes,” or “uh, huh” to show that you are listening and understand.  10. Savor the opportunity that sports provide to get to know your child.

At Skyline, we recognize there is always room for improvement in our players, coaches, and programs. This ‘evaluate and improve’ approach also includes our Player Development Plan (PDP).  This is the second post in a series of blog posts regarding the Skyline Player Development Plan for U6-U18 programs. The PDP explains what we teach, how we teach it, and when we teach it. This post is to describe the PDP Cycle which begins with the Skyline Curriculum Committee. The information this committee discusses is turned into the PDP document itself. From there, it is taught to coaches who in turn teach the players. Finally, the PDP is assessed by the Curriculum Committee at the end of year. The process can be broken down into four major steps. STEP 1: QUADRANT 1, PDP > COACHING The first step of the cycle is to share the PDP with the coaches (and the membership!). By sharing the PDP with coaches and members, it sets expectations for coaches, players, and parents as well as sets standards for player development by age and focus. The main expectations that the PDP sets for Quadrant 1 include: 1. Create long-term road map for player development goals 2. Focus on individual development, not wins and losses 3. Emphasis on creating a complete player who is successful on and off the field 4. Eliminate short-term solutions for long-term issues STEP 2: QUADRANT 2, COACHING > PLAYERS The next step of the cycle is putting the document into action at training and matches. Coaches will be given the support they need to be successful (coaching plans, coaching education, coaching equipment, etc.) to teach the players what they need to know by focus and by age group. For coaches, they in turn need to provide players what they need for successful development. The main expectations that the PDP sets for Quadrant 2, coaching to players, includes: 1. Provide a safe, learning environment 2. Create a sense of belonging 3. Check for understanding at training and matches 4. Provide immediate, specific feedback 5. Teach to the ‘POSITIVE CONDITIONING‘ ratio of five positives for every criticism STEP 3: QUADRANT 3, PLAYERS > ASSESSMENTS The next step of the cycle is assessing areas of success and areas for improvement. Skyline uses feedback from parent surveys, player assessments (for Jr Select and Select players), coach assessments (for paid staff), and team assessments from team coaches (paid and volunteer) to determine how well players and coaches are meeting the benchmarks set forth by the PDP. STEP 4: QUADRANT 4, ASSESSMENTS > PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PDP) The last step of the cycle is handled by the Curriculum Committee, which is comprised of paid coaches, volunteer coaches, Board of Directors, other contributing individuals and is chaired by the Director of Coaching. It is the committee’s job of turning all of the information gathered from the assessment process to improve the PDP for the following year. This annual process ensures that the PDP reflects the goals and objectives of Skyline’s membership, as well as ensures the PDP stays up to date with the landscape of youth soccer locally and globally.

We recently finalized a strategic plan for our organization. After six months of talking with board members, staff, stakeholders, and a very comprehensive club survey, one major initiative we learned we need to take on is to better develop our communication. While we feel our communication is some of the best in the industry, we want to further develop ourselves to better serve our members. Our first priority is to create a more fluid website for our members. If you’ve been with our organization for a few years, you may know that our old website was good, but not great. We had several hundred web pages and it may have taken longer for parents to find the information they needed. We decreased our page count down from several hundred to just 17 pages! Now, all the information you need about a program is all on one page. Some highlights of the new website include: A program age calculator: once filled out, the program age calculator will tell you exactly where your child fits within our organization for the next four seasons. Easy navigation: our job as directors is to make your job as a parent easier, not harder. We hope our new website provides easier navigation to all the information you need. Blog: we want to communicate our information in a more formal process than too many or too lengthy emails. We hope the information in our blog provides a deeper look into our organization. We have plans for series, with our first series outlining the Skyline Player Development Plan (PDP). Maps: we are fortunate to have access to many fields within Denver, but they can be hard to find or navigate to. Use our maps feature to click on each field to find out more information about the field. Player Flow: each program page will show you exactly where you are in the lifecycle of soccer at Skyline Soccer Association. We hope this gives you a great outlook into your future and how it progresses. Coaches Page: we have a lot in store for our coach’s page. We did not previously have a page dedicated to our coaches. This new page is dedicated to making our coaches better, increasing their education, and additional information that would make them a better coach/parent. Please check back on this as we will begin updating this part of our website very soon.  While this is a limited list of what we have now, we have plans for a much more robust website than what you see today. We are very excited for the opportunity to bring you this streamlined communication device. If you have ideas or thoughts on how we could further develop it and make it even better, please let us know.

I’m extremely excited to be a part of Skyline and can’t wait to get familiar with the great kids this organization has. I’ve been involved in Soccer my entire life and I love the avenues the game has opened for my life. As a player, the game has taken me all over the country and helped me meet so many great people. As a coach, it’s taken me even further, including the top tournaments in the country and even to Amsterdam. It’s these great experiences and incredible places that fuel my desire for the game. I see everyday I step on the field as an opportunity to open those same doors that the game opened for me, to others. A great coach once explained to me that the great players are the most alive when they step in between “those two white lines.” For me, walking out on that field and teaching kids is when I’m the most alive. Nothing excites me more than putting a smile on someone’s face through soccer. When I’m not on the field, you can find me enjoying the outdoors. I love to explore and go on hikes. In the summers, you’ll find me cruising the streets on my bike or long-board while listening to music. On other days you’ll find me yelling at the TV while my favorite sports teams find a new way to break my heart. I’m looking forward to experiencing the great things Denver has to offer. It’s such an active community with so many things to experience. I can’t wait to go snowboarding on a more frequent basis. The sporting events Denver has to offer can’t be matched anywhere else in the country. I’m very blessed to be a part of this community and a part of a fine organization like Skyline. I can’t wait to see you all out on the field! In Soccer, Neal Didonna