U15G 2008 Firebirds White

CALLING ALL FIREBIRDS – COACHES & PLAYERS
IF INTERESTED PLEASE LET ANDY SHERIFF KNOW AT grassroots@oakridgesoccerclub.ca
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Hello Coaches,

Oakridge Grassroots Player Development will be hosting a day to Showcase the Preferred Training Model for the Grassroots Players (U8 to U13). Please be patient with this email as it’s long. Maybe get a preferred beverage while digesting this. Also please share this with your Co-Coaches/Managers.

Ten stations are set up for the players to travel through for the 60/90 minute training session with 10 Coaches and 10 Player Volunteers facilitating the stations.

Players participate in a mixture of small-sided games which range from target games, end zone games to 5v5 with the retreat line, plus activities such as 1v1 attacking, defending, passing and receiving as well as shooting.

The players arrive at the session and are randomly organized/split up into 10 groups of 10, with boys and girls being placed together.

Each group starts at one of the 10 stations and rotates every 8 minutes.

One Grassroots Coach and One Player Volunteer are responsible for each station and those Coach/Volunteer stay at each station while the players rotate.

It will be a day of fun and excitement that allows the children to socialize and interact with other players and coaches/volunteers as well as to enjoy the game of soccer under absolutely no pressure.

The players participate in 10 different stations and have the opportunity to play with and against different players of different genders. All players are kept active for the full 60/90 minutes and have the opportunity to play a mixture of games which create a fantastic learning environment for each individual.

Each individual player also has the opportunity to learn from different coaches as they travel from station to station.

How This Works
With having around 200 players registered in the Grassroots programs and not having the Field Space to accommodate those 200 players rotating through at one time, we’ll be splitting up the Age Groups into two different times. U8, U9 & U10 will be a group and U11, U12 & U13 will be a group.

Location & Time
UWO Mustang Field
Saturday April 22, 2023 (Rain or Shine)

U8, U9 & U10 (Age Groups)
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

U11, U12 & U13 (Age Groups)
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Activity Stations
I’ve put together 10 Stations of activities and they are listed below. I’ve also attached a PDF (Preferred Training Model.pdf) of how the Field will look with the Stations mapped out. I’ve put together all the activities but didn’t attach those as the email will be too large. I’ll put them on a shared drive to look at later. I’ll also have them at the Station on that day.

Station 1: Individual Ball Work
Station 2: SSG – End Zones
Station 3: 1 v 1 Attacking
Station 4: SSG 4 Goal Soccer
Station 5: Passing & Receiving
Station 6: SSG – Gates Game
Station 7: 1 v 1 Defending
Station 8: SSG King Louie
Station 9: SSG 4 v 4 to Target Players
Station 10: SSG with Retreat Line

The Role of Coach and Role of Player Volunteer(s)
A Coach is at a station with Player Volunteer(s). The Coach explains what the activity is to the players, and the Player Volunteer(s) can help demonstrate the activity with the Coach. Pretty simple. Depending on your Station Activity you can progress it (Individual Ball work) or just allow the players to play (SSG) and coach within the game. If there happens to be an odd number and you or your player volunteer(s) feels like getting involved please do. It’s all about having fun and making memories.

A Call out for Coaches
So hopefully the picture is starting to be painted and you can kind of see how this is going to function. Now, this is where I need more of your volunteer help. What we need is 10 Volunteer Coaches and at least 10 Player Volunteers to run 10 Stations for both Age Groups. If you can Coach both Age Group Times, then that’s great, if not that’s ok too. This is a good time for new coaches to learn in a controlled environment as well. Work on commanding the field. If you feel like hanging with a Coach to “learn” let me know that as well, we can double up on a coach. I need to make sure the stations are covered first for both times.

If you would like to be a Coach at one of the stations please let me know what age group time(s). If you prefer a station to run please let me know that as well. First come, first serve when I hear back from your email response. Maybe pick a few in preference.
Example:
Coach: Elena Kikinova
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Station of Preference: 1,3,7
Notice how I just voluntold Coach Elena.

Player Volunteers:
I would encourage the following Youth programs (U18 to U15) to take part for their players to share their knowledge and get credit for their volunteer hours. I would also encourage the U14 Age group to help out with the Stations. This way Coaches will be teamed up with some energized, talented players to help demonstrate the Activities. If we don’t have enough player volunteers, we’ll double up with Coaches.

Grassroots Players
Now, all this can’t be achieved without the players. U8 to U13 Coaches, can you give me a head count of approximately how many players will be participating from your Pool/Squad? Use their name, there is a reason. It would be great if all players could participate. This will help determine confirmation of times/stations and organization.

SWAG
Players involved will be getting a free shirt (hence the player name for sizing) as well as Coaches. We’ll use the sizing chart that was provided to Source to determine the size of the shirt. As well, you’ll be getting some great memories and learning from other players that you don’t necessarily coach.

Additional Volunteers
Anybody else just wishing to help volunteer their day and not be a station coach please let me know. There’s a tonne to do.
Looking for:
• Station Setter upper
• Station taker downer
• Master of Ceremonies (Michael Hensen). The Voice, The Energy.
• Any avid photographers (parents) out there willing to donate some time photographing the day?
• Player/Coach organizer to get them to their stations.
• Field Station Time Keeper to transition players from station to station.
• ball chasers to help out at stations to keep the activity “engaged”
Also, Grassroots programs try to get me your player numbers and Coaching status soon as the timeline is a little “tight”. Player volunteers (U14 – U18) please try to get back by the end of this Friday (April 7) with who will be volunteering. We’ll also review this during our Club Coaches Meeting on Tuesday April 4th.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

—
Andy Sheriff
Grassroots Coordinator
Inspire! Be Inspired!
grassroots@oakridgesoccerclub.ca