Don't loose hope

[Niagara Hammer]

My Rant Begins

Canada is not a premier soccer nation. Canada is getting better, slowly, painstakingly slowly. WE may be a first world nation economically, we are not in the eyes of FIFA. We are a HOCKEY Nation. That is why we had to turf BMO.

It is getting better because more kids are playing soccer just for fun. This is where it starts. Sure the coaching isn’t great. I am a coach of a U8 house league and I am not good. I have never played, very few kids growing up in my area did. Now hundreds of kids play weekly. My son carried his soccer ball to school, plays every chance he gets. I was at a beach last week and the kids were playing soccer, not Frisbee, foot ball nor baseball.

I started seriously watching the game when my kids started to play. However, I know how to teach, I am enthusiastic, and above all I want the kids to have a positive experience. I encourage positional play and passing. When this bubble of kids grow up and teach/ coach the next generation there will be another step forward. When this bubble grows up their purchasing power will be more directed to soccer. It is getting there now. There are now soccer specific shops popping up in the major cites around me.

When the attention to this form of entertainment increase the capitalists will follow. When money is to be made, Marketing kicks in. Evidence MLSE (owned by the Ontario Teachers Union) has entered into the Soccer foray. If there is money to be made in scouting (like Hockey) Scouting will improve.

Soccer is improving, there is no single panacea. It is weaved over time, one thread at a time.

The CSA? There is politics in all aspects of life. Hockey is successful in spite of the politics, which is much worse than soccer, at least from my small town perspective. Soccer will be successful as well, just not tomorrow. With a positive direction and the enthusiasm at the grass roots level we will qualify for 2010.

Rant complete, for now