Children want to play. It’s as simple as that. Soccer is a game, and children want to play it because it is fun. Too many organizations put so much pressure on players to be the best all the time that they take the fun away. Too many times we have seen players with an incredible desire and talent get burned out by over demanding coaches and parents. As long as players are having fun they will be intrinsically motivated to continue to improve their game. At South Bay FC we believe that this simple premise should never change. It doesn’t matter your age or ability. The game should always focus around fun.
Children develop different skills from different sports. We do not want our players to specialize in soccer from an early age. We love players that play basketball because they learn the structure of defense. We love players that play hockey because they learn physicality. If players specialize in soccer too early then they miss the physical development that they can gain from other sports.
Social & psychological development is just as important as physical development. Part of social development is representing your school by playing for them. The competitive soccer season is extremely long and trying. High school soccer is a chance for players to play with their friends from school and be a part of a social group that they don’t get from competitive soccer. While the quality of play may not be as high, this is a chance for players to show their leadership skills and to grow in ways that they may not get to in their club teams.
Youth soccer is a business. As such we believe that it is important to run a professional organization. Instead of having a group of part time volunteer parents who generally have the best interest of their child above the best interest of the organization, at South Bay FC we have professionals making the decisions. If you want to run a professional business it makes the most sense to hire professionals to make the decisions. Because of this structure SBFC is able to make quick, educated decisions that are always in the best interest of the organization as a whole without any conflict of interest.