LIJSoccer.com recently sat down for an extensive interview with the Director of Coaching for the LI Select Player Development Program (Select PDP), Ronan Wiseman. In a wide-ranging discussion, he talked about the changes to the game over the last 25 years, the state of youth soccer in the United States and on Long Island, and some things that can be done to improve the development of players in the US, from the youth to national team level.

If you missed it, click here to read Part I
Click here to Read Part II

Today, in the last of a three-part series, Ronan talks about his thoughts on training for parents, training and better qualifications for trainers, and what he thinks is the best way to move the game forward in America.

Q: As a league, we do coaches education. We do player education. Maybe it’s time for parents education; what to expect from the game, what the pitfalls might be, and how to be realistic about setting expectations for the child?
A: I think that could be part of the answer. There was a great presentation given by Don Batterton from Princeton about what you have to do to get your kid into college. He’s been in the business for over 20 years and there are so many things he’s seen. Players come and go, and he knows all about chasing that scholarship dollar, and he put out some facts that really hit home about how few club soccer players go on to play in college, and how even fewer actually receive scholarship money. If parents looked at those numbers, I think they’d be shocked. They are spending all this money to train their children, and if they had taken that money over time and put it in some sort of savings account they probably could have paid for that child’s education. Obviously, there is a whole other side to playing sports, like being part of a team. It’s not just a money issue. I think people are unrealistic about their kid’s line – that if they play on this team, in these tournaments, and are seen by these coaches, that they will end up getting scholarship which just is not the case. College coaches are getting better and better at their jobs, and they’re looking at players and are saying do we need this player? They know a good player from a bad player, and the team they play on just doesn’t necessarily determine their ability to earn a scholarship. Maybe that type of education for the parents will drive home that reality.

Q: Is that something that should be taught from the league level or the club level?
A: Both. Some clubs have done presentations like this, and if the league were able to offer the same type of education that would be good also. You can give this information to people, but then they have to sit back and take it all in. Unfortunately most parents don’t believe it applies to their son or daughter.

Q: We talked about trainers before, and there are a lot on Long Island. I would say 80-85% of our 1500 teams are run by trainers. Would you agree?
A: Yeah, I would say that’s about right. Every game I’m at, I tend to see someone on the other side who’s a paid professional.

Q: Of course we have a lot of different levels of professionalism within those ranks. Some of these trainers have no qualifications at all. Some are college players who come back and think they are a trainer because they can juggle a ball and talk a big game. Do you see that as a problem?
A: Most certainly. People can promote themselves and sell themselves, and there’s really no content to their resume. It comes back to talking about the kids again. These types of trainers are out there doing it for themselves and for personal gain, whether it be financial, to develop a reputation, or to develop a business.

Q: I see younger trainers coming into the system looking for the quick fix. If I have the best players and a good team, that will enhance my resume, I can gain. There’s that kind of thinking instead of learning the right way to teach the game and learning the ropes through competition.
A: I agree. I think we’re in a quick fix society. We take a pill to lose weight instead of exercising and doing what needs to be done to be healthy. The young guys see the older guys who have paid their dues and are now making money, and they want that right now instead of working their way to that level. They skip the steps it takes to get there. Just like players, if they skip certain steps in their development, they aren’t going to become the best players down the road. It’s going to catch up to them in the end.

Q: So I’m getting from what you’re saying that on all levels, from the parent, to the trainer, to the clubs, to the league, we all need to chip in on certain areas and come together to move the game forward.
A: Yeah, but I hope I didn’t paint too dim a picture of what’s going on, because I know there are some very good coaches out there, and some very good people involved with the game who are doing the right thing by the kids. But we tend not to hear about the good. We hear more about the bad. But I think we’re still moving forward. The question is whether we can speed up that movement and improve the way we progress and develop these players. I think we can. It’s just a matter of us coming together as parents, as coaches, as a league and start moving in the right direction because I think we’re all doing it for the kids.

If we can step back from it and see the big picture, and see where we’ve come from 25 or 30 years ago, we’ve definitely made strides forward as a country as far as where we are with our national teams and professional leagues. There is progress. But we are at the bottom of the process, with the national teams up top. We have to build the foundation and figure out how to help move as many players forward as possible to that next level. There will be some trial and error in how we do this, but I think we’re getting there.

I had an opportunity to go to Barcelona two years ago and watch them train and play. I spent a week with them; with their youth program, seeing how they train the kids and how they move them all the way up to the first team. It was VERY impressive. I’m a lifelong Manchester United fan, but if I were given the chance to teach other players, I would play the way Barcelona plays. Their training methods are fantastic, and the way they play is impressive.