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. 

Today, in Part I of a three-part series, Ronan talks about his background and what he feels yoth soccer should be doing in the best interest of the kids.

Q: Ronan can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: I came to the US in 1985. I went to Adelphi as an undergrad and went there for two years of grad school. I played at Adelphi then continued to play after graduation and finished my career with the Long Island Roughriders in 2001. I’ve been coaching on Long Island ever since, at the college and youth level since 1991.

Q: What else are you doing other than your position as Director of Coaching for Long Island Select?
A: I coach a couple of local teams in Hicksville and Massapequa, and I’m also one of the coaches at Hofstra University.

Q: Since you got here in 1985 and then started coaching, my guess is you’ve seen a lot of Long Island soccer. Are we in a better position now, in terms of individual player development, than we were say ten years ago?
A: I believe we definitely are better, both individually and team-wise. All you have to do is look at the national team 25 years ago, and where they are today. The number of leagues now, and the size of the leagues in terms of the number of players playing is completely different than it was then. The game has come forward quite a bit, and the landscape of soccer has changed quite a bit in this country, but there’s still a distance to go yet before we catch up to the rest of the world.

Q: So as you’ve seen these changes occurring over the years, would you say they are better for the game, good for the game, or worse?
A: I would say the changes are definitely better for the game. For young players to have the professional league to aspire to is a good thing. The process of getting there is still not ideal as far as the progression that the American players take – club ball, high school ball, college, and then possibly looking to become a professional after that. College soccer is not ideal for the development of a player, and those are obviously crucial years in a player’s development, from age 17 to 23. NCAA rules are very restrictive in the number of games and hours of training you can take part in, and that ends up being counter-productive to development. But overall, I would say we’re still moving forward and we’re better off than we were.

Q: Most state organizations, premier clubs, and leagues should measure their premier level players in terms of how they progress, particularly in the national team program – how many kids do they get into that national program. Given the number of kids playing on Long Island, are we doing well placing players in that program, both on the boys side and the girls side?
A: I don’t think so. I think because of the population density in this area and the number of kids playing soccer, we should have more kids in that national team program, or more kids aspiring to be in that program. I realize it changes year to year because kids only have a certain amount of physical ability to work with, but I still think we can do a better job with these kids at the younger ages and help them aspire to those levels and become the best players that they can be going forward. That is an area that does need some work.

Q: So looking at Long Island soccer, from clubs, to training programs, to league events, to US Soccer programs, we’re not doing it right?
A: I think to do what’s best for the kids, we have to put the kids first. I don’t think there are an awful lot of people who do that. I think we have an awful lot of fiefdoms where people want to hold onto things and not let players move on to better situations, or situations that will help those players grow and develop. Instead, we have people in the soccer community who want to keep kids in programs that will help enhance their own reputations as opposed to helping the kids, which to me is the wrong way to look at things. We should put the kids first, and put them in situations that are going to help them best.

Q: So it doesn’t sound like you think the kids are getting a fair shake here.
A: I would say that’s part of it. I would say part of it is the level of coaching that maybe some of these kids get. We tend to put our best coaches at the older age groups. We should look at it the other way around and have our best coaches with the younger age groups because that’s where the foundation is built. It all begins at those young ages when kids start to develop that love for the game and a soccer ball can become their favorite toy and the thing that they want to play with the most. So I think we’ve got it a little backwards and we may be doing some of those kids a bit of a disservice. I know in a lot of the games I see at different tournaments I’ve been to, the emphasis at those younger age groups is about winning. That to me is wrong. It should be completely about development – developing relationships with the ball as opposed to getting a result. That’s one of the shortcomings here on Long Island because we live in New York and it’s a competitive environment where the emphasis is on winning and getting results, and not on development and helping the players flourish.

Look for Part II of the interview on Monday.