1st Post!/Angry ranting

[bojonomore]

This is the first soccer post of the year.  This being in a forum for both boys and girls, in a sport that starts playing in two days.  This is super depressing.  Is there a more dominant forum outside of this site that all of you go to?  I hope so. Of course, soccer games in this area draw attendances equivalent to Quiz Bowl competitions, so I shouldn't be surprised.

Really, I think the fact that no non-players care about soccer in this area has a lot to do with why this area gets destroyed year-in year-out to once we hit Houston teams in the playoffs.  There is no support for the soccer team in the community.  It creates a totally different mindset than even baseball/softball.  Kids are much more likely to work hard when people care about how they do.  To use LCM as an example, a substantial minority of their players don't really give a dang about soccer, but are able to get away with it because there is no one there to replace them.  While this probably is not the case at a Nederland-caliber school, I am sure most of the programs in this area have this problem.  Yet if the soccer programs were supported, these kids would be more motivated to compete.

Let's take LCM, for example.  The number of students at LCM boys games (not including players) probably rarely exceeds 20.  Then go to a basketball game - you are [u][b]easily[/b][/u] talking 100+ students, excluding cheerleaders and dance team girls.

So I guess I am also expessing frustration with schools for failing to support the soccer teams.  Consider coaches - how many coaches do you see that aren't even coaches, but teachers who are coaching just because no one else is?  Particularly with JV, it is rare to see a coach who actually knows what they are doing.  This hurts the development of the players when in their young high school years they are without legitimate coaching.  And I am not talking about wide scale - why the US struggles to compete with top level competition internationally - but just on the local level.

And you could make the argument that this stems from the media.  Why can't local newspapers AT LEAST provide a box score of games, I am not even saying that they need someone to go and recap the games.  I mean - every single basketball game that any local team plays gets at least that.  I, for one, only recently jumped onto the soccer bandwagon.  It was not because I didn't want to go to games, it is because it never crossed my mind to go.   There is way more irrelevant crap in newspapers than high school soccer.  Oh, but I digress...

In conclusion, I only want soccer to be treated like an actual sport in this area, and I am sure anyone who is reading this will agree.  Its just time that everyone else starts to feel this way.


Ironically, I go on this ranting rampage about lack of support for soccer locally only to post on a forum that no one gets on...sigh

[77]

Play for the love of the game not the fans in the stands!

[sharkfutbol]

You have good points in your post.  However most of the kids go to the games to hang out more than to follow the game.  They visit and get to see a friend, and so you have a choice.  Outside in freezing cold wind or rain or all three, Or the warmth of a gym.  At Kelly this year so far we have had really good attendence because the weather has been nice and warm and not competing with a home basketball game.  The attendence at Nederland and PNG games have dropped considerably and I would think alot is to do with weather as much as the success of the basketball at Nederland.  Consider both sports play on the same nights and your competing for the same crowds. Just my opinion.  However i am very happy to say our crowds have grown and I suspect its due to the weather being nice and dry this season. And as for this soccer forum.... This forum has completely died as of late and would hope people start posting something of real soccer discussion.  Hope all starts and gets better locally with the soccer.

[bojonomore]

[quote name="77" post="940973" timestamp="1293992916"]
Play for the love of the game not the fans in the stands!
[/quote]

Thats a novel concept, but its not realistic.  While some players do play for the love of the game, there is obviously not enough doing so to be competitive on the state level in soccer.

To sharkfutbol: woud you then suggest moving game days so as to not be competing with basketball?

[Islander]

Watching the game is not much fun in the chilly wind, rain and 40 degrees temperature.  I can complain b/c I go to every game. But that may be part of the reason for limited spectators at the games.

I believe that moving the soccer season more towards the end of the season, like the track season, would be much better.  Who should be contacted  to make a change?

[77]

[quote name="Islander" post="941068" timestamp="1294012977"]
Watching the game is not much fun in the chilly wind, rain and 40 degrees temperature.  I can complain b/c I go to every game. But that may be part of the reason for limited spectators at the games.

I believe that moving the soccer season more towards the end of the season, like the track season, would be much better.  Who should be contacted  to make a change?
[/quote]good idea.

[WellRead]

Bear's Bear, "I feel your pain."
    You do make several good points on your post. Like Sharkfutbol, I think weather has a lot to do with it. The cold, rainy evenings are not condusive to crowds sitting on aluminum (or wooden) bleachers. Even football games suffer from the cold and rain unless it's a playoff game.
    Second, while we harp on the media for their lack of coverage, it's hard for them to know who's playing where if the soccer schedules are not sent to them in a timely manner. Most area sports journalists (writers and television) have to repeatedly ask for the soccer schedules. (not the basketball schedules, though) What would help? Send them your school's soccer schedules and highlight the games you feel will be important to the season. (Don't leave it to your coaches. They're busy coaching.) Call them and remind them team X plays team Y at location Z on the Tuesday or Friday, then, and this is important...win or lose CALL IN THE SCORE AFTER THE GAME. (I'm not shouting, just emphasizing.) Don't wait on coach to call...he/she is busy with other things. (Hey, schools, please post your schedule at least on your school website!)
    Third, we do need more coaches who know more about soccer. Step up, talk (politely) to your district's AD and school board. One word of caution, however...go armed with supportive facts like how many kids would potentially play soccer, etc.. Numbers help sometimes. Include your community club numbers to show why you need a soccer coach sooner than later.
    You also mentioned playing soccer later in the school year. For public schools, the problem stems from UIL's busy calendar filled with sports that have been sanctioned for years. Soccer is a relative newcomer and was accommodated in the best possible place behind football and volleyball, basketball, baseball and track. Changing when they play would be a monumental task that UIL isn't going to take on at this time, if ever.
  One last thing, encourage your local clubs to come on a specific night to watch high school soccer. It may seem small but it will put more people in the stands... provided it's good weather... and get kids excited about playing high school soccer! Good luck to all the young men and women this soccer season. I'm looking forward to seeing you play!

[sharkfutbol]

Playing on another night wont work.. Monday nights gives you no practice day before  a game night.  Thursday night would be okay but its about,  Cold verses comfort.  You do have several coaches that are soccer coaches locally.  And trying to get club kids to come to the games is a good idea.  They used to play at halftime but most as soon as the half was over were GONE. Because of the cold weather and some didnt come until game time.  Rivalry games used to draw a load of people locally.  Nederland and PNG playing each other in the late 90s would bring probably near a thousand people to the games if not more than that on sevearl occassions.  Nederland had a playoff game against Clear Creek I beleive at their place when the coach they have now played.  I believe night the crowd was in excess of 2000 people.  It was amazing.  At Kelly our playoff game last year \ we probably had from Kelly alone nearly 500 people.  And thats a school of 410 kids.  It was very loud and great conditions.  Its possible if the team goes out and ask their friends to come make some noise.  Invite a soccer league out for a night and let them in FREE If they have on a jersey from the league. Yes you may not have a gate but concessions and parents of these kids pay.  PLENTY of ways to do it. Use your imagination.

[FriendswoodFan]

I am a huge soccer fan, but the fact is that it's soccer, and it's generally cold and/or wet until later in the season.  

Even at Friendswood, which has the premier girls program in the region, and one of the top boy's programs, it is hard to get big crowds out to the early season games.  Working with the local clubs does add some numbers (and interest that feeds the program) and it helps to have local newspaper that covers the teams (we have the Galveston Daily News), but you can't expect a coach to organize all of that.  The bottom line is the kids have to play for themselves -- be successful and the payoff comes in the playoffs.

[bojonomore]

So why can't the UIL move soccer back a month so that it wouldn't conflict with basketball and the weather for most of the season would be much more endurable?  If you started practice in January and games in Febuary, you would only have to deal with baseball, which virtually no soccer players play and draws considerably less students than basketball games, thereby increasing soccer attendance.  Plus, athletes would be able to play both basketball and soccer, and would only miss preseason and a little bit of nondistict soccer, barring a deep playoff run.

[Guest Newbie]

[quote name="A Bear's Bear" post="941743" timestamp="1294110146"]
So why can't the UIL move soccer back a month so that it wouldn't conflict with basketball and the weather for most of the season would be much more endurable?  If you started practice in January and games in Febuary, you would only have to deal with baseball, which virtually no soccer players play and draws considerably less students than basketball games, thereby increasing soccer attendance.  Plus, athletes would be able to play both basketball and soccer, and would only miss preseason and a little bit of nondistict soccer, barring a deep playoff run.
[/quote]
As it is now, the schedules are so tight between sports I don't see that happening.  School soccer is lodged right between Fall soccer and Spring soccer for the clubs.  The really serious soccer players play year round and moving it a month back would impact their games per week.  The secret to a bigger crowd at the games is a winning tradition.  The more successful your teams are year in and year out, the bigger the fan base is.

[DP#1FAN]

The kids that play soccer should have better crowds show up. They are playing for there school.

[mat]

Soccer (girls and boys), baseball (varsity, jv, freshman), softball (varsity, jv, freshman), basketball (girls and boys) and track all going on the same time of the year. Too many choices.