Select Program

The Whitefish Bay Select Soccer Program is a community based program committed to providing student athletes with the opportunity to develop skills essential to positive growth in the sport of soccer and to inspire each player to a lifelong enjoyment of the game. Select coaches not only will develop players in the technical, tactical, physical, and psychological components of the game, they will also teach the importance of commitment, good sportsmanship, teamwork, respect for self and others, and an ability to learn from both winning and losing. The program partners with parents and players to achieve these goals, realizing that only through commitment, hard work, and execution will we “win” both on and off the playing field.

MISSION STATEMENT

PHILOSOPHY

Player development is the primary objective of the Whitefish Bay Select Soccer Program. This development breaks down into four components: Technical, Tactical, Physical, and Psychological. As the age level increases, different components are stressed.

Our initial concern is the Technical growth of our players. Technical abilities, or the individual ability to handle the ball consists of: dribbling, passing, receiving, shooting, heading, and goal keeping. Without a solid Technical foundation, players are limited in the Tactical realm of the game.

Our second area of development concerns our Tactical awareness of the game. Our players must learn when to apply the appropriate technique based on the demands placed upon them by their opponents. Tactical awareness is a players understanding of a system of play or strategy. Older players spend most of their time with this component of the game, provided they have the Technical skills needed.

The third area is Physical. The Physical component breaks down into speed, endurance, agility, and strength. Soccer is a demanding physical sport, and each player will need to obtain a certain level of fitness. A majority of this fitness training takes place in the actual training exercises. Physical fitness determines a lot in the game of soccer. When players become physically tired, they become mentally tired. When they become mentally tired they can no longer perform the technical skills needed. When players lose their technical ability, their tactics disappears.

The final component is Psychological. How a player reacts to certain situations can either help or hurt the overall team effort. Our goal is to focus on the present. Soccer is a game of mistakes. This is how we learn. We will work to focus all of our player's energies in a positive manner, and on things they can control.

STRUCTURE

The Director of Coaching is responsible overall for the Select Program. He assumes the responsibilities of hiring and supervising all the select team coaches and managing the program. The Director of Coaching works closely with the club's Board of Directors.

Each team has a parent manager, who is responsible for the paper work and team communication. Parents should contact the team manager and/or coach to answer questions and concerns. If you would like to talk to the coach, please ask the coach when would be a good time to talk as it is difficult to talk before or after a game.

If a parent has questions, feedback, concerns, etc... you can submit a written document to the Director of Coaching, the Board President or a board member. We take your concerns very seriously and welcome your input, whether positive or negative.