Whole of Football - how we doing so far?

What with Billy berating us parents for not embracing the WoF (he's wrong btw) and making our kids hoof it at any opportunity, and with the news article about Alida and her role in WoF, how are parents finding the transition this season?

This might be more pertinent to the younger grades (e.g. 9-10) which have previously had the 1 game system (and larger pitches?).  

Jnr Jnr's grade 12 team hasn't had any significant changes from last year's grade 11 conditions although the pitch is significantly smaller.  While this might be to encourage shorter, quicker passing, I think that for the transition grades it hasn't made much difference - if anything it means that any clearing kicks carry a bit more into the opposition's half.  However overall I can't see too much change from how things were in grade 11.  Our kids still have fun despite being on the receiving end of pastings more often than not, they are slowly learning the need to pass and stay in position (they always seem to forget this at the beginning of each season) and some basic tactics.

And they don't dive around and try to dupe the ref (in fact they are virtually all completely honest to a fault and let me know whose ball it is if I haven't seen the play clearly).  I will concentrate on how to do this in the next few weeks, but it would be good to hear what other parents think so far.

Too be honest I feel it's not working... My son is in 9th grade..and it's fair to say that the majority of parents in our team feel the same way.

Last year we would have played half our games at home in upper Hutt this year we have played all but 2 Saturdays away...

the kids have even commented about how many times they have played the same teams with the two game format we have playd some teams 4 times we feel that the grades should have more teams in them so they get more variety our team have won most of their  games and would be good to have opportunity to play some of the supposed better teams.  

Villanix those are wrinkles that needs to be ironed out though surely - not a core measure about whether it is (a) going to produce better players and (b) better for children's development

Wasnt part of this plan to standardise football across the whole of NZ so that we dont have stupid stuff like this happening?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=10822235

At least they know where they stand in their grade our kids have nothing, the whole it's all about competing not winning is ridiculous.

Why do you say that Villanix?

What about the even younger grades? In CHCH the WOF plan has players doing training skills in different stations however there is no 'game' situation in it. I have heard issues around kids wanting to be able to play a real game in their chosen sport. 

Are other cities doing this too?

Maybe it's the parents who care about the league tables and not the kids

True, and false. The article posted on the homepage (the one i linked above) was for all junior grades. Maybe the kids in 7th grade dont care, but 17th grade probably do...

Haha you nailed it, the attitude of most parents on the sideline is probably the biggest source of drop out for kids. Winning is all well and good as long as kids are improving. If there is no improvement then the coach isn't doing his job, especially when a vast number of coaches think telling kids what to do and then yelling loudly at them to win is sufficient. 

Nothing riles me more than a coach/sideline parent that talks in useless cliches and not anything at all constructive.

Also, this is worth a read http://powerpointcoaching.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/whats-in-winning/

(edit: got the right link this time!)

I was rather non-plussed by the first link!

Good blog too.

Earlier this week I overheard two parents/coaches on a plane talking about WoF - mostly around how small the pitches were (Grade 12 also by the sound of it).

From a pudgy ref's point of view I have certainly been doing more running around this season as the ball does get moved up/down field very quickly.

Last game of the season tomorrow.

Our team has suddenly become contenders for top of the table - unchartered territory for us but pleasing to see that the players are becoming more tactically and positionally aware, communicating with each other and developing their passing game.

Shame that our team will probably be fragmented next season as some move to secondary school.