Congratulations to our Director of Coaching, Danny Agee, on the achievement of his National “D” License.  The “D” License is conferred by the US Soccer Federation on experienced coaches who undergo a 36-hour course with both classroom and field training.

Danny spent 2 full weekends on the field at University of Portland with some of the best professional Club coaches in Oregon. After a rigorous evaluation, course instructors determine whether the passing candidate will receive a State “D” License, or a National “D” License.

Danny stood out – as mentioned by one of the instructors, Joe Sottile – “Danny did well at the “D” license course due to his knowledge of the game developed during his playing career, and his strong interest in continuing to expand his insight of coaching soccer.”

Dallas United looks forward to a bright future of building great players under Danny’s direction.

Pinnacle Physical Therapy is our newest team sponsor!  With offices in Dallas and Keizer, Pinnacle PT is passionate about helping you get back to enjoying life without pain and disability.

Andrew Brecht,  Olivia Dalke,  Forrest Deters,  Lucas Diaz,  Josh Dudley,  Grant Hess,  Emmalee Jones,  Sam Wallace,  Shasta Wilson and Daphne Mauk.

Keeping the pipeline full of new referees is important.  Did you know that 38% of new referees quit after the first year?  It’s a tough job, but after completing the course our new referees are equipped to begin a successful career of officiating.  The successful candidates are now certified as Grade 8 referees by U.S. Soccer, the national governing body of the sport.

The students underwent two full days of classroom instruction and field training, in addition to completing an online class on the Laws of the Game.  Course instructor Duane Bean remarked that our Dallas referees were the most attentive and motivated class that he has taught.

Special thanks go to Rob Wallace, our Dallas referee coordinator for rounding up the students. Rob helps Dallas United staff MVSL league games played here at home, as well as overseeing referees who officiate youth recreational games in the fall.

When you see these new refs out on the field, thank them for being there, and remember, they’re learning how to ref, just like kids are learning to play, and the coaches are learning to coach.  Besides they have red cards!

Dallas United has been fortunate to receive funds to use toward scholarships in recent years.  Last year, $1,899 in scholarships were granted.  Out of $16,012 in registrations fees, 12% were funded by scholarships.  28 players were assisted with full or partial scholarships.  These scholarships were made possible in large part by Dallas Community Foundation, which granted us $1,200 last year.

We’re grateful for the support that makes scholarships possible, but in the light of difficult economic times, the handwriting is on the wall.  We can’t solely rely on handouts from big funders and sponsors, we need to find new revenue streams.

Last week, we conducted a pretty informal bottle and can drive during our Saturday morning training.  We had a some folks bring a truckload of bottles and cans to give us a kick start, and players went out and canvassed a couple of neighborhoods for just an hour or so.  Our few hours of work yielded $300 in funds!  Everyone was encouraged by the outcome of just a few hours of work, and we’ll definitely do it again.

I was especially encouraged by the response of the players.  We asked players to stay for one hour following their training to go out and run door to door.  Most everyone who was able to stay did so, and they were truly enthusiastic about it.  Players got to work together, get in some conditioning, and most importantly, make a tangible contribution to their Club.  The sense of ownership and participation is something that cannot be gained by getting a handout.

Scholarships will always be necessary to a degree, because we firmly believe that a player should go as far as their ability will carry them, and we’re determined to not let money stand in the way.  But, the lessons learned from work will help prepare players for a lifetime of productive contribution.

Our next fundraiser is selling nationwide discount Champions Cards.  Players will get to keep half of the profits.  Half of the profit ($7.00 per card) will be credited to their player account.  The best way to encourage sales is to give players an incentive to act in their own self-interest.

These small lessons, acting in enlightened self-interest, will give players a sense of ability, self-sufficiency and ownership that build the confidence to tackle the challenges that life will present in the years to come.

To learn more about our fundraising policy, click here

John Wooden, Legendary UCLA Coach

Dallas United is upgrading our program by employing professional coaches.  Danny Agee has assumed the Director of Coaching role at a modest salary, Jimmy Young is joining our staff this spring, and Cherish Henrickson is taking on a larger role.   Do we have a John Wooden in the making among them?  I hope so!

The benefits of professional coaching have become apparent to me the last few weeks as I’ve watched Danny Agee work with our players on their footskills.  Just this morning, Danny was working with the kids on a scissors move.

Any (most?) volunteer coaches can teach a scissors move, right?  Sure, nothing to it.  But, after you teach the move, what do you do with it?

First, Danny broke down the move and helped individuals master it.  He pointed out specific errors and gave tips to correct them.  An experienced coach doesn’t allow players learn a move incorrectly, thus reinforcing and ingraining bad habits.

Second, he added motion, combining the move dribbling forward with the ball, adding a feint to move around an opponent.

Finally, and most importantly, Danny set up a drill that helped the players learn how to “sell” the move and beat an opponent.  To effectively apply techniques in game situations is something that comes with experience.

Professional coaches establish solid technique, train thinking players who truly understand game tactics and their role, shorten the learning curve, and bring players farther than they thought possible.

With guidance, the players were able to take a fun move and learn to apply it in everyday game situations.  With practice, you’ll see Dallas United players using moves like this and beating opponents this spring.

The benefits of our footskills training is already paying off, as the U14 boys won 4 out of 5 games in a Futsal tournament today.  Coach Rob Wallace remarked that the teamwork and passing that he observed was really quite amazing!

Do you have to be a “professional” coach to achieve these results?  Well, the good news is that anyone who commits themselves to learning the game and continuously working on their craft can become a “professional” coach.  Dallas United encourages all of our coaches to take licensing classes offered through our State Association.  The volunteer parent coach is unfortunately maligned at times, but we could not run a program without strong parental support.  My next article is going to be in praise of parent coaches.

So, what is professional coaching worth to you?