By Ian Torney - NH ODP Director of Coaching (2/15/03)

The following comprises a summary of my discoveries and opinions regarding the growth of the Super Y League in Region 1 and in our state, and particularly given that Super Y has been granted "ODP" status and how that might effect participation with the New Hampshire Olympic Development Program. Additional information published by the Super Y League can be found at www.superyleague.com.

My basic position on the Super Y League is that while is beneficial in terms of providing good games and a high level of competition - which of course is one element that is important to the development of players - it is not, despite it's recently granted "ODP" status, a practical vehicle by which a player from this state may be identified to the Region 1 or National Team pools. It is also my opinion that the structure of the league does not lend itself to other important aspects of a player's development. In addition, I have come to recognize other reservations about how this organization truly serves a soccer player from New Hampshire. These positions are not intended as an indictment of the Super Y League, but merely to reaffirm, in contrast to what the Super Y League purports to do, the continued substantive and positive aspects of participation in the Olympic Development Program. This position paper should in no way be misconstrued as discouraging participation in the Super Y League.

After speaking with several Region 1 and US Soccer National Staff Coaches on both the boy's and the girl's side, as well as coaches and administrators involved with this league, my initial assertions that it will be very difficult for New Hampshire players to be identified solely via Super Y participation have been confirmed. I also have come to discover, what are in my opinion, several shortcomings about the league itself. New Hampshire soccer players who have chosen not to participate in ODP because they believe that they can accomplish the same goals by playing Super Y are misinformed, and in my estimation are making an egregious mistake.

From my conversations both US Soccer and Region 1 Staff, it has become clear that if they identify a player worthy of Region 1 or National Team pool status by scouting Super Y events, their recommendation to that player will be for them to get involved with their state teams and to go to Region 1 Camp (so that they can be evaluated first hand against the talent there and not just seen in isolation). In fact the Region 1 Staff believe that almost all Super Y players who might be identified to a Region 1 pool already play for their state's ODP teams. Region 1 or US Soccer Staff have stated that they cannot, on a practical level, scout Super Y regular season matches - they simply do not have the staff available to do it, particularly given that the summer is their busiest time of year.

Super Y intends to facilitate scouting by rating players themselves after each match, and forming all-star teams based on those ratings within each of the Super Y sub-regional groupings and at each age group. Those all-star teams would then play each other in a tournament at the conclusion of the Super Y season; only then will some Region 1 and US Soccer Staff scout Super Y players at those all-star games, as well as at the Super Y Championships. Compounding that belated identification process is the fact that these all-star competitions will occur after Region 1 Camps in mid-July, and even after Region 1 Pool Camps in early August; Super Y literature states that their "Regional Identification Weekends will be held in September or October…" and asserts that "ID weekends will excuse players from scholastic soccer…." So not only will Super Y be attempting to ID players after the fact, but only those players who participate in the league-championships and/or make an all-star team will likely have the opportunity to be evaluated, and Super Y will be relying on those players to miss school soccer to attend these identification events. I am also not sure who these evaluators might be, as any college coach will be committed at that time. In contrast, one of the advantages of ODP participation is exposure to college coaches - an obvious phenomenon when one observes the mass of collegiate coaches either on the Region 1 Staff and/or scouting at the Region 1 events.

It is also noteworthy that the Super Y schedule is designed specifically not to conflict with ODP events - that their own literature states that they will "stay away from... USYS ODP activities" - because they recognize that Super Y cannot be in competition and/or conflict with ODP, as good players must have the ability to participate in both.

The intent of the Super Y League is commendable - to provide elite clubs with regular elite-level competition. One way for players to improve is to play in good games, and it seems that Super Y will provide an alternative venue for that, as well as the opportunity to continue to compete throughout the summer after state TOC competitions and ODP events conclude in mid-July. However, it is my opinion that no New Hampshire soccer player will be identified for the next level by playing just for a Super Y League team - as demonstrated, there is no practical way for that possibly to occur. It is also noteworthy that USYS is pursuing legal complaints and court action against the Super Y League for misrepresenting their ODP status.

In contrast, the NH ODP has enjoyed great success with it's players being identified to both Region 1 and National Team pools - a considerable feat given that New Hampshire is one of the smallest states in Region 1. In 2002 ten NH ODP players were identified to Region 1 pools - the most ever - and one New Hampshire player was selected to represent the United States in National Team competition! Also in contrast, while the Super Y League advertises itself as an answer to the shortcomings of player identification in this country, it is clear that the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program is not only serving it's function but achieving it's goals with great success! Every player on the recent Women's U19 World Championship Team was identified through the ODP system. The recent results of the US National Teams, including the string of Women's World Cup Championships and the quarter-final finish of the Men's National Team in the 2002 World Cup - all of which occurred prior to the Super Y League being granted ODP status - are proof-positive that the system in place in this country not only works, but has also adapted and grown to dramatically improve.

Beyond the issue of identification, I am concerned that Super Y is ignoring other important aspects of player development, and those are training, and guarding against "soccer burnout" among others; I also don't believe that Super Y equitably serves players from our state.

I see the Super Y League as being about competition (which is fine), but not necessarily about player development. Some New Hampshire clubs participating in Super Y have two rosters in each age group - one that represents the club in TOC competition, and another designed specifically for Super Y competition; the Super Y roster is only convened for Super Y matches, and that group of players rarely trains together.

In contrast, the NH ODP provides both top level competition - via New England ODP "friendlies" and Sub-Region 1 Jamborees, the Region 1 Tournament, and at Region 1 Camps - and excellent player development via training with some of the best coaches in the state and in the region (and no New England club can duplicate the varied training opportunities available via the NH ODP!). To minimize "soccer burnout" and to emphasize proper development in conjunction with competition, US Soccer recommends that the training-to-competition ratio should be three-to-one; NH ODP players train roughly once a week with one weekend competition a month, i.e. an average of three training sessions for every competition. NH ODP training events in addition to the regular training sessions with NH ODP USSF-licensed Staff include: Northern New England ODP Centers of Excellence with US Soccer National Staff Coaches; US Soccer Staff Coaches, Region 1 Staff Coaches and professional coaches clinics at the NHSA AGM; NH ODP Region 1 Mini Camps with Region 1 Staff Coaches; and Region 1 Camps - in my opinion some of the best summer soccer camps available - with all of the Region 1 Staff (which includes pro coaches, collegiate coaches, and National Staff coaches). All of the NH ODP Staff has played soccer at the highest levels - most collegiately and some professionally; and all State Team Head Coaches hold at least a USSF "C" License or it's FIFA equivalent (including seven USSF "A" licensed coaches currently on the NH ODP Staff). Many NH ODP Staff have coached in the college ranks, and our 2003 Staff includes five current collegiate Head Coaches.

I also have concerns about the burgeoning structure of Super Y and the strains that it will demand from players. The Super Y teams in New Hampshire have been placed in a sub-regional group that includes seven or eight other teams ranging from all over New England and New York State and into Canada. Each team in this sub-region plays home-and-away against all other teams in its group, which means at least 14 to 16 additional regular season games with all of the itinerant travel, and during the hottest months of the year (July and August); and that's all prior to additional regional playoffs, finals (played in North Carolina in '02) and all-star tournaments and ID weekends.... It is also noteworthy that the Super Y Leagues in Region 2, Region 3 and Region 4 have all but disintegrated basically because of the travel issue, and that the only region where Super Y is still somewhat established is in the northeast - so for the Super Y League to represent itself as a vehicle for National Team identification throughout this country even as it operates in only one portion of the United States is also misleading.

In contrast the NH ODP trains or plays once a week on average. The NH ODP wants to guard against over-training it's players, and believes that the primary training should occur with one's club - consequently the NH ODP convenes it's state team pools on a relatively limited basis. The NH ODP is not a club (nor trying to be), but an opportunity for the top players in the state to supplement club play via training and competition with and against the best players in the state and in the region. The NH ODP requires travel out of state only twice during a season that begins just before Thanksgiving and ends in mid-July; and those two travel events are the Region 1 Tournament in New Jersey in June, and Region 1 Camps in early July. The NH ODP strives to work in conjunction with clubs in our state so as to not overburden our players, while still providing an opportunity for those players to grow and develop and be identified to the next level of play - hence the once-a-week commitment model. The NH ODP also strives to minimize conflicts by publishing it's schedule at least a year in advance, and by strict adherence to training only on designated ODP days per NHSA policy.

I am also concerned that Super Y clubs in our state are not necessarily serving the players from here, as some New Hampshire Super Y rosters are filled with a majority of players from outside this state. Perhaps most controversially, it is also my opinion that Super Y is targeted primarily at boys, and while I'm sure that the league would be quick to deny this as there are female Super Y teams (but more male Super Y teams than female in this state), I believe that the underlying focus of Super Y is on male soccer players, and I have great personal misgivings about such an inequity!

In contrast, the NH ODP is designed to develop players exclusively from New Hampshire. The NH ODP also fields an equal number of teams for both girls and boys, including three U13 District Pools, both a U13 State Team and a U13 "JV" Team, and State Teams at the U14, U15, U16, U17 and U19 age groups (no club from this state does that); and in fact the last two players from New Hampshire to be identified to National Team pools were girls!

Finally, unlike USYS, Region 1, or the NH ODP which all hold non-profit status, the Super Y League is clearly a for-profit venture. Super Y teams will generate additional income from player fees for their clubs, and the Super Y administrative group and it's Chairman stand to make a great deal of money from this organizational structure. In contrast, the NH ODP is a non-profit organization that operates on a zero-based budget. Any surplus generated in a given year is re-invested into the program, via additional financial aid grants or lower fees, for example.

In conclusion, I applaud the Super Y League in its efforts to raise the game of soccer in this country. However, I encourage those New Hampshire players considering participation in Super Y competition to recognize some of the realities and shortcomings of this league in addition to it's strengths; and I encourage the top soccer players in New Hampshire to continue to participate in this state's Olympic Development Program, and to take advantage of the excellence that the NH ODP has to offer!

Ian Torney - NH ODP Director of Coaching