It was a mystery for several years why I never got the ball as a right winger. Then one day it dawned on me. The entire midfield at Olympiads were 'right footed'. Statistically, right footers stick the ball in the bottom left corner for penalties. I was simply in the wrong direction. Add this to that - right footed opposing midfielders tackle with their right foot, which may open up the space to pass left rather than right. A double whammy of right sidedness. Alternatively I may have been smelly as a kid. Or without knowing, some kind of social outcast.
There are so many fabulous chapters to share - from U9 2nd Rayleigh Cub Scout soccer on foggy Saturday mornings at King Georges Fields to Borough Rover's punch ups with Shoebury Town. Rayleigh Olympiads got it's turn in the limelight and could easily take up an entire book. Which teams will eventually get a mention? Here's the full list:
2nd Rayleigh cub scouts - Rayleigh Olympiads - Fitzwimarc - SEEVIC - Borough Road - Cleanaway - Thames Park - Hamlet Court - Borough Rovers - The Sovereign - Rayleigh Town - MIB - Superior Autoworks and now Internationale...
Let's fast forward to the last five months and an exceptional season with the high school team at ISI. Let me add this - sorry lads, I'll refrain from mentioning individuals. Let's talk big picture here.
ISI is a small but fiercely proud school. In years gone by you'll here 'ole ole' from the supporters even in the face of a 4-0 defeat. It's also international. That makes it special and soccer is the ideal vehicle to express that. Of course, more countries are members of FIFA than the UN. It's the total global love of the game we identify with. Diversity at ISI is a team with players from Spain, Argentina, USA, Canada, Syria, France, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Ethiopia and, of course, England. There has been a 'nothing to lose' mentality that is held in check by a 'too small to win' negativity.
This season was different.
It starts with a small group of students who take it upon themselves to ask for a plan - before us coaches gave them one. Education is entertaining at times but you know success is really possible when students are self motivated. Add that mentality and student leadership with a second year of straightforward simple objectives, no egos, a desire to win back support and you are on the way. Oh, let's not forget the best field in Indiana, too.
But how do you measure success? Losing in the 'play in' game in Sectionals would be a tough method. Rarely outside of the USA does a team's success pivot on one single game. That's the media for you. They want it to be exciting because you'll watch and then they can sell advertising around the event and maybe you'll actually believe that a 'shake weight' can make you look like Jean Claude Van Damme. Win - loss record? ISI only lost a handful of games. Twice in extra time and one of those was the last kick of the game, and therefore, season. Another game was off the back of a three day camp and holiday weekend. I could mention muppet officials but I'll get a phone call of complaint from Kermit the Frog. Success could be the fact the team never conceded more than 2 goals in any game.
It's probably the complete turnaround in just under two years of a program that was based on a very shaky foundation. You need a 'team' mentality to be successful and a team in which picking outstanding players is really tough. However big a school is they can only put 11 players on the field. The difference is how those 11 get the job done. You also have to work out the best combination of all the players. And you need a little luck, too.
We poked fun at teams who demonstrated their lack of professionalism - static stretching - bullyesque coaching - pre-match line up drills with players shooting - players without the ball at their feet. While at college (then called 'Borough Road, a famous 'wing' teaching college in less than fancy West London) we were lectured by a man called Jonny Hunter. I didn't like him because he gave me a low grade on a 'biomechanics in PE' paper. I studied 'A' level' physics and thought I'd bagged it - nooooo, according to Jonny - too much detail. A lesson in society's low expectations of the physical education teacher. Anyway, England played one night - and lost. Jonny noticed that the subs warming up during the game did not have a ball at their feet. Jonny subsequently wrote the London Times. The next time England played at Wembley - guess what the subs had at their feet for the warm up. That is one key reason for success - maximising touches on the ball. If you are not comfortable with it at your feet you can't keep it. And you need it to score and make the other team work harder than you to try and get it. The ball, that is.
We had some players who were ready to run themselves into the ground - literally. We had some players mature, some egos soften and one or two gurus. We won a conference, beat one Indiana's biggest schools and only heard the Liberty Bell ring once. It is interesting to me that life often aligns events to enable something quite exceptional to occur. I know we, the program across the school, is at that point. Maybe even a moment in time where the legend is created. It all sounds very 'Lord of the Rings' but we'll be closer to revealing why later.
So - having enjoyed the most successful season in the history of the program what do we do next?
Better - that's what. And this time we make space for every other kid in the school to choose to be part of it.
So, after an 'ISI' round up, what's next? Well, in the style of 'The Event'', lets roll back the years and marvel at how the hell Rayleigh Trinity Church - 2nd Cub Scouts ended up as more about the beautiful game than tying knots....
Right, as we said in the Team Guide, success isn't measured in wins. There is always another hill to climb to be better as a team. Most of our hills in the near future are going to be mental ones. It's going to be interesting, but more important, it's going to be fun.
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