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Author Topic: Failure to plan... means planning to fail.  (Read 1134 times)

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Offline Bourbon

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Failure to plan... means planning to fail.
« on: October 17, 2017, 04:54:01 PM »
Copied from a Facebook posting. It's LONG but it's food for thought.. and shows the importance of long term planning. The thing is... do we have anything resembling a long term plan?

After a great European Championship showing Iceland just qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Iceland's success is partially due to training and certifying more qualified coaches per capita than any other national coaching system. However, this can't be the only reason because other countries have a far bigger total number of UEFA/FIFA qualified coaches. There had to be more to the Icelandic soccer phenomenon than quickly meets the eye so I did some digging. Here’s how Iceland's soccer culture is different from that of other countries.

1. Iceland has upwards of 120 government funded small boarded outdoor soccer fields on the grounds of schools in communities around the country. These small ice-hockey style fields have become magnets for kids of all ages. They are artificial so the only thing that stops the kids playing is deep snow. Because they are boarded the ball stays in play and the walls provide kids with a rebound surface to shoot against. Having a wall to shoot against accelerates development considerably.

2. Prior to the financial crash that crippled Iceland’s banks, the Icelandic government funded domed indoor stadiums so its residents could play indoors even on the darkest, coldest winter days. Iceland now boasts 11 large domed indoor fields. This allows clubs to offer year-round, day-long access for teams of all ages. Visualize a plane hangar filled with crowds of kids and hundreds of soccer balls. Even the island of Heimey, population just over 4,000, has one. As a consequence Icelandic soccer has changed from a summer only to a year-round sport with no rain-outs or cancellations.

3. Icelandic kids have fewer competing options and soccer is the sport of choice for most Icelandic kids. In other cultures soccer isn’t as popular. Hockey reigns in Canada. Gaelic football is number one in Ireland. Aussie rules is king down under. India & Pakistan love Cricket. In Iceland soccer is by far the biggest and most popular sport.

4. Prior to the government’s investment in small boarded synthetic outdoor fields and large indoor fields soccer was played on poor full-size grass fields. Use a natural grass field every day for a week and it will start to get threadbare. Use it for a month and it will be ruined. When the government paid for 120 synthetic outdoor 5-a-side fields, 11 large indoor stadiums and heated synthetic outdoor fields in most communities, it provided everyone with the opportunity to double, triple and quadruple time spent training and playing.

5. Even though Iceland has the best indoor facility coverage per capita in the world indoor space and time is still very limited. The demand for practice time is so great that multiple different soccer teams usually share one large indoor field for practice. While this may appear to be a disadvantage it turns out it’s a positive. This is the essence of street soccer. Players who develop by playing small-sided games in tiny spaces become more skillful and competitive under penalty area type pressure than players who practice outdoors with more space and time. It probably wasn’t intentional but by default Iceland’s government may have helped accelerate child development by forcing multiple teams to practice simultaneously, each in a space smaller than an outdoor penalty area.

6. Mixed age groups. Many Icelandic communities don’t have enough players for dedicated single year age group teams and practices. Girls have to play with boys and different ages are thrown together to make games and practices work. While this could be negative it turns out this is good for development. Younger players with good potential play up. Players with weaker potential play down. Good girl players compete with boys. In the Icelandic system, the talented male or female player is more likely to be pushed up to a higher level of soccer. One that can help her/him transition to an even better level later.

7. The availability of indoor facilities and good coaches has caused parents to get their kids involved as early as 2 or 3. At the youngest levels, players are engaged in creative, fun training so they want to continue playing in their schools and neighborhoods.

8. Schools have made soccer a big part of their physical education curriculum. Every school in Iceland has a boarded all-weather 5-a-side pitch and a sports hall that can be used for their curriculum or pick-up games at recess.

9. Players and families at all levels intermingle with each other. From the professional players to the U3’s, everyone is involved at all levels of the local club. Clubs are like large families. Younger players watch the top teams play and some of the older players help coach or referee the younger players. This creates a connectivity throughout the entire club and helps breed a mindset towards soccer as a lifestyle, not just a hobby. There is community pride in soccer. So much so that communities are proud to have produced good players and especially proud when one of their own makes a national team. The close-knit nature of Icelandic players is an undeniable factor.

10. Good Icelandic players leave the nest early. In Iceland, you have to go abroad to play at the highest level. If you are potentially a professional you have to leave, you have to sacrifice. If you're 16, 17 or 18 with enough talent to make it you have to be willing to travel and live in a foreign country.

11. Icelandic players have unusually high levels of spirit, character, and passion. Icelanders are traditionally tough! When you peel away the layers Icelandic people have had to adapt to life as a battle. That spirit of struggle has endured. As a result, Icelanders have a deeper reserve of character to draw upon when the going gets rough. Passion goes hand in hand with struggle and character. People who play hard and dig deep embrace life with a passion that is rare. When a game is on the line they find a way to win. Heimir Hallgrimsson the National team coach says, “We're willing to work hard and go the extra mile and I think that's the strength of the individual here. We're used to bad weather. We're used to walking to school when it's windy and tough. So I think we're kind of used to a strong headwind in life, in general. We're willing to go the extra mile to get the result. I think that's our advantage."

It’s good to note that the smallest country to have previously reached the World Cup finals was Trinidad & Tobago in 2006 (1.3 million people), followed by Northern Ireland (1.85 million), Slovenia (2.08 million), Jamaica (2.89 million) and Wales (3.1 million).

Perhaps Brian Blickenstaff from Vice Sports puts it best. “This is a team from a rock in the North Atlantic occupying the same latitudes as central Alaska. It's a place so inhospitable and hard to reach that humans didn't settle it until 874. I mean, it's called Iceland for God's sake. There are no bad odds here. Here, bad odds are called life. Here, you live and thrive through careful planning and execution and hard, hard work—or you don't live at all.”

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The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus ;with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

Offline Tallman

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Re: Failure to plan... means planning to fail.
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2017, 05:13:10 PM »
The thing is... do we have anything resembling a long term plan?

We have had plans before, but they have never been been fully (maybe not even 10%) implemented.
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline soccerman

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Re: Failure to plan... means planning to fail.
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2017, 08:48:34 PM »
i'll be rooting for Iceland to do well, they developed a long term plan, stuck with it and are reaping the benefits.

Offline maxg

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Re: Failure to plan... means planning to fail.
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2017, 09:11:20 PM »
The thing is... do we have anything resembling a long term plan?

We have had plans before, but they have never been been fully (maybe not even 10%) implemented.
Yeah, we have more plans in the vault than ah architect, but they keep getting lorse in the Matrix. Think we have to reboot.or send Neo or maybe Contro  ;D

He might choose to save Trinity instead. Matrix 'doubles rloaded' coming to ah theatre somewhere in Cov-R
« Last Edit: October 18, 2017, 09:13:52 PM by maxg »

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Failure to plan... means planning to fail.
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2017, 06:54:26 AM »

after that win against the US doh be surprise if plenty people wha give DJW a second chance. Forget everything else and remember that win against the US  :(

Offline soccerman

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Re: Failure to plan... means planning to fail.
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2017, 10:09:34 AM »

after that win against the US doh be surprise if plenty people wha give DJW a second chance. Forget everything else and remember that win against the US  :(
That is what I'm nervous about.

 

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