More than 200 Attend First-Ever Regional Symposia
On January 31 in Turlock and February 1 in Madera, NorCal Premier Soccer hosted its first-ever Regional Symposia, with NorCal and US Soccer staff, as well as local club directors serving as clinicians.
The goal was to help improve the level of coaching and club development for administrative staff and directors in Regions 7 and 8.
Overall, 221 coaches were present, with 120 earning USSF Grassroots Licenses, and a further 101 attending the combination of field sessions and classroom lectures offered by the various presenters.
“At NorCal, we’ve hosted our annual symposium for a long time, bringing in top clinicians from all over the world, but it’s tough for a lot of coaches to take time off of work, get a hotel room, and travel all the way to Oakland,” said NorCal Club Services Manager Kevin Botterill. “We wanted to design an event where we could bring a similar level of educational opportunity straight to the regions so that we’re impacting the growth of coaches who aren’t able to attend the symposium.”
More than 30 different clubs were represented at the free-of-cost event over the course of two days, with a variety of different sessions and lectures offered–coaches could choose from two different field sessions or a classroom session that all ran simultaneously throughout.
“Clubs have a role in educating their coaches, but that role is not always fulfilled as much as we’d like it to be for a variety of different reasons,” Botterill said. “We wanted to get our clubs help with clinicians who could offer assistance in developing that role.”
For those who attended either symposium, the experience proved imperative to improving learning and educational access.
“As a coach who has taken multiple courses over the past 10 years, I think coming to the NorCal symposium has been one of the most effective ways to expand my knowledge as a coach,” said Central California Soccer Alliance coach Javier Quintana. “I think there’s something to learn for any coach, whether they are in their first year or tenth.”
“Getting to see experienced coaches run their sessions, utilizing their own tried and trusted methods, is something you don’t always get with other clinics and courses,” Quintana added. “The NorCal symposium definitely offers a unique setting for everyone to come and learn from the best coaches in the area.”
According to others, the event provided insight into unexpected, but still important, areas.
“The great thing about events like this is that you often end up attending classes or lectures that you didn’t realize you needed help with,” said Central Valley Premier President Robert Blair. “For us on the admin side, having a marketing professional available to inadvertently point out things we thought made sense to us, but didn’t necessarily represent the end user was enlightening. Having someone pass along a message to your coaches and administrators, from someone other than the same voice in the club, delivers the message a little stronger.”
The fact that the symposia were run in tandem with USSF Grassroots licensing courses made the experience a one-stop shop designed to cater to the needs of area clubs.
“At NorCal, we are committed to providing our grassroots coaches with the best possible opportunities for growth and development,” said NorCal Grassroots Development Manager Adrew Taylor, who also served as an instructor for several of the USSF courses. “Their dedication to learning and investment to create positive environments for their players truly reflects the heart of grassroots coaching and reminds me why I became an instructor.”
“It was inspiring to see coaches from a wide variety of backgrounds–there was even a former PDP player in attendance–take part,” Taylor added. “Witnessing these pathways come full circle is a powerful testament to the strength and continuity of NorCal’s programming. We truly provide a start-to-finish program for our membership.”
