‘Every girl where she can succeed’
Carmine Maurizio coached his daughter’s U-10 B team last year and moved up with her to U-11 AA this season, thus jumping from seven-a-side soccer to the traditional 11-a-side game that has the offside rule in play. His overall aim is to develop soccer players and not just throw kids out on the field to simply have fun without working on technical skills.
On top of coaching the girls squad, he plays in Pointe Claire’s 35-plus recreational League of Gentlemen (LOGS) and sits as a board member with the Pointe Claire Amateur Soccer Association (PCASA). How did you start coaching?
Maurizio: When I was 16, I started coaching a girls’ house league team. I was playing with the AAA club.
How was the transition from coaching seven- to 11-a-side this season?
Maurizio: It’s a difficult transition, especially since all the indoor is seven a side or any structured practice facilities in the winter is always seven a side. Spring is when the fields open up. You could manage some drills seven a side for the 11-a-side game, but it is a big transition to the 11-a-side rules. My girls have caught on. I had parent meetings at the beginning of the year and I distrib- uted an off-side presentation for parents to share with their kids. I had video and classroom sessions with them as well. I think we’ve only been caught off side once this year. The only problem with that, introducing off side to girls, is that they are afraid to get whistled down for an off-side. It doesn’t matter if you go off side, just understand the off-side rule. Some of the best soccer players in the world are off side 10 times a game and then they score a goal.
What’s your coaching approach?
Maurizio: Make everyone better without jeopardizing someone else. I try to give them positive reinforcement. We don’t play a type of game where we just boot it up the field, so it’s a progression. Girls who boot up the field, a kick-and-run type of thing, may be successful teams but they are not developing their players with proper habits. So when they get to older age groups they can’t make that 10-foot pass. Do you put a system in place?
Maurizio: I put every girl in a position they could succeed. That’s what I promised the parents.
Take us through a typical practice?
Maurizio: We practise three times a week, twice on (artificial) turf and once on grass. On Thursday and Friday, it’s more technical. We will focus on touches and control and a bit of cardio as well. So these will be high-intensity practices. On Sunday, it’s completely tactical. What happens with 11-year-old girls is they don’t have the aggressiveness. Eventually, some of them have it, some of them don’t. So we start building up drills.
Have you had success as a coach?
Maurizio: I’ve won championships but it means nothing to me. As long as the girls are having fun and developing. I like to see the girls I coached in house league developing into AA or AAA players. Most coaches are like that. It’s not results oriented.