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The challenges focus upon six essential soccer techniques:
The tests will reflect technical ability of the players in these techniques.
A learning programme of practices and games with key coaching factors is provided for each technique.
What are the main benefits of the Soccer Star Challenge?
- They are fun and they do capture the children's imagination.
- Add value to a soccer programme for boys and girls.
- Free certificates.
- Profile and record of children's strengths, weaknesses and progress.
- Recognise the progress of children.
- Rewards achievement.
- Opportunities for simple goal setting for children.
- The opportunity for children to practice and improve on their previous scores.
- Provides tangible feedback to parents.
- Increases loyalty to the coaches learning programme.
Added Value
The evidence of increasing youth soccer participation in the UK is that the Soccer Star Challenge can provide an enjoyable focus for children's participation. Used as part of an overall educational programme its'ease of administration will enhance the children's enjoyment of soccer and allow coaches to build upon their relationships with the player. It is an ideal aid to soccer camps and is most popular in the UK for the 8-12 year old age range. The challenges can be used to provide individual 'fun' awards eg.quickest dribbler or turner; they can be used to assist in selecting ability groupings and the challenges can provide assistance in talent identification.
One of the major factors in the identification of talent is that representative teams from an early age are made of players with early birthdays e.g. if the qualification date is January 1st the likelihood is that over 75% of the team will be born in January, February, March and April. The achievement of young players on the Soccer Star Challenge Six Star Awards has shown no age bias and displayed an almost uniform distribution across the 12 months of the year.
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