Parental interference cause coach to resign

A few days ago, I was in the middle of penning (or computering) a few words on the new high school fall soccer season and the subject of parents, when -- lo and behold -- news broke about an Indiana varsity boys’ coach abruptly resigning due “parental interference.”

The coach in question, Bashir Birany, led Zionsville to its first ever state title last October. He was quoted in the Indianapolis Star as saying that said interference “had been going on for a while,” had undermined him, and was affecting his ability to do his job.

It was his lone season at the Eagles, where he went 20-3-2 after taking over from Mike Smith in 2009.
One of the biggest problems with parents of high school soccer players is that quite a few of them never played or were immersed in the game as youths and are therefore not that well versed in its laws or tactics.

So, when opinions are expressed in a public or aggressive fashion, they are not helpful to referees, players or coaches.

Partly because of this ignorance – and partly because of glasses of the rose tinted variety -- their views of the talents of little Johnny or Mary can also be a little skewed, causing problems with off the field with coaches.

Some of the parents are even involved in the team set-up in some way, which causes additional conflict when their influence is used in a manipulative way.

Don’t get me wrong: I love the fact that people who never had an interest in the sport suddenly do, even if it is solely because their child has chosen to play the sport. The more the merrier.

And a number of these parents have actually made the effort to educate themselves, and are also of great benefit to their respective teams in terms of the work they put in each year.

There will be a few new head coaches of our area high school soccer teams when the season kicks off next week. They include Brandon Rogers (Providence boys), Carson Webb (Jeffersonville boys) and Jeremy Pickerell (Jeffersonville girls), while Dutch Vigar returns as New Albany boys’ boss.

Hopefully they, and those who return to coach your kids and mentor them over the coming months, will be allowed do their jobs as best they can without too much outside interference.

If you are new, or relatively new, to the game and are willing to learn more about it, one very useful website is Soccer for Parents (www.soccer-for-parents.com), where you can also download an e-book entitled, “Ten Simple Soccer Rules for Baffled Parents.”

Watching as much soccer as possible, either local games or those on TV, is also recommended, as is seeking out a referee soccer course.

As your knowledge increases, so too will your appreciation of the game. You won’t be disappointed and the game on a local level will be that little bit better for it.

National champions crowned

The US Youth Soccer national champions were crowned this week at Overland Park in Kansas.

There was no local representation this year after Javanon ’92, featuring Jeffersonville’s Trevor Bruner, was eliminated by Shattuck St Mary’s of Minnesota in the Region II championship game in Dayton, Ohio in June.

Shattuck finished runner-up after losing the U18 Andy Stone Cup championship decider 1-0 to EastSide United 91 Liverpool of Oregon. It was the state’s first ever national crown.

A total of 12 titles were decided for boys and girls from U14 to U19. The other 11 winners were from California (four), Texas (three), Illinois, Maryland, Georgia and Ohio.

Meanwhile, it was announced that Phoenix, Arizona will host next year’s national championships. The Region II (Midwest) tournament will take place at Fox Cities, Wisconsin.

ODP a lot of fun for Little

Last week, we brought you news of Silver Creek sixth grader Grant Hollkamp’s exploits at the ODP boys’ camp in Kansas.

This week, it’s the turn of New Albany High School junior defender Taylor Little, who was part of the Indiana 1993 team that participated at the Region II camp in DeKalb, Illinois recently.

The team took on Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio South and eventual overall winners Michigan.

Little, who plays her club soccer with Mockingbird, got to play every minute of every game, and said the competition was tough but was a great experience and a lot of fun.


Above: New Albany High School’s Taylor Little (front row, second from right) is pictured with her Indiana OPD 1993 teammates at the Region II camp in DeKalb, Ill. recently.

New stats service for Indiana schools

A new statistics service for Indiana high school sports will begin this year, making information more accessible to coaches, players, fans and the media.

The IHSAA last week endorsed Denver based VarVee as its official statistics gathering partner, beginning with fall sports, including soccer.

Through its website at www.varvee.com, VarVee will provide every member school with instructions on using the website and system, hopefully ensuring a decent participation level, while student-athletes will be able to create their own personal athletic profiles.

You will also be able to sign up for alerts for your favorite team, sport or athlete.