Granite FC C.O.E. -- An Introduction

Granite FC Center of Excellence, is a small girls' soccer academy located in New Hampshire, a small state that is universally regarded as very small when it comes to developing soccer players. The C.O.E. will have been around five years -- come 2008 -- and consists of a very dedicated group of players, coaches and parents that, is by and large, striving to achieve the highest standard of play possible for the girls.

Simple enough, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, certain things are simple and wonderful -- our girls' passion for the game and thirst to improve, our coaches dedication, hard work and creativity in developing the girls and the parents' tireless support financially and in terms of their time. No, when it comes to trying something new in the insular and established world of youth soccer in New Hampshire. What is it that they say about the internal politics at colleges and universities -- the reason it is so vicious is that there is so little at stake.

Hence the Avis Experience. Just like Avis, the famous car rental company, we must try harder. We confront a handful of clubs who view soccer players as their property and who, shall we say, are less than happy about the competition for "their" players. Not surprisingly, some of the "institutions" of soccer in the state are influenced by that hostility and are not too interested in extending a helping hand to our endeavor. In many ways, the C.O.E. is the feisty little kid on the block who is scrapping and working hard to be given a chance but is viewed by the bigger kids as a pest to be ignored.

This blog will try to highlight some of the joys and challenges that the C.O.E. has encountered as it tries to create an environment of real soccer development. At the end of the day, no one disputes that this comes down to great coaching\training, lots of time on the ball, motivated players and creating a real soccer culture amongst your players and families. How you achieve these things is where the disagreement comes in. I believe that the C.O.E.'s approach works well and is a valuable contribution to the youth soccer landscape. No doubt its not for everybody but we'll throw it out for your consideration and choice.