Mark Brinkley has been appointed the new Interim Director of Coaching for RYSA.
The mandate for the Director of Coaching position is to improve player and team development within the club in line with the guidelines set out by US Club Soccer in their latest Youth Club Standards Bulletin, by working with our coaches and trainers in order that our players can play at their maximum potential at all ages and skill levels.
The clubs goal in the position is to have our players develop a true life-long love of the game that will help them make friends as they travel through their lives by showing them how fun and exciting the world's game can be.
Mark has completed the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, their equivalent of the USSF B license, as well as the US Youth Soccer National Y license and the National Goalkeeping diploma.He will be attending the NSCAA Director of Coaching license course in Alabama later this month . He has been a coach/trainer within the club for the past 6 years and has boys playing on our current U19 and U13 teams, both lifelong Wildcats.He has also played club soccer in his native England and Bermuda as well as for a number of teams in the tri-state area, including his current team based in Oakland.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to work with all of our excellent trainers to develop a fun, high intensity age appropriate curriculum that will ensure consistent high standards for all of our teams as they move from U8s, to the large field at U11 and then all the way through to U19s"
"I will oversee the expansion of our Winter program with an initial goal of ensuring that there is a team playing in an indoor league each week at every age group"
"Finally, I will work with local high school coaches to ensure our players have the necessary skills to get a head start when they begin their high school careers."
"Going forward we really want to ensure that our players are as committed to their teams as the club is to them. As such, in selecting the teams, one of the criteria that will now be taken into account, is the level of attendance at practices and games in both the Fall and Spring. The initial feedback I get from our trainers is that it is impossible for them to gain any team chemistry or build team skills when there are only a handful of kids consistently showing to practices. We understand that there are many activities that compete with soccer, especially in the Spring, but if we are really to lift the standards to the level we expect, then we should give the edge to those players that give priority to both the sport and the club as we move on."
Mark can be contacted at rysadoc@yahoo.com