The start of soccer season is an exciting time for little girls who want to start playing soccer. They arrive at the initial team meeting with little more than enthusiasm and girlish giggling. A lot must be accomplished to turn the giggling girls into a soccer team. Decision number one is a team name. The team name can help to define the ethos and individuality of the team and bring about the beginning of cohesiveness among the new team members. Will they take on the name of an existing team? Pick the name of a strong, predatory animal? Ethnic identifiers don’t work well anymore. Can you, the coach, guide them toward something unique? The decision on a name will help with the next decision. Like the majority of the feminine population, the girls’ biggest concern is, “What will I get to wear?” And this girlish concern is totally legitimate. The cliché that the clothes make the man is even more applicable to little girls—youth soccer jerseys make the soccer player. The opportunity to design custom soccer jerseys is appealing to the girls. It is a group-building exercise to allow the girls to discuss and vote on the look of the uniforms. The first decision to be made is the style of the jerseys. Many neckline styles and sleeve styles (raglan or set in?) add up to a plethora of selections. In addition, you have the choices of contrasting-colored panels on the sides, swooshes of color on one or both sleeves, mismatched sleeves . . . the options go on and on. As for the team colors, the new team name can have a strong influence on the final decision. It’s obvious that a team called The Tigers has no other choice than orange and black or possible orange and brown. On the other hand, the Fleet Feet have more leeway in their color choice.
After the girls have chosen their style and colors of the uniforms, the other options must be agreed on. What symbol or logo do the girls want on the front of the uniform? Can you convince them to accept a stock picture, or do they insist on a custom-designed logo? Or is the logo chosen by the team sponsor to honor the sponsor’s business? Should this logo be placed in the center-front of the jersey, or should it go on the left side? Then numbers must be assigned to finish up the final choices for the uniform design.
By this point, the girls are getting to know each other and becoming closer than just schoolmates. Now it’s time for the next phase, which is to transform the schoolmates into soccer players. It’s time to get the girls out onto the soccer field for two types of activity. The first activity is calisthenics to strengthen their bodies in preparation for the games. Strong bodies are less prone to injury. The other activity is to actually learn to play the game. It’s time to learn the moves.
At this point, the girls have now become a soccer team and are ready for a fun season of play and competition.
