When comparing the number of youth players interested in soccer in Humboldt and Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa clearly wins. When making the same comparison to Humboldt and a Southern California city such as San Diego, San Diego would win by millions. With this being said the same conclusions should not be made when comparing the “soccer skill” in the two areas because skills are not dependent on population. Clearly having a larger population in which to draw players from can make it easier to find talent, but having a smaller population does not put a limit on how talented our players can become.
By taking a look at the current FIFA World Rankings and the corresponding population figures for each country it shows even more clearly that population does not directly result in superior soccer players.
FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings March 2009
Rank -- Country -- Population
1 -- Spain -- 46,157,822
2 -- Germany -- 82,060,000
3 -- Netherlands -- 16,492,230
4 -- Italy -- 59,905,225
100 -- PR China -- 1,321,851,888
The Peoples Republic of China amounts for nearly 1/5 of the entire worlds population, and yet it is currently ranked 100th in the world soccer rankings.
If population does not determine success on the world stage than why is population considered a detriment to youth soccer in Humboldt?
Rather than considering the location and population of Humboldt County as a disadvantage to youth soccer, it must be thought of as an advantage.
Since Mad River does not have a large population in which to find pre-developed players the focus must be on youth development. When a player joins Mad River it is the responsibility of the organization to provide an experience that is both enjoyable and beneficial to each player. By retaining players year after year it will allow the coaching staff to truly teach all of the techniques and tactical skills that are necessary in a successful player.
All over the world the key to success in professional soccer is youth development. Professional clubs spend millions of dollars signing teenagers in hopes that in five to ten years they will be playing for their senior squad. Millions are spent on coaches and training facilities so that when the time comes for their youth players to be called up to the starting 11 they are prepared to handle the technical and tactical aspect of the professional game. The same must be said about the development goals of Mad River United. At each age level players must be prepared to handle the technical and tactical aspects as they advance through each level within the club.
By training under the Mad River umbrella each player can expect a coaching staff that will provide him or her with the necessary tools to move onto the next level. The creation of The Mad River Method, a club wide curriculum, guarantees that the entire coaching staff is on the same page and working toward the same goals in regards to the development of youth players.
For example, The Mad River Method sets the technical and tactical requirements that are requirements to be taught at the u10 age level. At each next successive age level there is another set of technical and tactical skills that build off of what is taught at the younger age levels. Having a strategic and club-wide plan to develop youth players is the only way to effectively succeed both for the individual and the club.
In other parts of the country players move from team to team and from club to club, spending their youth soccer career without any continuity. In Humboldt County the opportunity to change teams and clubs is severely limited. With this being the case it is the responsibility of Mad River to create the best environment possible for our players so they do not feel the need to go elsewhere for training. This means hiring the best coaches, training players with the best possible methods, and working as a club to develop the best players under the guidance of The Mad River Method.
It is clear that with the creation of Humboldt United that the idea of putting youth players in the best possible environment is a vision shared by HYSL. Having the two major soccer organizations in Humboldt County, MRYSL and HSYL, on the same page, and working together to form high-level D1 teams, proves that the best is yet to come for youth soccer in the area.
