MACKY SINGH

Tuesday, May 03, 2016 06:00 am

By: Joseph Ho | Mountain View Press

Broncos soccer coach Macky Singh leads practice for U-10 players at Deer Meadow School.

In between recruiting for his own Broncos programs, coach Macky Singh has been helping out with Olds Minor Soccer Club. Two times a week this month, Singh is leading practice on his own time for U-10 players.

So far, they've been working on the fundamentals: ball control, passing and playing games of three-on-three.

Singh said he decided to help at the U-10 level because those children are in the middle of what he calls the "golden age of learning."

Canada Soccer's Long-Term Player Development guide uses that exact term and states this is when children are able to think about their actions and learn from mistakes. There's strong emphasis on practical learning to build their collection of skills. "A lot of them need that training or skill development," Singh said. "Some kids never played before, some kids have, so there's a huge range of abilities."

It was also important that every player have their own ball because some don't like sharing, he said.

Singh will enter his third season as Broncos coach this fall. He's been involved with minor soccer and the club has implemented some of his recommendations.

Some include the use of "small-sided games" and fun activities for skill development. At the U-8 and U-10 levels, referees are no longer deployed in an effort to reduce pressure on players still learning the game. As well, he has a few athletes from his college teams coaching. "I'm hoping that over time, I can be able to support the club, working with the coaches and improving them," he said.

BRONCOS OFF-SEASON

Singh said he's almost done recruiting for the upcoming ACAC season and has higher expectations for his women's team. "With the women, if we can turn the draws we had last year – we had five -- into wins, there's no reason we can't be pushing for the playoffs," he said.

"We didn't really have a striker last year. This year, we'll have a couple strikers coming in and a solid goalkeeper as well. That will help turn the five draws into hopefully five wins."

For the men, "if we can get a couple of wins and couple of draws, that'd be an excellent season for us."