The Administrator

Voting is Open for Soccer Admin of the Year!

It’s that time of the year again! As we approach the 5th Annual Soccer Administrator’s Day, May 20th, we here at Blue Sombrero like to take the time to recognize, celebrate, and reward the people who work behind the scenes to keep their clubs running smoothly and the kids out on the fields playing.

They are the club admins working past midnight every night making sure each player has been placed on the correct team. They are the treasurers working hard behind the scenes finalizing budgets and pulling reports up for the next day’s board meeting. They are the registrars printing player passes and answering phone calls long past closing time. 

They are the unsung heroes of the soccer community.

Girls Inner City Soccer Club Seeks to Inspire Others

If you're looking for an inspiring story about a youth soccer team beating the odds and coming together as a community, look no further!

Fifty weeks a year, you can find the 100 girls who make up the Anderson Monarchs soccer club and their volunteer coaches practicing or playing a game at their run-down, dirt field at Smith Playground at 24th and Jackson Streets in Point Breeze, a crime and poverty stricken section of South Philadelphia.

And they're ready to tell their story. On film.

Find Your Job in Soccer with MySoccerJob.com

We all know how tough finding a job in the soccer industry can be, especially given how few quality online resources there are that speak directly to soccer people. That’s why David Knapp, et al., created MySoccerJob.com – to connect soccer employers with individuals who have a passion for the game and a desire to make it a career.

MySoccerJob.com is quickly becoming the nation’s top resource for soccer coaching jobs and soccer employment.  Having only started in January 2011, we made our major marketing launch at the NSCAA Convention where we had an overwhelming response.  The number of people who are in need of a job platform in this unique industry became glaringly obvious.  We instantly knew that we started a service that will help soccer people and the soccer industry.

High School Soccer Coaches Win Double-Goal Coach® Award

Two high school soccer coaches – Tom Bower (Latin School of Chicago) and Rocio Ramirez (Balboa High School, San Francisco) are among the 20 national winners of Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double-Goal Coach^® Award Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance for their positive impact on youth athletes.

The Double-Goal^® Coach Award – named for coaches whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more important goal is teaching life lessons through sports – carries a $250 prize, a trophy and mention within the websites and newsletters of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program.

Success for Blue Sombrero at US Youth Soccer and SAY

The weekend of February 24-28th provided two great opportunities for Blue Sombrero: the 2011 US Youth Soccer Workshop and the 2011 SAY AGM. Having the opportunity to meet both current customers as well as prospective club partners face to face is extremely important to us. 

At both events we received some very positive feedback from those of our club partners that were in attendance saying how much our service has helped their communications and overall operations. When we asked the clubs what their favorite feature has been so far, just about all of them listed our Email Newsletter tool. One partner went so far to say they could not imagine managing their club without SombreroREG!

Blue Sombrero at SAY AGM and US Youth Soccer Workshop

Coming right on the heels of what was a great 2011 NSCAA Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, Blue Sombrero is preparing to attend the US Youth Soccer Workshop from February 24th-26th in Louisville, Kentucky as well as the SAY Soccer Annual General Meeting, which is set to take place February 25th-26th in Florence, Indiana.

If you're planning on being at either of these conventions, shoot us an email or give us a call at 866-981-BLUE (2583) and let us know so we can keep an eye out for you! We look forward to these chances to get to see current partners and meet new people!

Soccer Coaches from around the World Convene in Baltimore

Billed as “The World’s Largest Gathering of Soccer Coaches,” the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) held its annual convention in Baltimore, Maryland from January 12-16. The Convention had 305 exhibitors and over 6500 attendees. Exhibitors included all major uniform and equipment suppliers, national youth organizations, domestic and international camps and tournaments, and college recruiting services. In addition, the event featured a wide range of field and education sessions given by well-known coaches and respected educators along with annual awards to coaches and players.

There was too much going on to fully cover the convention in one article, so I will provide highlights on only a few educational sessions -- player development, player nutrition and working with club Boards. I encourage you to go to the NSCAA website for Convention Information on sessions and exhibitors and NSCAA News for awards announced.  Audio of Education Sessions and video of Field Sessions are available for purchase online and on disk from sales@digitellinc.com.

Blue Sombrero Club Store is Finalist in 2011 SPY Awards

This year, for the second year running, Blue Sombrero has made the finalist group in the 2011 Soccer Products of the Year (SPY) Awards. Our Club Store powered by Eurosport was nominated, and voting for the finalists began in December.

So, readers, now we need YOUR help! Please help us by going to the SPY Awards site and voting for the Blue Sombrero Club Store under Web Applications.

Pelada: A Film about Pickup Soccer around the World

Over the past three years, my friends Luke, Rebekah, Ryan, and I slept in 25 different countries, reversed down two main highways, got mugged in Argentina, attacked by a baboon in Kenya, detained in Israel, and reported to the government in Iran – all in the process of making a documentary about pickup soccer around the world. 

Luke Boughen and I are has-beens.  He was a center midfielder for the University Notre Dame who scored big goals in big games. I was the youngest Division I athlete in the history of the NCAA – a starter and leading goal scorer for Duke at sixteen-years-old.  By twenty-two, our careers were over.  We tried the whole find-another-life thing:  Luke worked with billboards and I lived on a writing grant.  But we still played at night, doing 1v1 games in the parking lot of the social services building beneath our apartment. 

Blue Sombrero at the 2011 NSCAA Convention

Are you familiar with the NSCAA and its annual convention?  If not, you shoud be! 

The NSCAA is the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the organization strives to promote soccer and provide valuable information to further the education of soccer coaches across the country. Blue Sombrero attends the convention each year, with all employees sporting bright blue sombreros, which really stand out in a crowd! You can find our booth under the giant Blue Sombrero Man hanging from the ceiling.