Updated: Monday August 04, 2008

Shockwave Coach Dave Waters
National Soccer Coaches Association of America Licensed Coach Enters 13th Year

13 years coaching youth girls soccer.  Time flies!  Over the years I have coached teams with Topeka Thunder, the first girls soccer club in the area and then Kansas United.  Both clubs are now gone, but they provided many young players the foundation for continued success in their soccer careers.

Along the way I have earned three Kansas State Youth Soccer licenses and the Advanced Regional Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

I have also had the good fortune of learning from some great coaches.  Early on, former English Premier player Lyndon Haarhy who was visiting the U.S. and staying with a player on our team introduced me to the world of proper coaching techniques.  Next, as a coach with the Thunder Soccer Club, I learned from Wally Olsen, who led the U14 Thunder girls to a Kansas State Cup championship in 1998.  That team proved to everyone that girls can play tough, too.

I firmly believe in a system that emphasizes player development.  Girls soccer in Topeka hit a high point a few years ago when Topeka Select Soccer Club and the former Kansas United Soccer Club had quality teams in every age division.  Between the two clubs, nearly 100% of all girls playing high school and those moving on to college soccer were among their alumni.  Those teams were committed to making sure that each player was given the opportunity to learn the skills and methods necessary to excel at at the high school level and beyond.

That's why I am so happy to be with Topeka Select.  If you want to play in a club that has a history of success through player development, you should strongly consider Topeka Select.  Our teams continue to fill the rosters of high school girls teams.

Why is Topeka Select a better choice?  Consistency.  Our coaches are experienced and stable in the community.  Locally, there are some good young players and former players who are making their first attempt at coaching younger players.  What they are finding is that coaching is far more about being a teacher than being a player.  College students and recent graduates may know how to play the game, but coaching is a completely different endeavor.  In addition, young people have a tendency to move on quickly which causes unsettling turnover.

If you check the history and evaluate the quality of your soccer experience, I think you will find Topeka Select to be a great choice for your youth soccer player.

Here's some of the great kids that I have had the privilege of coaching up to and including high school (college players in bold):

Soon, there will be players from Shockwave added to the list!

Kick here for a list of area girls high school and college players from 2000-2007.

NSCAA
America's Soccer Coaching Association

Located in Mission, Kansas the National Soccer Coaches Association of America is the most respected soccer coaching organization in the U.S.  On their website, you can find interesting articles like the ones in our Tips section.  NSCAA.com also features official national rankings for college and high school teams.

Dave has been a member of NSCAA since 2003 and received the Advanced Regional Diploma in 2004 to go with two Kansas Youth Soccer Association licenses.