EGSC Player Development Philosophy

Boro Sucevic, EGSC Director of Coaching, has taken a close look behind the scenes at the Elm Grove Soccer Club this past spring.

Those efforts have led to several new developments within the club, including a partnership with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, the addition of eight new coaches with pro playing experience, and a structured, age-appropriate method of training and player selection.

Boro Sucevic "A club is a club only if it exists for others," says Boro. "All of our efforts have to be towards unification of all the teams. Our coaches, players, and parents must put the club interests first and work hard to create an environment where young players can enjoy playing."

Boro has outlined his six-point method of player development.

  1. Creative Approach - Coaches must bring changes in methods of training for younger players, with the emphasis now on developing creative, thinking players. It is necessary to have creative teaching methods, where the boys and girls can be put into a situation and instructed to explore it, rather than the coaches merely telling them what to do.

  2. Thinking for Themselves - Youngsters should be encouraged to express themselves during training and games. Players should also have the confidence to suggest to the coach an area where he/she may need improvement.

  3. The Four Seasons - There are four periods of young player's development:

  4. People Power - There are four key elements in a young player's education; technical excellence, soccer athleticism, tactical know-how and mental power. The facilities offered by the club are important to a successful establishment, but the quality of the people in that environment is even more essential.

    Players should play, coaches should coach, and club officials and parents should nurture that environment so that our players can understand the long, proud history of the Elm Grove Soccer Club.

  5. God-Given Talents - Nurturing a young player is a lot like developing a good bottle of wine. Coaches should take care of the development, it has to be in the right environment, properly nurtured and taken care of. In both cases, wine and talent are God-given and that means we have to appreciate them and not waste them.

  6. The World View - My task is to give Elm Grove players an insight into what happens elsewhere in the world, to assure them that what they are doing is in line with what others are doing. From the club point of view, there are great benefits to be gained from the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer and we also have to consider the added cultural and life experiences of traveling to Europe, South America and Latin America.
Boro adds, "From my position as Director of Coaching, I look forward to sharing my life-long experiences as a player and coach, and further, I wish for all of our players to understand the importance of playing hard, playing fair and playing to win."

June 6, 2004