Gary Allen holds a USSF "A" license and a National Youth License.  He is a Senior Staff Instructor for the VYSA Coaching Education Program and a US Soccer National Staff Coach/Instructor. Gary has coached at various levels of play including college and ODP. Over the last 20 plus years, he has been instrumental in the development of coach education in Virginia. Taking a course with Coach will impact your own development in a very positive way.

by Paul Shaw, VYSA Coaching Education Director
       as published in the VYSA Touchline Oct 2007

Devious, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition: moving without a fixed course; not straightforward; cunning; deceptive.

“World football is an evil sport,” a coaching peer of mine explained to one of his parents. “We celebrate the player who is devious, one whom you cannot trust to do the same thing, we applaud the deceptive player, the player who makes others fail at their feet. We don’t applaud the player who behaves the way we are supposed to in every day society, being linear and predictable.” It should be said that this coach is also studying to be a philosophy professor and his tongue is as crafty as his feet were 15 years ago. And yes, it is offensive to call our sport evil and if we take cheating out of the game, there is a point to be made. The creative, cunning or even devious player is celebrated and sought after.

by Celia Mosier, VYSA ODP Girls Goalkeeping Coach

As the game continues to evolve, it has become necessary for all goalkeepers to have the ability to play with their feet. Having a goalkeeper who can not only relieve pressure by receiving back passes but also contribute to the attack with a well struck ball is vital to the success of any team at any age level.

by Josie McMahon, VYSA ODP Athletic Trainer and a Licensed &
     Certified Athletic Trainer for Fredericksburg Academy

Concussions are quickly becoming an everyday term when discussing injuries related to the soccer community. There are approximately 700,000 high school soccer players in the U.S, so you can only imagine how many of that number are involved in club teams. The term concussion is related to impact induced injury to the brain.