⚠️ Juggling Requirements for 2024/2025 Season
For the 2024/2025 season there will be a juggling requirement for all players who intend to play for Eagles RFC. This means if your player cannot complete their age group juggling requirement, they will not be able to play on an ERFC academy team. We want to identify players who are not just talented, but more importantly hard working. Our intention is to identify those who put in the extra time outside of club practices, supplemental training and individual trainers. These are all considered formal training sessions, which are important, but don’t show if a player is truly committed to improving their football ability. The juggling requirements are not intended to weed out the less talented. It is intended to weed out the less committed.
Juggling Requirements:
Pay-to-Play (U13 - U15): ⚽️ 50 juggles
NO Pay-to-Play (U16 - U19): ⚽️ 100 juggles
Anticipated Responses
When will the requirement take place?
- The juggling requirements will take place at the 2024/2025 Tryouts (15 months from the time of this writing). However, evidence of completing the requirement before tryouts will be accepted. For example, sending in a video of your player completing the requirement. To increase the chance of successfully completing these requirements, we will devote time each training session to focus on juggling for our current ERFC players. If any current ERFC player performs their juggling requirement during training that will complete their juggling requirement for the 2024/2025 tryout.
Do the juggles have to be consecutive?
- Yes.
Can the ball touch the ground?
- No. You will have to start over.
How many attempts does my player get?
- 5 attempts, but you can send in a video before the tryout.
Can I perform all juggles with 1 foot (or body part)
- Yes, though I would recommend just the good ole fashioned right foot, left foot routine (less tiring).
If my player completes their juggling requirement for the 2024/2025 season, will they have to complete the same juggling requirement the following season?
- No, once they have completed their age group requirement they’re done until the next age group requirement.
By completing the juggling requirement, does this mean my player is guaranteed to make a team?
- No.
What if a player is extremely talented, but can’t complete the juggling requirement?
- This is possible, but highly unlikely. If they focus their extreme talent on juggling just a bit they will have the requirement completed in no time. At the time of this announcement you have 15 months to prepare for the requirement.
Tom Byer (and other cool guys) say juggling doesn’t do much for development.
- Again, this is more a measure of grit and commitment than talent. But, have you ever seen a top player who couldn’t juggle??
My player says they want to play for the national team, but I think this just puts too much stress on them right now.
- There are players who dream about playing collegiately/professionally, but don’t work on their football ability outside of formal training. They have a right to dream but unless they have similar genetics to Erling Haaland or Adama Traore their dreams are unrealistic.
My player has too much homework and other things going on in their life, it will be hard to fit this in to their already busy schedule.
- Yes, there are more important things than football.
Youth football is supposed to be an outlet for my child. I just want them to have fun without the stress of completing the requirement.
- This is understandable and there are other local programs that will be a better fit for your child.
Are the juggling requirements a way to single out the least talented players?
- No, one of our aims is to have our training sessions taken more seriously by players. These requirements increase the chance players with similar abilities and intentions develop together. At the time of this announcement your child has 15 months to prepare. All players from the least to most talented have the capacity to complete their age group juggling requirement. The question is, do they want to?
Does this apply to Goalkeepers?
- Absolutely! Also, going forward, goalkeepers will take their own goal kicks from now on. Center or outside backs will no take goal kicks because goalkeepers lack the ability to kick long distances.
How can I motivate my player to get off the couch and work on their skills?
- You can’t, and probably shouldn’t make (motivate) them. Kids are still sampling different sports and activities. Maybe their interests lie elsewhere.
My player doesn’t want to do it, they just want to have fun with their friends.
- This is completely understandable. There will be a time where friends can no longer play on the same team due to varying football abilities. These requirements indirectly speed up that process. This is a side effect and not our main intention. We want to maximize players’ potential by creating environments where players with similar abilities and intentions develop together.
How can I help my player complete the juggle requirement?
- Encourage them when they fail, because they will fail a lot in the beginning. You can definitely aid them in the process, but you cannot complete the requirement for them. The more you intervene the more you steal away attributes needed to acquire the skill. They have to learn that an uninterrupted linear progression is not the norm and a flawless victory is an outlier. They must learn to focus their attention and persist at a task, even when there is no evidence of current progress . Use juggling as a metaphor for the ups and downs they will have in their life on and off the pitch. This is more than juggling a ball. This is the start of their attitude toward hard work and personal development.