“The system we had before wasnt perfect but it worked. C. J. Beathard Jersey .” So says the president of London United Soccer Club in a recent London Free Press article discussing why the Henderson Memorial tournament – a youth soccer tournament that has taken place in London, Ontario over the Labour Day weekend for the past 36 years – is being scrapped. In the article, the president of London United blames the demise of his tournament on the Ontario Soccer Association and the Canadian Soccer Association for the implementation of Long-Term Player Development (LTPD), suggesting, amongst other things, that kids are leaving soccer because there is no trophy for them to win. He suggests that kids are saying, “Im not going out just to kick a ball around. I want to be somewhere where its competitive and at the end of the day have something to show for it.” Rather than take his word for what ‘the kids are saying, shouldnt we go directly to the kids to hear what they have to say for themselves? That is what the Ontario Soccer Association did recently, when it conducted a Grassroots Player Survey across the province. Bobby Lennox, the Manager of Grassroots Soccer Development, travelled the province to sit down with players and find out why they play the game, why its important to them and what role they want adults to play in their soccer experience. Here is what the kids had to say when asked what was important to them about soccer: Playing well, learning new skills, playing fairly, being with friends and having fun playing soccer all rank ahead of winning trophies. If the president of London United is to be believed, surely winning trophies should be the overwhelming response as to what is important to kids, shouldnt it? When asked what role adults should play in youth soccer, here is what the kids had to say: Again, note the heavy emphasis on having fun, learning skills and improving, as well as the aversion kids have to being told what to do and being yelled at during games. Far too often winning trophies is more important to the parents than it is to the kids. Inexplicably, many reasonable, intelligent, well-intentioned adults simply lose control of themselves when they get involved in youth soccer, compromising the experience for their children along the way. The president of London United is misguided and misinformed. Not only does he not understand that LTPD creates a better soccer experience for more young players by relieving the pressure to win on players below the age of 12, he also confuses the cost of LTPD with the cost of the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) – a high performance youth soccer league that was launched in 2014 for elite soccer players in Ontario. If the president of a soccer club cant be bothered to get his facts straight, what chance do the members of his club have of being well-informed? Canadian soccer needs sweeping change. Canadas mens national team currently ranks 118th in the FIFA world rankings - a shocking indictment on our collective ability to develop players over the years. Change needs to happen at many levels, but it starts by having intelligent, well-informed leaders in key positions, rather than people who want to bury their heads in the sand so they can maintain the status quo. Eric Reid Jersey . Patrick Sharp scored twice and Patrick Kane, Bryan Bickell and Nick Leddy also connected to lead Chicago to a 5-2 win over the Devils on Monday night. Jimmie Ward Jersey . - Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin has cleared league-mandated concussion protocol and has returned to practice as a full participant. http://www.officialauthenticsf49ersonline.com/AUTHENTIC-SOLOMON-THOMAS-49ERS-JERSEY/ . -- The NFL cancelled its Hall of Fame game between St.MONTREAL -- Rachel Homans Canada team defeated Val Sweetings Alberta rink 8-6 to win a second consecutive Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Sunday night. The Ottawa team of Homan, lead Lisa Weagle, second Alison Kreviazuk and third Emma Miskew, defended the Canadian womens curling championship they won last year in Kingston, Ont. At 13-0, they are the first since Linda Moores rink in 1985 to go undefeated at the tournament. Homan took early leads all week and did it again by posting three points in the second end, although Sweeting answered with a hit for two in the third. Sweeting was a tad strong on a raise in the fourth and Homan came around the right side to hit for two. Alberta got one back in the fifth. Canada was in trouble in the sixth when a Sweeting draw left Alberta with three stones near the button, but Homan scattered them with a hit to salvage one point. Sweeting drew for two in the seventh to close the gap to one point, only to see Homan pick off two Sweeting draws to score two in the eighth. A Sweeting bid for a double takeout fell short and the Alberta skip was forced to draw for one in the ninth, handing Homan the hammer and a two-point lead going into the final end. Canada ran them out of rocks to clinch the victory. Prime Minister Stephen Harper witnessed the win from the grandstands at the Maurice Richard Arena. He was wearing a Canadian Olympic team jacket and posing for pictures with fans between ends. Harper has been to the mens Brier, but a curling official said it was his first visit to the Scotties Manitobas Chelsea Carey won the bronze medal game 7-3 over Saskatchewans Stefanie Lawton. It offered some consolation for not reaaching the final. Dwight Clark Jersey. "The disappointment doesnt go away, but you want to at least salvage what you can out of it," said Carey. "I dont agree with this even being a game. I never have. "The Page (playoff) system builds in a bronze medallist. But, as much as I disagree with the game, its nice to win a game to get there." Carey made two perfect draws to score two in the eighth end for a 4-3 lead. Lawton blanked the ninth and had the hammer going into the final end, but then disaster struck. Second Sherri Singler threw a flash, third Sherry Anderson hit a guard and soon there were five Manitoba stones ringing the button. Lawton tried to sneak in an angled raise with her last shot, but it couldnt get through and Carey got a steal of three. "It was worth a try,"said Lawton. "It was there...I had to stick it right on the nose. I couldnt roll off. But it was a bit too hard. We didnt leave ourselves in a great position to score one that end. "It would have been nice to finish with a medal, but Im proud of our girls. It was a great tournament for us. Its unfortunate how it ended." The winning team splits $25,500 and gets gold rings with a diamond, while the silver medallists get $15,500 plus a gold ring with a ruby. Careys squad gets $12,000 and a gold ring with an emerald. Because of her repeat win, the Homan teams diamonds will be twice the size of last year. Lawtons side gets $7,000. All 12 teams get $4,167 for wearing title sponsor crests. The winner usually gets $40,000 from the Own The Podium program, but in Olympic years that goes to the team that qualifies for the Winter Games. China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Authentic Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys From China ' ' '