Home Travel Teams Intramurals Forms Favorite Links

News

Contacts
Welcome Members
Here you can find information about the ESMC. Whether you are looking for tryout information to join a travel team, register an intramural player for next season, download club forms or look at the club calendar, you've come to the right place. The East Meadow Soccer Club is proud of our players, coaches and teams. We are constantly looking to improve our club and ask for our memberships suggestions on ways to improve it. Contact us with any questions or if you are interested in volunteering.
Positions and Team Organization

Regardless of how you organize your team, all players should have the opportunity to play all positions.

  • Goalkeeper - The keeper is the last line of defense, and the only player who can use his/her hands (in the penalty area).
  • Defenders - Defenders (or backs) focus mainly on defending the goal. They keep the other team for dibbling, passing or shooting in the defensive end of the field. Once the ball is back in their possession, they advance the ball up the field and provide rear support to midfielders and forwards.
  • Midfielders - Playing in between the defenders and forwards, midfielders are always in the middle of things. They must support the forwards in front of them and the defenders behind them. They will be asked to do a lot of running during the course of a game.
  • Forwards - Forwards should always be looking to score. These players must be good dribblers, have the ability to cross the ball into the middle, and obviously, be able to take the shot.

A typical structure for an 8-sided game is 2-2-3 (2 defenders, 2 midfielders, 3 forwards).

 

2-2-3 Structure

Another alternative is 3-2-2 (3 defenders, 2 midfielders, 2 forwards).

In terms of strategy, we recommend that you keep it simple. Let your players get used to their position on the field and encourage them to play in their areas. Encourage the team as a whole to move forward and backwards, depending on where the ball is. If the ball is deep in the opponent's half, the defenders should be at the half line. If the play is deep in your half, your forwards should be at the half line.

Encourage players to move the ball quickly using all areas of the field - especially the wings. Have defenders pass to midfielders and midfielders to forwards with the fewest touches possible. Encourage the forwards to dribble past defenders and pass/cross the ball into the penalty box as quickly as possible. In the penalty box: shoot, shoot, shoot. Have your defenders mark the other team's forwards and your midfielders cover their midfielders when the other team has the ball.

Click here for information on making game time go smoothly.

 

Learn how to become an East Meadow sponsor.

©2005 East Meadow Soccer Club. All rights reserved.