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FCArmstrong

Fun-damental, Local, For kids of all ages.

  • About Coach Dave
  • Putting the fun in fundamentals.
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  • Ref Life: PlumKickoff Classic Tools for Managing The Temperature- field, sideline, crowd.

    Ref Life: PlumKickoff Classic Tools for Managing The Temperature- field, sideline, crowd.

    Referees– What tools do you have in your toolbelt to manage player safety, fair play, sportsmanship and a general positive environment for our grassroots community players in PA West? If you are a first year referee there is a good chance you never thought about using non-verbal or non-audible tools to control the game. Creating…

    dpankiewicz

    August 17, 2025
    2025, confidence, journaling, LOTG, Referee Development, Referee Support, RefLife, Spirit of the Game
    Children4ProfitSoccer, Communication, confidence, football, fun, GrassrootsFootball, HealthyCommunitiesThruFootball, KeepItLocal, PlumKickoffClassic, soccer, Soccer4Children
  • Ref Life: Has the soccer gotten any better?

    Ref Life: Has the soccer gotten any better?

    After a long weekend of officiating a lot of games from U12 to open men, I have my answer. The question I have for you is what do you think?. . . Has American Soccer Improved? I’m not a kickball fan. When I played my teammates and I kicked around on our own, played 2v2…

    dpankiewicz

    August 16, 2025
    1v1, 2025, 3v3, confidence, creativity, journaling, RefLife, Training, Uncategorized
    attacking, ball control, confidence, fun, individual growth
  • Ref Life: PA West Open 2025

    Ref Life: PA West Open 2025

    dpankiewicz

    August 15, 2025
    Uncategorized
  • Ref Life: Basic Game Report

    Ref Life: Basic Game Report

    If you’ve ever officiated in a recreational league, you may know that it can be the most challenging soccer to referee. The skill level can vary greatly along with the knowledge of the rules. The trickiest part for a referee is most teams don’t wear perfectly matching kits with numbers. The games do not have…

    dpankiewicz

    April 25, 2025
    Uncategorized
  • Ref Life: Refs Need Love Too

    Ref Life: Refs Need Love Too

    dpankiewicz

    April 24, 2025
    Uncategorized
  • The many forms of the game in the United States.

    The many forms of the game in the United States.

    If you ever wanted to see how the professional game has evolved in this country, here are a few feeds over the years.

    dpankiewicz

    April 17, 2025
    2025, Futsal, journaling, LOTG, Spirit of the Game
  • Ref Life: Coaches licensed by US Soccer- Teaching skill development and the Spirit of the Game.

    Ref Life: Coaches licensed by US Soccer- Teaching skill development and the Spirit of the Game.

    This is part 4 of a 5 part series. After recertifying for US Soccer officiating in 2022, 2023 and 2024 the US Soccer Referee Program has placed emphasis on handling situations before they become situations. I have seen members of the coaching community turn a blind eye to these points of coaching emphasis. I’m publishing…

    dpankiewicz

    March 8, 2025
    Uncategorized
  • Protected: Wrapping up Pro-Sports Futsal 2024-25 Season.

    Protected: Wrapping up Pro-Sports Futsal 2024-25 Season.

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

    dpankiewicz

    1v1, 2024, 3v3, confidence, DFK, Futsal, Goal Kick, journaling, JR High, Las Porteras, Run of play, Training, Womens World Cup
    ball control, confidence, fun, goal-setting, individual growth
  • Ref Life: Coaching- United Soccer Coaches with the Seven Cornerstones to development.

    Ref Life: Coaching- United Soccer Coaches with the Seven Cornerstones to development.

    This is part 5 of a 5 part series. After recertifying for US Soccer officiating in 2022, 2023 and 2024 the US Soccer Referee Program has placed emphasis on handling situations before they become situations. I have seen members of the coaching community turn a blind eye to these points of emphasis.

    dpankiewicz

    March 4, 2025
    Uncategorized
  • Ref Life: Recert for US Soccer- handling bench personnel and dissent vs when to use soft skills.

    Ref Life: Recert for US Soccer- handling bench personnel and dissent vs when to use soft skills.

    Here is a thought I had before US Soccer released their updated policy for abuse of officials that starts this month. I began this post over a year ago. I realize after 15 years of officiating many of these situations, I can avoid by using humor and soft skills. However whenever the actions or words…

    dpankiewicz

    March 3, 2025
    2024, 2025, journaling, LOTG, Referee Development, Referee Support, RefLife, Spirit of the Game, Uncategorized
    football, news, news, opinion, soccer, sports
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About the Blog

Coaching and officiating are all about communicating and finding ways to improve.

Popular Posts

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