#225 ECNL President Christian Lavers: "If you don't know what they see, you risk coaching the wrong problem."

Christian Lavers is a former attorney turned soccer coach, and today is the president of the Elite Clubs National League, a nationwide, highly competitive league where over 90% of the girls involved move on to college soccer, and the fledgling boys league is already attracting some of the top teams in the country. Christian is a top coach and a leader through the ECNL in building a player first environment and always asking "how can we make the experience to the top players in the country even better." In our discussion today, we cover many topics from creating that player first environment to practice design, effective coaching, and his hopes for the future of soccer in the US. You can learn more at www.theecnl.com or follow Christian on Twitter @CLavers1. Welcome to our New Sponsor GoodSport! GoodSport™ is a natural sports drink that delivers superior hydration backed by science with a delicious thirst-quenching taste. And what’s really cool about it, is that it’s made from milk. It turns out, milk is packed with electrolytes and has been shown to hydrate better than traditional sports drinks and water. GoodSport ultrafilters milk to remove its protein and harness its electrolytes, carbs and vitamins to provide superior hydration in a clear and refreshing beverage. GoodSport™ has three times the electrolytes than traditional sports drinks with 33 percent less sugar. GoodSport™ is lactose free and provides a good source of calcium and an excellent source of B vitamins. I really enjoy GoodSport™ but what gets me most excited is the brand’s commitment to fostering a positive sports culture aimed at getting and keeping more people in the game.  GoodSport™ supports athletes with naturally powerful hydration and celebrates the natural good that comes from sports. GoodSport™ – Grab the Good.  Check it out at goodsport.com. This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sports Refund. Many of you probably buy trip insurance, every winter I buy ski pass insurance, to make sure that if I get injured I can get my money back on that expensive investment. Well, many of us spend thousands of dollars on our kids sports club fees, but what if they get hurt? In many cases you cannot get your money back, but now with Sports Refund you can. For just pennies on the dollar, you can make sure that if your child gets sick or injured and misses a month or more you can get your money back, or your club can get paid. It’s a great product, just go to www.sportsrefund.com/game and get your free quote, and if it sounds good you can either get your club to sign up, or you can purchase on your own.  Way of Champions Conference 2021 This weeks podcast is brought to you by the 2021 Way of Champions Leadership Conference, August 21-22, being held virtually this year. We have put together a lineup that is out of this world for our event, and just added Tara VanDerveer, the legendary Stanford Women’s Basketball coach who just broke Pat Summits all time wins record on NCAA hoops. Other guest speakers include Steve Kerr of the Warriors, Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz, multiple time NCAA Champion coaches Anson Dorrance, Cindy Timchal, and Jenny Levy, and mindfulness expert George Mumford. Click here to learn more or register before we sell out! Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions