New soccer team ranking system starts with a trial run

Potomac Soccer Wire companion website, Report-a-Score.com has just completed the first trial rankings of youth, high school, and adult soccer teams from all over the United States.

The new rankings system was based on the same system used to rank international soccer teams, but adapted for the unique features of tracking thousands of teams across different age groups.

“The whole idea of ranking youth soccer teams flies in the face of the common belief amongst good coaches that we need to de-emphasize winning in youth soccer in order to improve player development. However, formal rankings systems seem to be here to stay, so we thought we would use our new Report-a-Score website to try and do them right,” said Report-a-Score.com creator, Chris Hummer (who is also Executive Editor of this publication). “Other rankings systems don’t even award points on a per-game basis, or they rely on local ‘expert’ opinions instead of sound math.”

Hummer says his ranking system will be the fairest, most transparent system available, but admits it will only be as accurate as the data that is collected for calculation, continuing “If the soccer community wants accurate rankings, we have the system in place. But we can’t enter all the scores ourselves, the teams will have to do the work to get their results entered.”

And it\'s that ability for anyone to enter any score that Hummer says sets Report-a-Score apart. The whole system is a social network for soccer, allowing anyone with a valid email address to enter results, and to flag any errors they may find with information already reported.

Staff and about one hundred early adopters of Report-a-Score.com have been busy entering nearly 2,500 game reports to date since the website launched earlier this year, but it has only scratched the surface. Nevertheless, Hummer believes you have to start somewhere, and has approved the release of the company’s first ranking in a “trial” mode.

“The fastest way to increase the accuracy of these rankings is to get as many results entered as possible for each team, so we hope that by running these trial rankings, word will spread quickly and the teams will start updating their own results.”

For those with questions about how the rankings are calculated, Hummer refers them to the “Rankings Info” link at the bottom of every page on the Report-a-Score.com website, and invites feedback.

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Report-a-Score.com TRIAL Soccer Rankings: June 22, 2010

GIRLS
(Key: Ranking Category: 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place)

Under-12: Ashburn Freedom, Loudoun 97 Red, MSC Coyotes Green
Under-13: Bethesda Eintracht, Freestate Wolverines, PWSI Courage Red
Under-14: SAC United Premier, NVSC Jr. Majestics, FC Virginia Freedom
Under-15: Freestate Elite, Bethesda Freedom, VSA Heat Blue
Under-16: Bethesda Force, Calvert Tornadoes, DC Stoddert Force
Under-17: FC Virginia Explosion, Reston United, San Juan SC
Under-18: VISTA LFC Fire, BSU Storm, DC Stoddert Blast
High School: Stone Bridge, Forest Park, Broad Run
 

BOYS
(Key: Ranking Category: 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place)

Under-12: VSA Heat Blue, Chantilly Strikers, Baltimore SC Lunatics
Under-13: Herndon Boca Juniors, Virginia Rush, PWSI Courage Red
Under-14: LMVSA Hawks, Olney Rangers, Freestate Real
Under-15: Baltimore Bays Chelsea FC, AC Bethesda, Albion White
Under-16: Freedom United, Potomac Cougars, ASA Azul Real
Under-17: SAC United Premier, Eastern Shore SC Impact, Soccer Plus Academy Inferno
Under-18: D.C. United Academy, Lower Merion Velez, Pachuca FC
High School: Stone Bridge, Forest Park, McLean