By Debbie Arrington - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Big things can sprout from simple ideas.

That's what happened when Capital Athletic Soccer Academy decided to host a free youth soccer symposium at 7 tonight at Sacramento State . Coaches, players, parents and anyone else interested in the future of youth soccer are invited to the event at Sac State 's Alumni Hall.

"We're expecting more than 300 people," CASA club administrator Kari Hawkins said. "We got the biggest hall we could get, and I think we'll fill it. (The event) will be quite huge."

And no wonder; the list of speakers reads like a who's who of national soccer experts.

soccer icon Robert Gansler will address "The State of Our Sport: National and International Perspectives of Youth Soccer." A veteran Major League Soccer coach, Gansler also guided the men's national team in 1990 and played for the Olympic team.

Legendary women's soccer coach Tim Wheaton, who led Harvard's program for 18 years, offers his insights into college recruiting.

Tad Bobak, one of California 's most influential youth and college coaches, talks about "The Role of Winning in the Development of Young Players."

Sports psychologist Dan Freigang, who works with Team , tackles "The Learning Process and Motivation in Sport." Carlos Juarez, another longtime coach of national youth teams, tells how to build a club.

With a topic of interest to thousands of soccer moms and dads, David Mildew speaks on "The Role of Parents in the Development of Players."

Berhane Andeberhan, CASA's technical director, gets credit for bringing such a diverse group of experts to Sacramento . A former coach of the Stanford and Cornell women's teams, Andeberhan also coached the women's under-20 national team. These experts are his friends.

"We got very lucky," Andeberhan said. "I called them up, and they were very excited about coming. Fortunately for us, they were available."

A first for the two-year-old academy, the symposium grew from discussions between Andeberhan and academy president Chris Vrame, who is underwriting the cost of the special event.

"We decided we needed to raise the level of conversation within the soccer community and specifically our club," Andeberhan said. "We wanted to break out from the mundane. Chris suggested a symposium."

Once Andeberhan started calling, the symposium quickly grew. "We could have hosted a whole weekend," he said. "This will just whet people's appetites.

"My job is to get people looking beyond the horizon," Andeberhan added. "We're part of a great national and international process. You don't just sit tight because you're successful in our community. You have to look beyond that."

Andeberhan hopes the talk will lead to progress.

"The soccer community needs to learn: Although between the white lines we try to kill each other, outside those lines we need to work together," he said. "This is just what the doctor ordered."