Coaches and parents, this is a call to action. Read, share, and take the pledge listed below.
Any given Saturday or Sunday, take a drive to the local park and watch some soccer that doesn’t involve your child or your team. If you need help with directions, just open your car window and let the shouting and screaming help guide you. When my teams play, I like to get to the fields an hour early. It gives me time to collect my thoughts, jot down some last minute notes, and just take in some extra soccer, letting me see some different clubs play as well as the talent in the area. No matter what complex or park I go to however, one thing remains the same. Coaches and parents put themselves at the center of the game, rather than the kids who are playing.
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Win.
It’s become a taboo word, not just in soccer but in all youth sports. Most recently the debate has become an issue of coaches choosing winning or development, as if they are mutually exclusive. Coaches who develop players the right way don’t have to choose either or because winning and development go hand in hand, but first you will have to understand what “winning” truly means. The idea we face today that winning doesn’t matter, only development, stems from the extreme “win at all costs” mentality that many involved with any youth sport promote. Because of that extreme, the polar opposite has arisen where we tell our players that winning doesn’t matter, and here is our ultimate issue. Winning matters. But development matters more. Editor’s Note: This is a guest article written by Will Cromack. Below the article is an important P.S. message from Will that ties into his writing. Make sure to read and then check out Will’s message below!
Imagine yourself in the Camp Nou watching Barcelona play. Look out over the ninety thousand electric charged bodies and take in all of the atmosphere. Notice the different types of fans, young and old, male and female, those who have played and those who have only been a part of the game through support for their team. As the match finishes, a victory for the mighty Barca, see yourself walking out of the stadium along with the many other socios. Smell the joy in the air and the complete comprehension of what they just witnessed. Another victory taking their club three points closer to the goal of lifting the league championship. Listen in to the conversations as families and friends discuss the events that had just unfolded in front of them. Hear them argue about players and their roles. Watch them dissect the good and the poor from both sides of the ball. Now scan the storefronts and cafes. There in front of you sit more passionate displays of support and heated conversations over a craft of the local finest. Mother’s wave their hands to emphasize their points while sons and daughters begin to take out their super charged emotions on a ball in the street. The match is only part of a larger event that will last all day and night. |