Becoming a Volunteer Coach?
GET READY FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE, BUT HAVE THICK SKIN
So, you just learned that your child has a spot on a team, but you also learned that one of the parents on the team has to coach, or there won't be a team. You have already paid the full registration fee for your child, and looked around to see that nobody else is stepping up. What to do!?
SHORT ANSWER - Just do it, it will be more time with your kids building a passion and friendships that can last a lifetime!
Of course, fear and anxiety may set in while you have only minutes to decide whether or not you should take on a role that could very well change your life for an entire Fall soccer season, possibly year-after-year. It will, guaranteed.
Practices are usually twice a week for 90 minutes per session (less for younger kids), then the responsibility of coaching. You will discover the feeling of pressure to win weekend games, footing the bill for team outings, distributing playing time, plus realizing that some parents view your practice as a way to dump their kid off and run to benefit from what they may consider as paid baby-sitting time.
How bad could it get? It can get ridiculous. Having said that, definitely give it a go. If your local club does not provide real training or support, we will help as much as we can. Plus, it is an opportunity for you and the kids to make life-long friends.
Depending how much BS (drama) you are willing to tolerate, it can be a memorable experience if you get the help of a good team manager and an assistant to deal with problematic, or hyperactive kids that can not or will not listen and focus because they just polished off a few donuts. Some parents can also become a challenge.
So, my advice is don't go at it alone. That way you can focus on the kids who do listen, want to learn and have fun.
Just be careful, your team manager, or assistant may in fact work against you with their own personal agenda and opinions that are shared with the parents on your team. I recommend finding a high school soccer player (with no connection or relation to anyone on team) to help assist and a team manager that will focus only on team organization, scheduling, and other matters so that you can stay focused on objectives to achieve in practice. Preferably a professional manager or administrator with no desire to be a psuedo soccer expert and who only wishes to support you - the volunteer coach.
I will never coach recreational soccer again.
But, I will always help volunteer coaches who wish to do well and gain the insight and experience that can help their team learn good skills and win games. Depending on the age level, your ingenuity and ability to learn how to coach the game will help significantly.
Just connect with me on LinkedIn, or send me your questions through this web site.
Here are a few good links with great information
FIFA Training web site
USSF now introduced an F license and lots of good information
Now that Kees is about to turn 21, my goal is to return to coaching with him and doing it at the competitive level to develop players at a young age. Our training starts as early as 3 and we develop those kids and parents we choose to work with over a 4-5 year period as they gradually become proficient in the game. The goal is to provide parents with a logical alternative to recreational soccer, if they are serious about having their child learn the game correctly, and develop a true passion that will last forever.
We provide private one-on-one sessions and will form competitive teams to enter tournaments during Summer, Winter and Spring break. We also provide supplemental training and organizational development for Recreational and Select Club teams who do not have the expertise to help advance their teams in a progressive and measurable manner.
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