Reflections of an amateur Soccer Coach

On a slightly different subject today - Soccer - Midgets Soccer.

 

We have just joined Jack up with the local Soccer club. It's his first ever involvement in sport and today was our first of no doubt many trips over coming years to the local sports fields for Saturday morning kids sport.

As if that is not enough, somehow I have managed to land the job of Coach. Now I'm hardly and expert on the fine game and in fact I do not even watch it that much. One night however when the club phoned the house enquiring as to whether we would have any interest in coaching Jack's team, Michelle somehow volunteered my services.

It soon dawned on me that people were not exactly people queuing up to take on the job and that if it wasn't to be me then there was every chance the team would be coach less. Thus that was my first experience of children's sporting teams, without parents taking a key interest in the team and taking responsibility for some tasks including team management and coaching then nothing will happen. The club can only offer so much support but at the end of the day our success will be determined by the effort we put in. I should say that I have appointed Michelle as Manager of all off field matters a job which she is performing splendidly.

Flash back to Wednesday evening and it was the much anticipated first practice where Jack would get to meet his team mates and the Coach would get to meet the parents. We have a squad of eight players (six boys and two girls) all aged about five or six. After meeting all the parents and delivering a bit of hurriedly put together introduction of myself we got under way. The Internet is indeed a fine thing and I was able to find a number of practice drills specifically for under 8 years olds. I chose three of these which seemed to go quite well. I wrapped the practice up with a four on four mock game which was a little chaotic (if you can imagine half a dozen kids all trying to kick a ball at once).

In general everyone seemed happy with the way it went. As with most teams there are a couple of players who stand out and appear to have some obvious skill for their age so with any luck we might have a good season ahead.

Onto this mornings game... it a bright and early start and we were out of the house at 7.30am for the 8.00am kick off. In Jack's grade we play five a side for 12 minute halves and with no goal keepers and unlimited substitutions. As well as Coach I also double as referee for one half. Jack's team, which is named 'The Scorers' opens the scoring with a well taken goal midway through the first half. The opposition, Puhoi, responded with a fine goal of their own right on the half time hooter. The Scorers had the better of the run of play in the second half but just could not finish off any of the attacks they mounted on Puhoi's goal, putting several shots just wide of the posts. Unfortunately for The Scorers, Puhoi took their one and only goal scoring chance of the half and finished up the victors by 2-1.
 

Some thoughts on the first game;

- all the kids enjoyed themselves
- there were some good touches and ball control evident and the players were not as bunched as I thought they might have been.
- managing the substitutions can get a little confusing. I need a systems to ensure everyone gets a fair amount of game time. Another parent was helping out with this from the sideline which was a great help.
- if nothing else, Jack is wrapped that I'm the coach of his team. He often tells me that he loves me being his soccer coach which is nice to hear.

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