A Successful Soccer Season

 

As our season enters its third week, I think it is important to re-emphasize the goals of our team and what we are aiming to achieve this year. 

For parents and coaches, it’s a great time to look ahead and ask: at the end of the season, what would success look like?  We spend a ton of time, energy, and money on youth soccer, so it can be helpful to think about expectations. After all, in between the practices, uniforms, tournaments, carpools, and orange slices, there are millions of young people having a variety of different experiences playing soccer this fall.

As a coach, I will ask these questions at the end of the season:

1. Did the boys improve?
2. Did they have fun?
3. Are they excited for their next season?

If yes to all three, the season was a huge success! But how do you get there? Here are a few thoughts and strategies for us that I think will help your son have a great time this season.

Tangible Improvement One of the most effective ways to get players excited about soccer is to show them that they are improving. When players can see individual improvement, it builds confidence, momentum, and optimism. Hey, I’m getting better at this! After all, playing soccer is fun, but playing soccer well is more fun!

What I will do: provide players clear and objective feedback. I will also foster the ability to see for themselves tangible improvement that in-game performances can't always provide.  So practices are a must!! I'll add that if parents recognize and reward this improvement, it’s even more powerful.

Camaraderie
Team sports are inherently social, and feeling “a part of the team” is a big component of a successful season. When a player feels like they are contributing in some way, it has a huge impact on their overall enjoyment.

What I will do: In youth soccer, sometimes it's hard for everyone to make a big contribution in games, so setting team goals is one way to help every player feel included in the team. When everyone has to raise their performances, no matter what those performances are looking like, it can build a group mentality that strengthens camaraderie and gets everyone working together. Every improvement has to be noted.

Winning
Let’s be honest - everyone likes to win, and players usually have more fun when they are winning. However, it’s important to remember that more often than not, focusing on improvement and camaraderie leads to winning, not the other way around ~ so if we lose but the boys are playing well and maintaining camaraderie, losing will not matter much in the long term. As a matter fact, it may help.

What I will do: even though we don't think winning games should be the most important aspect of youth soccer, we want everyone to experience success on the field. My focus will be to ensure that the boys learn that even the best teams lose and that in the end learning to bounce back from losses is a great lesson we all need to learn for life.

Thanks for your support and see you Saturday ~ Cheers!! 

Roberto