12 Seasons ago I missed a meeting, don’t ever miss a meeting! My wife went to the High River Minor Soccer Community Meeting to register our 7-year- old boy for Soccer. She came home and proudly announced that she had signed me up as a Coach.

Now you need to understand a couple of things about me; First, I have NEVER played soccer in my life. Sure, I kicked a ball around at the playground as a kid, but never played on a team. I had NEVER coached any youth sports, I carry no coaching certificates or recognitions. I am not a Phys-Ed teacher (nor a teacher of any kind) and I had not played much organized sport as a kid (a little Volleyball and a little basketball in School). In short, I was OBVIOUSLY not qualified to coach youth soccer. However, I did (and do) love spending time with my boys and I truly believe in the power of youth sport from a social, physical and mental development standpoint.

So, I begrudgingly agreed.

That was 12 seasons ago… I have now coached U6 through U12 House and U10 through U14 Travel and I love it, I look forward to it every year. I joined the High River Minor Soccer (HRMS) Board this year (2017) with a desire to help attract and retain parents to volunteer for Coaching. I believe that collectively we are reluctant to sign up for a couple of reasons:

1) We are worried that we won’t do a good job

2) We are worried that we will be criticized by our peers (and maybe our kids)

3) We are worried that we can’t make the time commitment

4) We just don’t know what to do

The intent of this section of our website is to try to rely the experiences and resources that I have had and found, that other coaches have found, and what I have been about to pull from other clubs. Coaching is fun, a great way to be involved and spend time with your child and their friends.

This blog series will provide you tips and tricks to get ready for the season, some sample practice plans, web resources for drills and such, and tips for game day survival (not necessarily winning, but to ensure a positive experience for all). I will be available to you if you want to work through questions or concerns and will be acting as a voice for our Coaches within the Board, the League and the Community.

So, take the plunge (or have your spouse sign you up), if you love your child, and are willing to give it a try, the HRMS Board and myself are there with you!

Cheers

Bob Denney

Director of Coaching Development, HRMS

March 2017

Posted in Coaches Blog