by Tim Nash
What exactly do parents want? That’s an important question for youth soccer clubs and coaches, and one worthy of extended discussion. So, in a completely unscientific study, I asked 25 youth soccer parents what they want from their child’s coach and club. This is the second of several posts that will look at what they said.
A dad of a player I once coached told me, “These girls are not going to remember many of their teachers, but they will remember their coaches.”
by Tim Nash
A few years ago, I was walking around the soccer fields at the North Carolina State Cup. Parents were settling into to their chosen spots on the sideline, setting up their chairs and chatting nervously.
Down the sideline, somewhat removed from the rest of the parents, sat Carla Overbeck, a two-time World Cup-winning defender with the United States. Her daughter was playing. On a nearby field, sat Steve Smith, a 15-year NFL veteran wide receiver, getting ready to watch his daughter. Later in the day, Chuckie Brown, who spent 13 years in the NBA, would be there to watch his daughter, and Ricky Proehl, a 17-year NFL vet, would be watching his niece. [Read more…]
by Tim Nash
A mom once told me that her daughter performs best when she is yelled at by the coach.
I told her, “Well, I won’t be doing that.”
She went on to give some examples of coaches who yelled at her and how it seemed to work, or something like that. I wasn’t really listening. My mind was occupied imagining what a miserable experience this girl must be having with soccer.