Travel Soccer Becoming More Business Than Business

[Anonymous]

Am I alone in realizing that most higher level soccer coaches know very little about their players as people? I don't think it's on a coach to be a kid's buddy sand confidante but for all the time they spend together most coaches know strikingly little about their players as kids off the pitch. It didn't used to be that way. Any top team coaches out there who sir down with a kid for 10-15 minutes pre, mid, or post season? Not happening where we are.

[Anonymous]

I completely agree. And coaches change constantly. Once $ became a thing, it ruined it. I am old enough to have been of a time when you had the same coach for a long time and there was a relationship there. I had a team that was a 5-time State, National champ--and coach and players were together from 4th grade through high school (a few player changes--cut or move; but not a ton). My father coached travel and when he passed in his mid-70s so many of his former players came to his funeral or reached out to my mom and brother. They had wonderful stories about how he helped them or when one's single mother couldn't get him to and from practice my dad would drive with my brother to his apartment complex and pick him up.

My coach was a piece of work, but he came to my wedding in my 20s. My oldest (now 16) maintained a close relationship with his very first travel coach from U9. He only had him 3/4 of a season but he really pulled for him. He has been a real mentor and trained him all these years. He's the one he emails (now lives across the country) if there is a problem with a coach, etc. He always believed in him when he was getting crapped on and screwed over. And for a kid it is so good to have a great role model outside of your own parents.

[Anonymous]

I'm perfectly fine with coaches knowing my DS on the field only. Her teaches spend 100x more time and know little of them at home. I give a coach and clue lots of money to train my child. That's literally their job at the club. Unsure why they need to know their favorite tv show or flavor of ice cream or that they have cats. Our coaches are uber fun for the girls and they get along great. My money is being served well.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the coach. Some will take the time to do player meetings mid and end of season. Some won’t. Some try to get to know each player to find out what motivates them and tailor their encouragement to what works for each player. Some don’t. Some would do this for free and give the same amount of energy and commitment. Some would not.

It is just like any other profession - you have some that approach it with passion, have novel approaches, and you have others treat it like a simple transaction - show up, do the bare minimum to get paid, get out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the coach. Some will take the time to do player meetings mid and end of season. Some won’t. Some try to get to know each player to find out what motivates them and tailor their encouragement to what works for each player. Some don’t. Some would do this for free and give the same amount of energy and commitment. Some would not.

It is just like any other profession - you have some that approach it with passion, have novel approaches, and you have others treat it like a simple transaction - show up, do the bare minimum to get paid, get out.

My U14 finally has a Coach like this. Very much like the ones I described in prior post. He is much older and I wonder if that has something to do with it. Not to stereotype, but some of the younger guys dial it in as their side-hustle and are not as invested in the players/team. Though that's not fair--my U16 had an awful 'dial it in' coach and it was a fairly high level team. 1/2 the team left this year when they found out he was assigned again. He could barely show up and didn't seem to know anything about any of them from week to week, so inconsistent.

[Anonymous]

I feel like my son's coach knows him decently well, but he has been with the guy for two years. Not to say that I like everything about the coach - he is a weird guy, and goes into these long parable like stories with no clear point, which doesn't hold the attention of 13 year olds well. But he knows things about my son and tries to be friendly to him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm perfectly fine with coaches knowing my DS on the field only. Her teaches spend 100x more time and know little of them at home. I give a coach and clue lots of money to train my child. That's literally their job at the club. Unsure why they need to know their favorite tv show or flavor of ice cream or that they have cats. Our coaches are uber fun for the girls and they get along great. My money is being served well.

Think there's a difference between talking about TV shows and knowing if a kid plays other sports, watches soccer to learn the game, trains outside of the team, etc. These are all things that are related to forming a working knowledge of a player. A coach is a mentor and should also be sharing his / her own life experiences. That doesn't mean long fables but points of reference and words of encouragement about when something similar (negative or positive) happened in their own past. We're still working with humans and not robots, and shouldn't forget that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like my son's coach knows him decently well, but he has been with the guy for two years. Not to say that I like everything about the coach - he is a weird guy, and goes into these long parable like stories with no clear point, which doesn't hold the attention of 13 year olds well. But he knows things about my son and tries to be friendly to him.

"You see young man, life is like a soccer ball. You just keep rolling along, but every now and then you'll kicked really hard."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm perfectly fine with coaches knowing my DS on the field only. Her teaches spend 100x more time and know little of them at home. I give a coach and clue lots of money to train my child. That's literally their job at the club. Unsure why they need to know their favorite tv show or flavor of ice cream or that they have cats. Our coaches are uber fun for the girls and they get along great. My money is being served well.

Think there's a difference between talking about TV shows and knowing if a kid plays other sports, watches soccer to learn the game, trains outside of the team, etc. These are all things that are related to forming a working knowledge of a player. A coach is a mentor and should also be sharing his / her own life experiences. That doesn't mean long fables but points of reference and words of encouragement about when something similar (negative or positive) happened in their own past. We're still working with humans and not robots, and shouldn't forget that.

It makes a difference.

I have two kids who play, and one coach who remembers that he's coaching humans. In return, his kids would walk 8,000 miles through a blizzard for him if he asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm perfectly fine with coaches knowing my DS on the field only. Her teaches spend 100x more time and know little of them at home. I give a coach and clue lots of money to train my child. That's literally their job at the club. Unsure why they need to know their favorite tv show or flavor of ice cream or that they have cats. Our coaches are uber fun for the girls and they get along great. My money is being served well.

Think there's a difference between talking about TV shows and knowing if a kid plays other sports, watches soccer to learn the game, trains outside of the team, etc. These are all things that are related to forming a working knowledge of a player. A coach is a mentor and should also be sharing his / her own life experiences. That doesn't mean long fables but points of reference and words of encouragement about when something similar (negative or positive) happened in their own past. We're still working with humans and not robots, and shouldn't forget that.

Do the kids' teachers do this? Spend wayyyy more time with your kid, roughly same setting, and yet school is school... why does a sport translate into this Mr Miyagi time thing? I'll concede asking if they play another sport or watch soccer, but that is 1/10000th of "knowing a kid off field". When asked if they watch soccer at home, 99% of kids will say yes to avoid the lecture of they should. This is like saying, "yes, I floss every day" to the dentist. The post was "off field". Just because it's soccer related discussion doesn't mean they know anymore about the kid than just seeing their level of effort. That's their job. It's a job to them. Kids are part of that job. J-O-B. Stop making it more than it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm perfectly fine with coaches knowing my DS on the field only. Her teaches spend 100x more time and know little of them at home. I give a coach and clue lots of money to train my child. That's literally their job at the club. Unsure why they need to know their favorite tv show or flavor of ice cream or that they have cats. Our coaches are uber fun for the girls and they get along great. My money is being served well.

Think there's a difference between talking about TV shows and knowing if a kid plays other sports, watches soccer to learn the game, trains outside of the team, etc. These are all things that are related to forming a working knowledge of a player. A coach is a mentor and should also be sharing his / her own life experiences. That doesn't mean long fables but points of reference and words of encouragement about when something similar (negative or positive) happened in their own past. We're still working with humans and not robots, and shouldn't forget that.

Do the kids' teachers do this? Spend wayyyy more time with your kid, roughly same setting, and yet school is school... why does a sport translate into this Mr Miyagi time thing? I'll concede asking if they play another sport or watch soccer, but that is 1/10000th of "knowing a kid off field". When asked if they watch soccer at home, 99% of kids will say yes to avoid the lecture of they should. This is like saying, "yes, I floss every day" to the dentist. The post was "off field". Just because it's soccer related discussion doesn't mean they know anymore about the kid than just seeing their level of effort. That's their job. It's a job to them. Kids are part of that job. J-O-B. Stop making it more than it is.

Uh, yes, their teachers do in fact do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm perfectly fine with coaches knowing my DS on the field only. Her teaches spend 100x more time and know little of them at home. I give a coach and clue lots of money to train my child. That's literally their job at the club. Unsure why they need to know their favorite tv show or flavor of ice cream or that they have cats. Our coaches are uber fun for the girls and they get along great. My money is being served well.

Think there's a difference between talking about TV shows and knowing if a kid plays other sports, watches soccer to learn the game, trains outside of the team, etc. These are all things that are related to forming a working knowledge of a player. A coach is a mentor and should also be sharing his / her own life experiences. That doesn't mean long fables but points of reference and words of encouragement about when something similar (negative or positive) happened in their own past. We're still working with humans and not robots, and shouldn't forget that.

It makes a difference.

I have two kids who play, and one coach who remembers that he's coaching humans. In return, his kids would walk 8,000 miles through a blizzard for him if he asked.

This made me smile. It is so true when you have a really great coach. It's like when you see a pro NBA or NFL player bring up and give a shout out to their Coach from way back when. Great teachers have the same lasting effect on a person.

[Anonymous]

BECOMING more business?

It has been that way for years... You don't need to pay thousands of $$ for a third, fourth, fifth string "teavel" team, but they are hapoy to tale your $$

[Anonymous]

I guess some need to get anything from the $$$ they spend if they're not winning. lol

[Anonymous]

It has been that way for years... You don't need to pay thousands of $$ for a third, fourth, fifth string "teavel" team, but they are hapoy to tale your $$

People here constantly say that, but if you want 3xs a week practices for 1.5 hours each with a licensed coach, 1-2 games a weekend, and field time for a year, how much do you think people should pay?