Is it normal for your "coach" to never be the one coaching at practice but only at games?

[Anonymous]

We are on a club team. U12 girls. Thanks! Coach is amazing when he is there. Just wondering if this is typical. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

No. And no idea how coach can be 'amazing' when he never sees his players in training. I think your 'amazing' bar may be misplaced a little low...

[Anonymous]

Um, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are on a club team. U12 girls. Thanks! Coach is amazing when he is there. Just wondering if this is typical. Thanks.

This is not a good sign at all.

[Anonymous]

There is something off, who is coaching the team at practice?

[Anonymous]

feels like you are in a club with tones of parent coaches and with one or 2 youth TDs

[Anonymous]

OP here- thanks all this is helpful. I didn't think it felt right but I was not sure. This is not a parent coach. This is a paid professional. At practice they have other paid professional coaches but they are not our "coach". So it is constantly changing and very frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks all this is helpful. I didn't think it felt right but I was not sure. This is not a parent coach. This is a paid professional. At practice they have other paid professional coaches but they are not our "coach". So it is constantly changing and very frustrating.

I would be losing my mind, honestly. That is not what you have paid for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks all this is helpful. I didn't think it felt right but I was not sure. This is not a parent coach. This is a paid professional. At practice they have other paid professional coaches but they are not our "coach". So it is constantly changing and very frustrating.

I would be losing my mind, honestly. That is not what you have paid for.

Who is this frustrating for? If the club has the coaches on the same page about what they are looking for in training and at matches, I see no issue. This is particularly true in the developmental ages. At the better clubs, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes with respect to planning and goals than parents understand. In a club that has a large layer pool in an age group, it is normal--and a good thing--to have several coaches involved. From experience I can tell you that the coaches at the better clubs follow a lesson plan, coordinate in advance of training, communicate after training, communicate before games and follow-up to report out on how games went--and, whether what they worked on recently with the players is being seen on the field. Most are not just mailing it in, and most are not showing up to coach matches without a coordinated plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks all this is helpful. I didn't think it felt right but I was not sure. This is not a parent coach. This is a paid professional. At practice they have other paid professional coaches but they are not our "coach". So it is constantly changing and very frustrating.

I would be losing my mind, honestly. That is not what you have paid for.

Who is this frustrating for? If the club has the coaches on the same page about what they are looking for in training and at matches, I see no issue. This is particularly true in the developmental ages. At the better clubs, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes with respect to planning and goals than parents understand. In a club that has a large layer pool in an age group, it is normal--and a good thing--to have several coaches involved. From experience I can tell you that the coaches at the better clubs follow a lesson plan, coordinate in advance of training, communicate after training, communicate before games and follow-up to report out on how games went--and, whether what they worked on recently with the players is being seen on the field. Most are not just mailing it in, and most are not showing up to coach matches without a coordinated plan.

As a parent writing the check, it's frustrating to me --- it doesn't matter if its developmental or not.

This is a common cop out by large clubs when they aren't properly staffed or don't have coverage.

From experience, I can you that one thing most youth soccer coach lack is the ability or desire to communicate.
In the event your regular coach doesn't show up, you're lucky if the coaches have heard more than a cursory conversation.

Coaches rarely care about a team they don't coach regularly (regardless of what the club says) because they don't have anything invested in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks all this is helpful. I didn't think it felt right but I was not sure. This is not a parent coach. This is a paid professional. At practice they have other paid professional coaches but they are not our "coach". So it is constantly changing and very frustrating.

I would be losing my mind, honestly. That is not what you have paid for.

Who is this frustrating for? If the club has the coaches on the same page about what they are looking for in training and at matches, I see no issue. This is particularly true in the developmental ages. At the better clubs, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes with respect to planning and goals than parents understand. In a club that has a large layer pool in an age group, it is normal--and a good thing--to have several coaches involved. From experience I can tell you that the coaches at the better clubs follow a lesson plan, coordinate in advance of training, communicate after training, communicate before games and follow-up to report out on how games went--and, whether what they worked on recently with the players is being seen on the field. Most are not just mailing it in, and most are not showing up to coach matches without a coordinated plan.

As a parent writing the check, it's frustrating to me --- it doesn't matter if its developmental or not.

This is a common cop out by large clubs when they aren't properly staffed or don't have coverage.

From experience, I can you that one thing most youth soccer coach lack is the ability or desire to communicate.
In the event your regular coach doesn't show up, you're lucky if the coaches have heard more than a cursory conversation.

Coaches rarely care about a team they don't coach regularly (regardless of what the club says) because they don't have anything invested in it.

Exactly. A coach should know the players, how they are progressing and improving, who works well together, who needs help where. Our club has 1-2 coaches at both practice and games, with one of them being the main coach who always knows the full picture, and some rotating coaches who are great at bringing new ideas and fresh perspectives. The kids also play better and work better when they are led by the person they know best as well!

[Anonymous]

Is it every practice? Do you have 2 or three a week?

Is one of them a full age group coached by many other coaches at stages? I know a lot of clubs that have this type of setup at that age.

[Anonymous]

At some clubs this is normal. This can be ok depending on how it is handled:

If it is a small team of coaches who rotate but you are seeing the same few coaches week in and week out it can actually be good for them to hear more than one voice as long as the game and practice coaches overlap.

If it is just random coaches showing up filling in once then never seen again that is not ok if it happens more than a couple times for emergency situations.

If you paid for an expensive paid coach but parent assistants are always running practice that is a bait and switch and that is not ok either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
At some clubs this is normal. This can be ok depending on how it is handled:

If it is a small team of coaches who rotate but you are seeing the same few coaches week in and week out it can actually be good for them to hear more than one voice as long as the game and practice coaches overlap.

If it is just random coaches showing up filling in once then never seen again that is not ok if it happens more than a couple times for emergency situations.

If you paid for an expensive paid coach but parent assistants are always running practice that is a bait and switch and that is not ok either.

None of these scenarios apply to this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
At some clubs this is normal. This can be ok depending on how it is handled:

If it is a small team of coaches who rotate but you are seeing the same few coaches week in and week out it can actually be good for them to hear more than one voice as long as the game and practice coaches overlap.

If it is just random coaches showing up filling in once then never seen again that is not ok if it happens more than a couple times for emergency situations.

If you paid for an expensive paid coach but parent assistants are always running practice that is a bait and switch and that is not ok either.

Lots of irrelevant typing.