Updated: August 21, 2015
Originally Published: November 29, 2013
You awaken at 7:30 AM, your head thumping not from a late-night celebration, but from an annoying pop song that has lodged itself in your brain since your daughter’s last car ride. It’s Saturday—affectionately dubbed “Dad Day.” In just three hours, you’re set to coach your son’s soccer team, which has suffered eight consecutive defeats, ending a season where they scored a mere one goal against a staggering 49. But at least your nine weeks of volunteer coaching will finally come to a close.
As you lay in bed, the sound of a loud television filters in from the living room. You find your 7-year-old watching cartoons, clearly having indulged in junk food and screen time without supervision. Wrappers litter the floor. Fantastic. His sugar rush will likely crash just before the longest game of the season begins. Each week, you had hoped for a glimmer of victory. Instead, it appears they will only experience the dirt beneath their feet, salty tears, and a hefty dose of defeat courtesy of their young opponents.
First things first: coffee. Peering out the window, you notice the familiar dark clouds that have hung over the past five muddy weeks. Frustration bubbles within you as you think about how your partner convinced you to take on this coaching role, and every Saturday you handle the chaos of finding cleats, shin guards, and the necessary positive attitude alone. While she attends her Saturday boot camp, you make the sacrifices typical of a devoted dad. If you endure the upcoming wet and chilly six hours of your children’s games, maybe you’ll enjoy a fleeting twenty-minute nap while catching a college football game.
Somehow, you manage to get everyone dressed and out the door by 8:30 AM. Just as you begin to drive away, your partner arrives home, beaming from her workout. You should feel happy for her, but instead, you leave just as the youngest child begins to wail for “Mommy.”
All you want is one victory. Just one would make it all worthwhile.
You arrive on time, yet none of your six eager players have shown up. Perhaps they’ve thrown in the towel before the final week. It often seemed they lost interest during the first practice, yet every week, fleeting moments of determination and skill surfaced. Even when they appeared more interested in the dirt piles they created than the game, they somehow knew precisely how many goals they were down (usually eight; honestly, you stopped keeping count).
Gradually, the rest of the team trickles in. As always, you greet them with high-fives and encouragement. The league has scheduled a longer game for the final week so the kids can “put it all together.” Right, all the many aspects of soccer they should have mastered by now. You decide to warm up with shooting practice, but alas, they haven’t scored since the first game when a fluke shot rolled in from midfield—unless you count the goals they accidentally scored for the other team. Who needs passing fundamentals? Today, they will revel in the joy of scoring, which is bound to bring that elusive “W.”
As expected, the kids ignore your instructions during the drills. You hesitate to raise your voice in front of the parents, and your whistle seems powerless. Balls are flying everywhere except toward the goal, as they engage in their own invented drills—something you encouraged back in week three. By the time you hear all their elaborate plans involving stacking cones with little regard for soccer, it’s already time to start the game. Well, here we go!
The opposing team appears small and manageable. You almost pity them for the scoring onslaught your team is about to unleash. Two minutes in, however, you find yourselves down 3-0. As has become the weekly norm, if the other team has even one skilled player, they win. This team boasts two. Just like in professional sports, two standout players are nearly unstoppable. Your squad? They have two kids great at taunting the competition, and that’s about it.
Before long, it’s 8-0, and with 45 minutes left, you battle the urge to give up or perhaps trip the opposing player en route to another goal. The other team’s coach, a high school student, tries to assist by limiting her two star players’ time on the field and instructs them to pass instead of score. One of your players’ parents can’t take it anymore and chastises the opposing star for celebrating his goal.
You sense that the other team, either out of kindness or sheer boredom, might allow some mercy goals. You try everything, and so do your players, but that stubborn ball just refuses to enter the net. Your son claims he’s hurt and sulks on the sidelines. Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, someone blows the whistle to signal the end of the game. Time of death: 10:31 AM.
As a treat, a thoughtful parent brings donuts. The players are ecstatic, and your son miraculously recovers from his injury. As they munch on their donuts, you attempt to deliver a post-season pep talk, expressing pride in their improvement and perseverance throughout the year. Who knows if they’re even listening? One parent instructs the kids to cheer for the coach—“Hip hip…” (silence). Not a single “thank you” from the kids. You’re left wondering if the parents appreciate your willingness to volunteer or if they hold you accountable for the team’s dismal performance. You pick up the trash they leave behind and return the equipment, avoiding the other coaches heading off to their celebratory pizza parties.
It’s done. You wish there were a happy ending, a lesson learned, or even a single goal to cap this long saga, but there isn’t. You truly gave it your all over the weeks—inviting older kids to run drills, seeking help from parents, taking unsolicited advice from other coaches, and even bribing the children with treats. One parent even offered cash for a goal. Above all, you endeavored to make it enjoyable, even when it rarely was.
In the end, the league pressured you into coaching to prevent your son from spending Saturdays glued to the couch. Was it worth it? You’re certain you won’t do this again, but you also told yourself that last time you volunteered to coach. At least no one was physically hurt.
Who’s ready for basketball?!
In summary, coaching a youth sports team can be both challenging and rewarding. While the season may not have ended with a trophy, the experiences shared with your team can still foster growth and joy. For those considering alternative family planning options, resources such as this home insemination kit can provide valuable insights, and NHS resources on IVF offer excellent information. Additionally, for those looking to enhance their fertility journey, boost fertility supplements are worth exploring.
Keyphrase: Volunteer Coaching Benefits
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