So I had my meetings with the Director of Coaching and then the Team Meeting. The DOC is a great guy. He's a former goalkeeper who has really taken South Lyon to new heights under his tutelage. He'll be a great guy to learn from and has been really helpful. That's been reassuring because sometimes soccer can be so political and, especially because it's not the most popular sport in the US, people in positions of power in their club can abuse that power. Not this guy--he's given me information on what drills these kids like, how to effectively get across my message to them, and even how to deal with some of the parents!
The Team Meeting also went great. I thought more of the players were going to be there, but so far I have only met two players. They both seem excited for the season to start. I asked them what positions they liked to play and they both told me they like to play forward--I guess that's typical with kids. Hopefully that means we'll have a lot of goals this Fall!
I'm meeting with my team manager--a player's mother-- and another club official tomorrow. There, we'll discuss our upcoming tournament, practice schedules and locations, and other things I should know about managing the team. I'll post another update after that. Things are finally moving and we have our first practice August 14th, so needless to say I'm really excited about that. It will be great to be back out on the field and to re-experience what it's like to fall in love with the game at a young age.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Commence Excitement
Well, things are starting to pick up with Lyon FC. I am now integrated into the online system and have cleared my background check--good news! On Saturday, I'm meeting with the Director of Coaching (DOC) to discuss--I presume--the club, my role in the club, how to effectively coach 8 and 9 year-olds, and similar important things I'd need to know.
After the Saturday meeting, we're having our team meeting on Monday night. I'm really excited about that meeting. This is where I'll meet the players and their families, and I'll get to introduce myself. At this age, this is probably the first competitive soccer experience for most of these players. I'm sure some of them are only playing soccer as a means of becoming more athletic for other sports; others might be relatively new to soccer and want to compete at a higher level; and still others, like I was at that age, live for soccer and want to play everyday. I'll have to make sure that I make the sport fun for them while also teaching them important skills they'll need for future athletic endeavors.
That will be a challenge for me. I'm sort of a soccer purist and expect people around me to be as passionate about the sport as I am. I remember some of the conversations I had with players from my U-9 soccer team. Some of us were very into the sport and would talk about professional soccer teams--back when soccer didn't even make it onto American TV very much-- and talk about our admiration for certain players, especially hometown hero Brian McBride. Others though were only playing soccer because their parents wouldn't let them play football yet, but they were athletically gifted enough to make it onto a pretty competitive club. Of course, feelings change; some passionate kids fell out of love with soccer, and some indifferent kids turned into Division 1 caliber players. I think my role should be as much about teaching the kids to love the sport as much as how to play it.
While I see some challenges in the immediate future, I'm very excited about this opportunity and can't wait to meet the DOC and the team shortly thereafter. I'll post updates after those meetings.
After the Saturday meeting, we're having our team meeting on Monday night. I'm really excited about that meeting. This is where I'll meet the players and their families, and I'll get to introduce myself. At this age, this is probably the first competitive soccer experience for most of these players. I'm sure some of them are only playing soccer as a means of becoming more athletic for other sports; others might be relatively new to soccer and want to compete at a higher level; and still others, like I was at that age, live for soccer and want to play everyday. I'll have to make sure that I make the sport fun for them while also teaching them important skills they'll need for future athletic endeavors.
That will be a challenge for me. I'm sort of a soccer purist and expect people around me to be as passionate about the sport as I am. I remember some of the conversations I had with players from my U-9 soccer team. Some of us were very into the sport and would talk about professional soccer teams--back when soccer didn't even make it onto American TV very much-- and talk about our admiration for certain players, especially hometown hero Brian McBride. Others though were only playing soccer because their parents wouldn't let them play football yet, but they were athletically gifted enough to make it onto a pretty competitive club. Of course, feelings change; some passionate kids fell out of love with soccer, and some indifferent kids turned into Division 1 caliber players. I think my role should be as much about teaching the kids to love the sport as much as how to play it.
While I see some challenges in the immediate future, I'm very excited about this opportunity and can't wait to meet the DOC and the team shortly thereafter. I'll post updates after those meetings.
Monday, July 2, 2012
First Coaching Job
After talks for the last few weeks, I was offered and have accepted a job with Lyon FC. They are a club based out of South Lyon, MI. I will begin this Fall and coach at the U-9 level. I am really excited for this opportunity and can't wait to get started.
Obviously this is my first opportunity to coach and try out my philosophies. I'll have my team meeting, where the Director of Coaching will introduce me to the team, and I'll begin to learn about my new team and see what we've got. I began playing travel soccer right around U8 and U9 so I know what these kids are going through. I'm sure that for many of them, I'll be their first travel coach, so I hope I can be a good influence on them and help them fall in love with the game while building up their skills.
If you have have tips on coaching kids--even if your experiences are in different sports--please don't hesitate to let me know.
Updates will follow soon.
Obviously this is my first opportunity to coach and try out my philosophies. I'll have my team meeting, where the Director of Coaching will introduce me to the team, and I'll begin to learn about my new team and see what we've got. I began playing travel soccer right around U8 and U9 so I know what these kids are going through. I'm sure that for many of them, I'll be their first travel coach, so I hope I can be a good influence on them and help them fall in love with the game while building up their skills.
If you have have tips on coaching kids--even if your experiences are in different sports--please don't hesitate to let me know.
Updates will follow soon.
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