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.