Dealing with Parents

Youth sports and soccer especially are more competitive then ever before! As if coaches didn’t have enough to deal with, they must also learn to coexist with over involved parents that think their child is the second coming of Pelé.

As an experienced soccer coach, I have learned that it is best to deal with overzealous parents early to avoid problems later on. Before the season, I would try to address the parents as a group and let them know that I should be the only one giving instructions during the game. I would also explain that the only comments that should be made should be positive and that it is not acceptable to yell at the Referees, opposing team, coaches etc.

Parents primary job is to support the team and all comments should be 100% supportive. Yelling at the Ref’s is especially bad form, because many of them are kids as well and everyone is trying to perform their best.

As a coach, it is your job to be in complete control of the team at all times. Set boundaries with parents early and them in check. It will help you keep your focus on coaching, developing classy players that respect the game and their opponents.

 

Paid Soccer Coaches and Your Youth Soccer Club

Paying for training is a serious obstacle for many families and could put competitive soccer out of reach for many children. Any youth club using or considering using paid trainers should also try to provide some sort of scholarship system to make sure that anyone that has the talent to play is able to play.That would be my main recommendation.

Where I live, paid trainers are now pretty much standard at the competitive levels, which wasn't the case 6-8 years ago. Some clubs even have mandatory training session for less competitive teams. I don't doubt that there are now more educated and prepared youth soccer players, but clubs without the proper resources face a serious competitive advantage in attracting top-notch players, which could harm overall competition in the long run.

Having paid coaches also creates numerous management issues. Who is ultimately in charge and of what? Some issues to address are hiring and firing, putting together a game-plan for coaching the club as whole, and more.

While I am confident in the next generation of America’s soccer stars and the trainers that have helped to shape them, it is undeniable that youth clubs using paid trainers to coach their best teams must address a number of issues to make the program run smoothly.