Our team has been experiencing challenging behavior from a few of our players. It is distracting and frustrating to the girls that want to play, especially when they find themselves playing short when the others refuse to come on. Unfortunately, they are also young enough that this behavior can be slightly contagious. As a coach I feel like I should intervene, but I struggle with knowing the extent to which I can be/should be disciplining them. I have to admit, I would rather parents intervene, as I am uncomfortable with unpleasantness being associated with such an enjoyable pass-time. We have tried increasing the structure of our team, bringing benches and instituting quicker substitutions. We have also asked parents to intervene as soon as they notice their child not cooperating. Unfortunately, we still are still experiencing participation rates of less than fifty percent. Enough that one opposing team actually complained!
I did a bit of web searching on the topic, and found one site that suggested the children would be more compliant if the coaches made things more interesting.
So, now to put a bit more effort in and change things up!
One helpful website I found was Soccer Coach Canada. Among other things, you can sign up for a weekly newsletter that includes age appropriate drills and games. I can't imagine how useful this will be!
http://www.soccercoachcanada.com/?gclid=CMHP9NSi87wCFQqCfgodiU8Abg
This blog is Inspired by the U6 Princess Rockstar Soccer Team. I met them this fall when I reluctantly became their assistant coach. My hesitation was not for lack of love for the game, but rather lack of confidence in my coaching abilities. I have found the experience energizing as well as immensely enjoyable. I hope that the content of this blog will inspire potential coaches to come forward and volunteer, as well as provide support and direction to those who have already signed on.
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