I've seen some awful behaviour from coaches' kids on the pitch, particularly elite programmes as players reach their teens.

In the juniors, most parents are just happy for anyone to coach the team rather than themselves. Often someone with any interest in football finds themselves coaching juniors.

As they age and some kids want to start clowning around at training, I won't hesitate to give them marching orders/suspensions for one scrap of disrespect.

My belief is that most coaches are volunteers. Hence, anyone disrespecting a coach who has undergone coach education in their own time and gives up their time to coach kids on a weekly basis, should be appreciated by them - and parents.

I was once teaching at one school, where I had no active role in their associated football club. I had some time to kill and watched about 10 teams train one night.

I was appalled at the disrespect shown by many kids to their coaches. The next day I held a meeting for all football players in the school and read them the riot act about respecting their coaches.

What sorts of experiences have others had?

dropped a team because a stupid father complained in a text to me about not starting his son. Now i can prove that over 11 games his son only did not start 3 times but ffs there 10.
I am presently coaching U13/14 team they are doing well and starting to play properly (we had no pre season and no fitness)
but they are looking good now. but i cant wait to finish coaching at the end of this season and just concentrate on my own son.Enough of clubs and parents. I know every year good coaches bail and it does not seem to matter much but eventually you would have to think it will bring youth football to a stop. I will love the look on there faces when i don't volunteer.

ps it was not over equal time on the field, it was over not starting and how good his son was and how much better than the other players he was (do you believe that ffs)

Edited by krones3: 9/5/2016 10:44:59 AM

I believe that, we had a family move their son to a different club because we didn't select him to trial for the chance to trial for selection to the State U12 development squad (which basically just engaged in some extra training over the summer holidays). It was a blessing in disguise though as he was a horrendous ball hog who didn't listen at training and believed that athleticism would be a substitute for skill.

It is a problem when parents have high opinions of their own children's ability, don't do all the work to train as coaches, then try and tell coaches what to do.

Obviously you are looked towards volunteering your time by other parents, Krones.

I had an issue wham one of my kids was in the last year at primary school. A new coach played his son as central striker, keeping him on the pitch for the whole of every game. He scored a lot of goals and the coach didn't rotate players much. My child gave up football the next year. I did take the coach to task later in the season about lack of rotation.

At the same time I wanted a rest from coaching, so I can also be blamed for not taking up the coaching position that year.

Postscript - my child had an inspiring teacher two years later at high school who galvanised the football career of my child and inspired many new players to take up football and others to resurrect their careers.

The coach whose son was a favourite has gone as far as 4th division. My progeny has gone on to state league, top division NPL football. One of the great things for development as been constant supplementary indoor football and futsal rosters, which are often informal.

The most important thing is that kids enjoy football. Most of the time I've picked the brains of a friend who is a very, very experienced coach over 35 years and acted on his advice over issues I've had.

FFA is now focusing on the club as the epicentre of players' development. Not rep, state and NTC squads.





Edited by Decentric: 10/5/2016 08:58:05 AM

Good to see you back, GA.:)

It is a challenge coaching kids who have talent, but think they know it all.

I try to treat all kids equally and fairly. Ball hogs came up at my first coaching course in the old days before the changed curriculum. The TD, David Abela at the time, said he loved them , because they had talent. He joked send them to him!

Some coaches used a video to show kids what they don't want. I've pulled kids up who are hogging at training in the Game Training phase of play when we are supposed to stop play and discuss player actions and options.

When teammates point out better options first, before the coach suggests a better option when play is stopped and the coach asks the player, then teammates suggest what could have been preferable options, the message soon becomes apparent.

One of the things I've always done when not involved in coaching, is periodically thank the coaches who coach my kids.

A lot more parents need to appreciate how much work is involved in coaching. Some parents are great in that they ask how they can do anything to support a coach.

Cheers D :)

I'm coaching U10s at the moment so we're not as stressed about the tactical side of the game as we are about them utilising the skills we are teaching them at the correct moment. Learning to read the flow of play and their team mates more than how to create the situations. Next season we'll work on that :)