I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been driving to a match that’s 7v7 thinking of a starting lineup so that the team can get off to a good start. Let’s be honest, certain lineups and players work better than others. This post will talk about how to hurt your kids soccer team.
30 minutes before kickoff…
I arrive at the fields and see three of my 12 players there passing the ball around.
20 minutes before kickoff…
Two more players arrive to make it five! We can kind of start a team warm up now! Oh, six of the players you think about having start the game aren’t there yet.
10 minutes before kickoff…
Three more players show up! Woo! We have enough players to play. I have to stop the warmup and explain it all over again to the late arrivals. It looks like they still have bed head.
2 minutes before kickoff…
I send a captain out to the middle of the field to see the referee for the coin toss while I start puting out the lineup on the magnetic board explaining our match tactics and responsibilities.
Wait!
Two more players come running over from the parking lot…..in the wrong colored jersey. Mom and dad have their bag in the car still…with the correct jersey in it. Both are ones I wanted to start, but can’t now.
5 minutes into the game…
From the corner of my eye, I see another player coming! He’s got eye black on?? Oh that’s right he is coming from a flag football game. Their team was short players so he had to play the whole game.
End of the game…
We lost the game and still had a player missing for an unknown reason. We started the game poorly and were down big at halftime.
What’s the theme of the day here? Obviously we were unprepared and not mentally and physically ready to play because everyone showed up at all different times even though the team app specifically says to arrive 30 minutes early!
Parents! Get your kids to the game no earlier than 30 minutes before the start! This makes a huge difference on how the team and individual performs.
I don’t want to hear excuses either. We had a birthday party blah blah blah, we were stuck in traffic blah blah blah. NO EXCUSES.
Be prepared and manage your time better!
