I’m a coach and I love training the kids, seeing them smile, playing a game they love. .. week after week standing smart and proud in their kits .. preparing themselves ready for the game a head. .
I enjoy arranging events where they can have fun and team build, bonding and creating friendships, memories and laughter. ..
But….
I’m finding it extremely difficult to hold that passion when all i get is “you should be doing this, why aren’t you doing that?”, “the other teams are doing it this way, that coach does it that way. ”
I know what other coaches are doing through the hours I gave up my time to watch them and learn. ..
I know what other teams do as I take the positives away from watching them. .
“My child don’t play there, my child wants more minutes, I don’t think that was a right decision, why aren’t you shouting and telling them? Why have we lost 3 games? Why did you bring my child off?:
Yeah I know your child don’t play there .. probablys because that’s not where you want them to play so you’ve drummed it into them that, that’s not where they play… and I work dam hard on a Friday night to sit and arrange the minutes on the pitch and team sheet so that they are all as equal as I can get it,, when really I should be coming in from work spending time with my family and putting my feet up from a busy day. ..
I don’t shout at and direct the kids because this is their time and their place to learn. . I have no need to shout.
Your child’s development is important to me as much as it is to you.
Constant texts, constant phone calls. . Pick, pick, pick, pick. . !!
Having to justify and explain every single action and decision to 13 parents and you can guarantee there’s problems with it from at least 1 or 2.
Each game is like being on the stand and going on trial from judge and jury.
Let me tell you now. ..!!
I get in from work and I VOLUNTEER my time .. I take time away from my own family and my own kids to help develop yours.
I can’t enjoy watching my own child play because I’m busy watching and encouraging yours. .
I dash about left right and centre, attend meetings, I arrange meetings, arrange fundraising to then raise funds to arrange events. .
I take home the feelings, the emotions, I question everything I do. .. I don’t need you adding to that !!!
I’ve never claimed to be a high flyer premier league manager if I was that good, ( and qualified )I’d be getting paid not doing it for free. .
But what you expect from me for a couple of quid a week ( which goes to the team) is absolutely ridiculous. .
Understand this I AM A VOLUNTEER .. so before you criticise what I do. . Take a step up and volunteer and run a team yourself … then come back to me and tell me it’s easy. . !! I believe then you’ll understand and appreciate it.
Grassroots Coaches are the salt of the earth for the things they have to put up with and deal with for FREE but at the cost of it completely over taking their whole lives !!!
Do me a favour and next time you feel your coach isn’t doing “enough” then give it a try you’ll never have “free” time again.
RESPECT VOLUNTEERS
Thank you
Yours sincerely
“A coach close to saying enough is enough, I’m done”
It’s an impossible position. I don’t know of a single coach/ Volunteer/ parent or whatever they want to call us that’s happy. It’s worse than the Poison Callous of the dreaded England Job! At least they’re comforted by around £35 million pounds a year. Haha its ridiculous.
I’m as close as You! Good luck.