Four times every year, I write about my favorite season. The fall is not only good biking, it’s also soccer season. I began my coaching careen in 1974 with a team of 9 & 10 year old boys. A few weeks ago, while riding, I came across a woman and her kids in a park with a soccer ball. That got my attention, and I stopped briefly to watch. She grew up in the old neighborhood with one of my kids, and lit up when she saw me. “HELP. “I need help coaching a team and have no idea what to do.” I agreed to stop by their first game, but made no commitment. They got stomped 7-2.
I saw the potential in this group and offered to be the “technical trainer” emphasizing that Coach Laura was the “gaffer”. (Head coach). Before beginning my first training session with the kids, I told them that if the worked hard in practice they would not lose another game. The season is coming to an end next week and if we win, they will have a seven game unbeaten streak and end the season at 6-1-1. The kids became good friends on and off the field. Practice was filled with work and laughter. That translated to hard work during the game with lots of laughter after.
BTW that team that beat us 7-2? We beat them 10-3 and 7-3 in the next two meetings.
It took 46 years for me to come full circle in my coaching career. After coaching this group, I may take a couple more laps.
We are the Galaxy.
A Midnight Rider 
Wow! Great work. When is the next and last game of the season? Where? We miss watching kids on the field.
On Sat, Oct 30, 2021 at 10:02 PM A Midnight Rider wrote:
> capejohn posted: ” Four times every year, I write about my favorite > season. The fall is not only good biking, it’s also soccer season. I began > my coaching careen in 1974 with a team of 9 & 10 year old boys. A few weeks > ago, while riding, I came across a woman and her” >
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Last game is Saturday. 10 AM at the Mariner complex on rt 6 in Fairhaven
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Welcome back to coaching! I bought my first TV to help with my soccer coaching. PBS ran a program called “Soccer Made in Germany” and I would have the kids come over to watch. I took over from a coach who knew only American football and thought that the kickoff was the same in both sports. It took a lot of work to learn that the two types of football have little in common.
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Ok — other than having fun and running around at practice — what really turned around this team?
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Coaching
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Don’t you mean “technical advising”?
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