Soccer Coaches as Mentors
We tend to think of soccer coaches in this incredibly utilitarian way – they’re there to teach kids to kick the ball around. But coaches are more than that.
Soccer coaches are mentors who can light a spark in the life of kids. It’s not just about kicking the ball around – there’s so much more to it than that! Soccer coaches become role models for kids, positive adult figures in their lives who can be powerful influences to lead them down a path to a successful life.
Mentorship is powerful
A 2015 study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) found that kids who participate in soccer mentorship did better in school and were more confident in their lives all around. Soccer coaches are an incredibly positive force in the lives of kids, and that coach-player relationship can be an incredibly powerful one. It’s not just about what happens on the field.
These are impacts that we see not just now, but things that have a long-lasting effect on the lives of kids for life. Building self-confidence, and knowledge of how to be successful, helps kids to live a whole life that’s full of success and accomplishment. That means in school, in relationships, and in extra-curricular activities. Kids need adult role models who they can look to for guidance, who they can emulate in order to find their way.
While those far-away icons of soccer–the great players who kids put up posters of on the wall–are all fantastic, what means more are the heroes that they see right there on the field, who give them the guidance and support that they deserve. In twenty years, those individuals will still remember that great mentor/coach who helped them to learn how to live in a positive way.
What we love most about sport isn’t scoring goals or winning games – it’s the shaping of life that happens. Soccer gives kids confidence and self-worth, and it all starts with the relationship between high-quality coaches and kids. Soccer coaches can be positive mentors for kids.
Image Credit: Len, via freeimages.com
