The title to today's post defines the topic I wanted to address on various levels.
I have been coaching soccer for 27 years, always on the female side. I didn't really have ambitions to coach, and certainly I didn't set out thinking I wanted to coach women's soccer. My start in coaching was really a question of being in a certain place at a certain time (not right or wrong, was just there). I have shared about how I got started in coach on an earlier post so let's just say, it happened and I caught addicted to the thrill of coaching. I was coaching women's soccer long before it was chic, before women's soccer was so popular , games shown on TV, the thought of women's soccer at the Olympics was just an idea, thought of women's pro leagues was not even on the radar and where coaching soccer for the most part was not a way to make a living. Today, our women's soccer team were the darlings of the last two Olympics and generated so much pride and support, there are professional leagues in many countries allowing players to make some form of living, the are reporters covering women's soccer, websites dedicated to it, and women's games can be watched on TV or web streamed with a certain frequency. Not to mention that certain female soccer players are among the most recognized female athletes in the world. So why do I bring up credibility ? When I started coaching 27 years, I heard a wide range of comments which regardless the specific topic all basically revolved around one main idea, that somehow, what I did with my coaching was less important, less credible or less valuable than someone coaching men's (or boy's ) soccer, or coaching in another sport. It was assumed that somehow if I was coaching women's soccer, it was because I was in some way not qualified enough to coach "real" soccer. That I chose an easier path , or that the coaching knowledge required to coach female players was somehow less important. And those were the polite comments, for the most part ( and coming from males of course) , I heard comments in the gist of how lucky I was to get to spend time with sweaty women, running around wearing shorts and wet tee-shirts ( and different varying versions of that). That somehow I chose to coach women's soccer for the thrill of being around females and nothing to do with the sport or the coaching.. As a male, I was always embarrassed and ashamed that my gender were so ignorant to make those comments. Let me set the record straight, I might not have chosen to coach when soccer at the start, but I have chosen to coach it ever since. I have spent significant time, energy and effort, not just coaching teams, but growing the game, its quality, the perception and it popularity. I have worked as a coaching certification instructor, given clinics specifically aimed to female players or coaches who coached female soccer, been on committees to grow the game. I have spent 27 years invested in women's soccer and hopefully, helping younger females develop skills that go beyond the soccer field. I can in no way be considered a role model ( wrong gender to become with) but I would like to think I have been a mentor to some and influential to many. In my coaching career, I have probably coached or interacted with hundreds if not thousands of players, I am sure opinions of me as a coach ( and as a person) vary all along the spectrum from really like to really dislike ( or worse), but at the foundation of everything I have done is give the athletes I work with the best possible experience while hopefully making the women's game better. That is one level of the credibility I was referring to. Now as the women's game has grown, become more popular, my in the public eye, I hear people taking about the need to encourage more women to become coaches, that the women's game will only grow when we can count of my former players staying in the game as coaches. Now, don't get me wrong, I truly believe that young females need role models, successful, strong females that they can look up to and emulate, The need to see the message that it is ok for females to stand up and fight for what they want and seek out equity and equality. I am not just taking about female soccer or female sports, but in general, in everyday life. I think that recent things like the agreements between US women's hockey and US women's soccer with the Federations , or the non allocated players from the NWSL forming a players union is a huge positive step. I am not threatened by women demanding their fair share of anything, on the contrary I applaud it and support it. And finally, the last issue about credibility, it would seem that for some, all my years in coaching, because it is in the female game, somehow doesn't not allow me to have the sufficient expertise to comment or share opinions on the men's game. Ironically, these comments don't come from other coaches, because I coach can tell when a coach knows what he is talking about, but from soccer fans who consider themselves experts in the sport. My knowledge of soccer is not uniquely tied into my coaching, but the sport being a part of my live for as long as I can remember. Being the son of Spanish immigrants, with a father who is a die-hard lifelong fan of Real Madrid ( and as a ticket holder when he was younger). I played the game for 20 years, watch games from various domestic leagues, international games, read articles on the game, stay on put of coaching tendencies, etc. I think I am an expert of the game of soccer, as much because of my coaching a version of the game that happens to be played by females , but remains the same game and as much because of the simple passion I have for the game. all the best
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
January 2023
Categories
All
|