A FUNdamental Letter of Success 🥅⚽

As the final whistle blew on our last game, I found myself reflecting on the season. Did we succeed? If you’re wondering, ‘Did we win?’ let me stop you right there. In youth soccer, success for me isn’t just about trophies 🏆 (though they do look great on a shelf). It’s about growth, joy, and sometimes even remembering where we left our shin guards.

So, instead of diving into stats, I looked to the ‘FUNdamental SOCCER ‘Bill of Rights’ and the Bill of Rights for Young Athletes—an actual thing created by the NASPE. Here’s the quick version:

• Play at your own level (no need to be Messi).
• Qualified leadership (We’ll talk about this in a bit).
• Play like kids, not pros (Slide tackles – optional).
• Share leadership (Team huddles count, right?).
• Stay safe and healthy (Minimal band-aids = success).
• Get proper prep (Warm-ups were mostly us yelling, “Let’s go!” but hey, it worked).
• Equal opportunity (Everyone got minutes—even if some were accidental).
• Be treated with dignity (No yelling…except for excitement).
• HAVE FUN. 🎉

And you know what? We nailed it. ✅

The Players Made It Special

Let’s be real—coaches just steer the ship 🛳️. The players? They’re the true captains of their journey. This season, we saw:

• Mental growth (figuring out offsides—mostly).
• Physical improvement (running faster than the snacks post-game).
• Technical skills (even that tricky toe poke).
• Tactical strategies (like “don’t all chase the ball at once”).

And while I’ve heard whispers that “the coaching staff made a difference” (thank you, parents), let’s be clear: the real heroes are the kids. They worked hard, stayed curious, and showed us that success isn’t a straight road. It’s more like zig-zags on a muddy field.

Failing Forward 🚦

One of my favorite lessons? Failure is just success in disguise. Thomas Edison failed 3,000 times before inventing the light bulb, and we’ve probably practiced 3,000 corner kicks to get one just right. Coincidence? I think so. 💡

Like Edison, we kept trying. Some games, we didn’t get the win. Other times, we barely got the ball past midfield. But every time, we learned something: teamwork, resilience, and that hydration breaks are non-negotiable.

A Final Thank You

To the parents: Thank You for trusting me with your incredible kids (and for tolerating my attempts at organized chaos). To the players: Thank You for bringing your energy, laughs, and willingness to try—even when things got tough.

At the end of the day, this season wasn’t about perfection—it was about nailing the FUNdamentals: learning, growing, and having a blast. And by that measure, we succeeded in every way that matters.

Here’s to another season of striving for excellence, one laugh and one goal at a time. 🥳

Coach Anonymous