Bringing FUN Back to Youth Soccer
For decades, we’ve talked about developing better players, stronger teams, and more competitive clubs. But somewhere along the way, we forgot the simplest truth in youth sports: Kids stay when it’s fun. Kids grow when it’s joyful. Kids thrive when the game belongs to them. And when children fall in love with the game in […]
The Next Evolution
Why Kids Can’t Wait Another 30 Years The Long Road to Small‑Sided Games After IMAGINE was published, I received a message from Rich DeJana, a coach who attended one of my sessions in Kalispell, Montana, back in the day. He remembered the long fight for small‑sided games, the resistance, the skepticism, the slow pace of […]
✨IMAGINATION
Letting Go of Our Adult Assumptions – Together Imagine: being aware of a crisis no one seemed able to solve — that 70–75% of kids walk away from soccer by their teen years, long before they’ve had a real chance to fall in love with the game. Imagine: discovering that international powerhouse soccer nations were […]
Norway’s Secret Isn’t a Secret at All
A LEGACY of 40+ Years of Child-Centered Coaching. Every Winter Olympics, the world rediscovers Norway. A small country. A modest population. And yet, they perform like a global powerhouse, not just once, but year after year. So, the questions begin again: How does Norway keep producing joyful, resilient, high‑performing athletes? What’s in the water up […]
The Bridge to Real Change
Hope is powerful. It’s what keeps us showing up for children, season after season. But hope alone isn’t enough. Real Change. The kind that shapes a child’s experience comes from knowing why we care and how we choose to act. That’s why the illustration carries both words: WHY? fuels our purpose. HOW? guides our behavior. […]
Mindful Adults
The Quiet Architects of Early Childhood Soccer Thank you to everyone who read and commented on “Moving from Promises to Real Change!” Your komments reminded me of something we adults often forget: kids already understand play. They already love to run, laugh, explore, and imagine. They don’t need us to teach them how to love […]
Moving from Promises to Real Change!
Thank you to everyone who read ‘A Gift Worth Sharing.’ Your notes reminded me of something we adults often forget: kids already see the game clearly — we’re the ones who need the reminders. So let’s keep going. This next series is a simple, practical look at how coaches and referees shape the tone of […]
A Gift Worth Sharing
Every meaningful exchange begins with a moment of honesty. There’s a quiet truth many of us feel but rarely say out loud: Children today are carrying more stress, pressure, and uncertainty than any generation before them. School is harder. Social life is more complicated. The world feels heavier. And youth soccer — the place that […]
JOY TO THE FIELD!
🎶Verse 1 Joy to the field, the kids are here. Let everyone stand up and cheer! Let every child feel seen. Let this game be exciting and keen. Chorus: And joy in harmony, And joy in harmony, And joy, and joy in harmony 🎅Verse 2 Coaches with kindness, parents with cheer, Let that be the […]