“Sometimes We Play Soccer Too”

Why do I think I was recognized as a PCA 2025 Coach of the Year Top 10 Winner?

Two words: fun and autonomy.

I began coaching in 2016. Born out of necessity to keep my son's SFYS school-based recreational team together, I spent several challenging seasons finding my footing. It took me until 2020 to fully understand my purpose as a coach. It wasn't to build crafty soccer players or future pro athletes. It was to bring kids together and make soccer fun. 

We know the data: active kids become active teens, who become active adults. But for me, the philosophy is even simpler: being active with friends is just plain fun.

Recently, my high school recreational (Varsity) team spent part of practice playing tag. They were laughing as they were running around the pitch, and I was laughing watching them! We all left practice with bigger grins and higher dopamine levels than when we arrived. As one player put it, "We laugh a lot."

On our team, soccer is just the medium. We had our annual Halloween practice last night - which always includes music, candy and the team favorite game of "carry the eyeball" (a FIFA standard, by the way). Between that and "dogs out soccer," it's no wonder one of my players told a visitor last year, "Sometimes we play soccer too."

Beyond the fun, I give my players ownership of their team:

• Emotional Check-Ins: We start practice with a 1–10 scale rating of how everyone is feeling. It encourages self-reflection, opens the door for honesty, and helps me modify practice if needed.
• Shared Leadership: Players help lead warm-ups, are allowed to make requests for what we do in practice, and create game lineups.
• On-Field Autonomy: They decide it all - who takes throw-ins, corner kicks, free kicks, etc., and they have full authority to switch positions mid-game.

Mistakes are celebrated, never shamed. Every decision is made together.

This culture didn't happen overnight - it's been a steady evolution. But by shifting the focus from performance to play and ownership, we've built a team where every player feels seen and where, as one player recently shared, "One thing I enjoy about soccer is being able to be my entire self around everyone." That's why I do this - and why, I suspect, my team put my name forward in the first place.