Five Benefits of Volunteering to Coach Youth Soccer
Posted by: Teddy Hagen | Director of Soccer Start
Rapids Youth Soccer coaches come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are former soccer players looking to stay involved. Others are looking to coach with youth in their community. However, more often than not, our volunteer coaches are parents with children in our Recreational program. Whether or not you have any prior experience with soccer, we encourage you to look into becoming a youth soccer coach with Rapids Youth Soccer. We have opportunities available for a variety of levels, and we strongly believe coaching soccer will enrich your life in the following ways…
Connect with your child and your community
The top reason parents volunteer to coach soccer is to connect with their child in a new way. As the backbone of the soccer team, coaches are highly influential mentors and teachers in the lives of their players. Team bonding events can provide an opportunity to become closer to your own child. By showing your child a commitment to volunteering and to their passion for soccer, you will help motivate them to be generous and supportive in their own lives.
In addition, coaching soccer puts you at the forefront of building relationships with other coaches and parents with kids of similar age and gender. As part of your role as coach, you are in consistent contact with many of the parents throughout the season. Many times, lifetime friendships grow between the families on a team.
Teach (and re-learn!) valuable life lessons
Every player’s individual development is our top priority as an organization. Yes, development includes the technical, tactical, and physical soccer skills a player learns, but it also includes the psycho-social life lessons that make our players strong leaders and teammates. From quick and correct decision making to a hard-working attitude, these attributes will extend from the soccer field into a child’s life. As a coach, you’ll be expected to display these characteristics in your coaching and mentorship as well. The good sportsmanship and respect a coach shows will resonate with each player, helping shape the way they respond to situations in their future.
Develop new skills
The Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club takes great pride in the coaching support we provide at every level of our Club. Each program, from 3-years-old to adult, provides coaches with program-specific resources to help successfully engage and develop players to reach their full potential. Over the past year, we have increased our full-time staff to help support our coaches with education plans for all levels of coaching, including full reimbursement for any coach who takes the USSF “F” Licensure course.
Find a sense of pride as a coach
Coaching youth soccer is not all that different than running a race or working on a project at work. As you lead a group of children to success, you’ll find yourself feeling pride in their growth and accomplishments. As a coach, you’ll see firsthand as players conquer individual development objectives, from specific soccer techniques to psycho-social growth. And yes, you’ll have an extra reason to celebrate on the days your team wins games.
Refreshing fun and exercise
It is no secret that running around outside is good for our health. While coaching soccer, you often don’t even notice how much exercise you are getting because you’ll be engaged with the children. This type of exercise is so refreshing after a long day of work and gives you the opportunity to not only connect with the kids, but with yourself. On top of everything, coaching soccer is FUN, which is sometimes exactly what we need.
For more information on the ways you can get involved with coaching, visit https://qa.rapidsyouthsoccer.org/soccer-jobs/.
