OnDeck
Soccer
 
 
 
 
Volume 9, Issue 10
 
 
 
 
October, 2016
 
 
 
 
Greetings from CoachDeck!

Hard to believe that fall seasons are already winding down. As you plan for the spring, plan to give your coaches all the tools and appreciation they deserve. It starts with their very own CoachDeck. They'll love it, and so will their players!

In this issue:
How do you identify players who have that special, "something"? Tony Earp tells us what he looks for, and it may come as a surprise. Brian Gotta discusses that dreaded, "Daddy Ball". And you may not be able to get through this month's poignant article by John O'Sullivan with a dry eye.


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Who Wants It the Most?
By Tony Earp

There is no way to predict which players will be the ones who will end up playing at the highest level or achieving the most over their soccer careers. As coaches, we like to think we are good at identifying the soccer stars of tomorrow, but we are often wrong. There is just no way to know how a player will develop and change over time. Read Article
 
 
 
 
Daddy Ball
By Brian Gotta, President of CoachDeck

We hear the phrase often: “Daddy Ball.” It is a derogatory term describing a situation where a parent becomes a youth coach for the sole reason of promoting his own child. The accusation is that the child gets benefits in terms of playing time and position that he or she wouldn't have received had someone else been coaching the team. But what if it's not true? And what if it is?​​​​​​​ Read Article
 
 
 
 
Open Letter to My Dad Who Makes Me Want to Quit Sports
By John O'Sullivan

I was afraid to say this to your face after the game today, but I was thinking that maybe you could stop coming to my games for a while. It doesn’t seem that fun for you anyway, and I know it’s not fun for me when you are there. I used to love when you watched my play when I was younger, but now, I wish you weren’t there. Read Article​