Should youth football be dominated by the worrying desire to PUT WINNING BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE?
By Tim Bradbury, Director of Coaching, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
Last year, in 2021, I spent a lot of time thinking about what youth football topic to write about. I often ask my colleagues and fellow coach educators if they have any ideas on what I should discuss.
This one was easier than most and because of the season and the idea of giving associated with it, what better time is there to discuss all the great things than youth sports can offer?
As you read the reflections below, it is helpful for every parent, coach and club leader to reflect on how far we have moved away from all of the truly great gifts that sport can offer.
We live in a culture where the true nature and benefits of youth football have been lost.
Tim Bradbury
What should be obvious and obvious is that in 99% of youth sports environments, adults fail to provide children with the enormous opportunity that youth sports can provide.
The reasons are apparent and so obvious that everyone is aware of it because youth sports are dominated at all ages by a worrying desire to PUT WINNING BEFORE ALL ELSE, to PUT personal success before the SUCCESS OF THE TEAM.
Unfortunately, in the void left behind, the frenzy of social media and the electronic world seem incapable of delivering the same potential that a good sporting environment can provide.
The message is simple. Let’s get back to helping youth football deliver all the truly wonderful gifts it can offer.
So, to highlight the obvious positives:
- Opportunity to exercise and explore the physical arena – fitness, flexibility, range of motion…including running and jumping. More …
- Opportunity to fall in love with sport, movement and stay fit for life.
- Opportunity to learn skills, tactics and fall in love with a sport or two.
- Opportunity to be part of a team and fully realize that serving and helping others will bring more joy and reward than constantly pursuing one’s own desires.
- Opportunity to be part of a team and build a network of lifelong friends, people who will support you long after the final whistle of the last match.
- Opportunity to learn essential life skills: resilience, determination, discipline, courage, courage, reliability, communication and, of course, teamwork.
- Opportunity to develop leadership qualities.
Few gifts can bring as much wealth as sport.
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players – boys and girls – and more than 25,000 volunteers, the nonprofit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point on Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with nine leagues within the association, which covers all of New York State east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance soccer for children and adolescents ages 5 to 19 years, and to encourage the healthy development of young players, coaches, referees and administrators.
All levels of football are offered: from intramural players to travel teams to breakout players, as well as children with special needs. No child who wants to play football is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/
