The Best Soccer Mum Coach

Wednesday nights are soccer training nights. Tonight, the soccer coach, who is also one of the mum's of one of the players, had her hands full. There were only five kids who showed up for training, and her son wasn't one of them. As its coming into Winter, and the nights are cooler, it was to be expected that fewer would show up. It is also the "State of Origin" night, where the two main rugby league State teams play each other. That tends to reduce numbers as well.

With so few kids, you would think it would have been an easy night for the coach. Not likely. It started with Ethan getting hit in the hand by a rapidly kicked soccer ball from one of the older kids. His finger bent back, and he did his screaming cry, which means all is not well. I went out to tend him, at the same time the coach did. She managed to get him calmed down, just as the next incident started up. One particular kid was obviously having an off night, as he decided that pushing and kicking at the other kids was going to be his modus operandi for the night.

Just after that, two of the kids were doing dribbling practice together, when one fell over just as the other took a swipe at the ball, missed, and kicked the first in the head. Tears and parents all round. Things seemed to calm down, and towards the end of the session everything seemed to be going ok, when one of the boys took our off night kid's soccer ball. He lost it, lashing out with kicks and punches everywhere. As much as I didn't want to, I had to hold his leg down to stop him kicking the other kids until his mother came out to give him a stern talking to.

To her credit, our soccer coach took it all in her stride, and overall the training night wasn't too bad - mainly due to her skills in negotiating with all the kids, their parents, and managing to hold it together when chaos reigned around her! She is the best soccer mum coach I've seen!

Ciao for Now, I'd be a crappy coach Angry Dad.