Responsible Coaching

Responsible Sport Parenting

Join The Responsible Sports Dialog

The Responsible Coaching Awards

Community Grants

2007 Community Grant Winners

About Liberty Mutual

Your son, as goalkeeper, surrenders the goal that eliminates his U-14 team from an important tournament.

What do you say to him after the game?

Responsible Conversation Examples

Consider this scenario...What would you do?

Midway through her soccer season, your daughter has played in the defense and has done a pretty good job of it in every game. But she is frustrated that her coach keeps her at that position instead of letting her play up front. She has worked hard on her skills, and you have seen her improve greatly. Your daughter tells you she may quit soccer unless her coach gives her a chance. What do you do?

Here are some fellow parents' responses:

"My daughter is 16, and I think that the best thing to do in this case would be to have her talk with her coach about this. Her coach may not even know she's feeling frustrated and wants to try a new position. I'd wait to see what the coach did after this conversation before intervening myself."
     - Jeremy, parent of a 16-yr-old, Alexandria, VA

"I'm a firm believer that you have to earn what you get in this world. Unless I am convinced that my daughter is getting a raw deal or that the coach really doesn't know soccer, then my daughter will just have to address the matter by playing harder and better."
     - David, parents of kids 10 and 15, Fargo, ND

"I have a 7-yr-old, and especially at younger ages, it's important that all players get a chance to play all positions, and parents have to be ready to stick up for that principle. I think I'd talk to the coach in private about this."
     - Cynthia, parent of kids 7, 12, and 15, Beaverton, OR

"I'd call or e-mail the coach to ask if we could meet in private to discuss it. Ideally I'd be there with my daughter. I think it's important to ask what she has to do to get a chance to play on the forward line. That way she should get some specific feedback from the coach about what she has to do to get into the offense. Or, she might hear from the coach why that is not part of her strategy for the team."
     - Juan, parent of kids 8 and 11, Orlando, FL

"First I'd ask my daughter if she had brought this up with her coach. If she says, "no," then I'd tell her that has to be the first step. Too many parents jump into these situations too soon, and they don't let their kids learn how to deal with this sort of things on their own.
     - Val, parent of kids 10 and 12, Foster City, CA

Next » What Is A Responsible Coach?