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Volunteer Coaches |
Recreational sign-ups are just around the corner (April 26 & 29), and team
formation will take place soon thereafter. Each year, almost 1200 players
sign up to play on over 100 teams across age divisions from U7 – U19. With
100+ teams comes the need for 100+ coaches.
Coaching is a blessing and a challenge. Many who do it find themselves out
on the field, every season, year after year; purely for the joy of working
with kids and offering lessons in sports and in life that each child will
remember for years to come. There are coaches who played collegiate and even
professional soccer, and there are coaches that don’t know which end of the
ball goes up (Hint: its round so it probably doesn’t matter). Whatever the
background, it is our love for children that gets passed on as much as our
knowledge of the game.
Mill Valley is blessed with a base of parents where volunteering is a part
of daily life. We help out in schools, we help out in civic and sports
organizations, and we help out in innumerable ways that go undocumented and
unrecognized. Fortunately, when you’re coaching, we know who to thank and
who deserves that gift certificate to the Buckeye at the end of the season.
Mill Valley Soccer Club is one of the only sports clubs in Mill Valley that
does not have a mandatory volunteer policy, nor a cash out option for
volunteering. We don’t require you to sign up for a role during the season
and we don’t require a $25 check to free you of your obligation to help out.
Nonetheless, we need your help!
Every year, as we form teams, we have enough players to form more teams than
we have coaches. On average, 80% of our coaches willingly sign up to mentor
our children through a 3 month season, sacrificing their time and energy for
the joy of watching kids play and learn under their guidance. That leaves 20
slots unfilled; 20 teams without a leader. The majority of these openings
are in our youngest age groups (U7-U9), an age when kind, mature parental
supervision is far more important than understanding the off-side rule. If
we don’t have enough coaches, some children won’t be able to play. That
means that every year your child’s Age Group Coordinator is pounding the
pavement, working the phones, and blasting the emails to try and find those
one or two extra people needed so that every child has a team.
“But I’ve never coached before!” you plead as our Director of Development,
Rick Fullerton, approaches with his clipboard. Each year, the Club conducts
extensive coaching development programs. These include coach certification
courses, weekly skills clinics, rules overview seminars, and more. We also
provide professional coaching assistance to any team that requests it
through the course of the season. In short, we try to offer every resource
at our disposal to make your first coaching experience a positive one for
both you and your team.
What’s more, you don’t have to go it alone. Sign up with a friend, or even
with your spouse (yes, we have one husband & wife team and their marriage
survived the season). Together you can spread the load, balance your time,
and have a blast in the process. Trust me, if you’re having fun so will the
kids, regardless of how much soccer you think you know.
This year, if you’ve ever given thought to coaching, sign up during your
child’s registration process. If you have doubts, talk to your AGC, Rick
Fullerton, or myself during registration. We’ll be sitting behind the
“Coaching Volunteer” table. Better yet, talk to your child’s coach from last
year, and learn what rewards await you out on the field.
If you have an interest in coaching this fall season and would like to learn
more, please contact me at jonbontz@yahoo.com.
Jon Bontz
Director of Recreational Soccer |
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