Sensational Soccer Season!

We are a little more than halfway through Henry's third year of soccer and it is finally getting to be fun!  The first year he played, he was only four.  He said he wanted to do it, so we signed him up.  He spent most practices jumping on his coach's back for a piggy back ride and most games running around the sidelines and complaining about having to get in the game.  He only played in the fall of that year because I didn't have the energy to try the Spring.

The next year was a little better, but he was still more interested in what was going on with Benjamin on the sidelines than he was in the game.  The fall of that year he had a great coach who made the game fun and he made good progress.  The spring of that year was a different story. The soccer club decided to make teeny tiny teams with 6 kids on them, so the kids could get more play time!  Ummm...what happens when two kids are regularly missing from games??  Crankiness, that's what!! We also had some real @$$hole parents on the team.  Like the time two of the dad's confronted Ken after a practice about this being a "critical year for skill development" for their five year olds!  Well, then why don't you coach the team!?!?

Anyway, as I said, we are over half way through with this season and we are all having a great time this year!  Henry enjoys going in to play.  He runs after the ball. He {mostly} understands spreading out and passing.  His coach this year is AWESOME!!  After one game, a kid asked if our team had won.  Coach reminded him that we weren't keeping score.  Then he asked, "Did you have a good time?"  When the kid responded affirmatively, then Coach said, "If you had a good time, then we won!"

It's fun to see the skill development coming naturally through practices and games.  Other than the not-so-great idea of tiny teams, this soccer club really seems to have player development at the core of what they do.  At the younger age, the guidelines focus on having fun and learning team work and ball control.  It's fun to see Ken out kicking the ball around with the kids and having a good time before and after games.  And Benjamin looks like he's got the soccer bug, so I guess I know what he'll be doing next year!