Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for this post
My son (A) is three, and I am a nationally licensed soccer coach. So, naturally I want him to play the sport, or at least expose it to him. I tell myself often that if he ever decided that he didn’t want to play anymore I would accept that with grace. Luckily I haven’t had to deal with it yet. Physically strong from the get go he has always been involved in some sort of physical activity (gym class, swimming, etc).
I looked extensively for a program for young kids when I thought he was ready. Which in his case was 2. The first program that I signed him up for was not about the sport or the kids. They had way too many players signed up and way too few helpers, and the person running the program had them waiting in lines!!! Have you ever seen 2 and 3 year olds wait in line? It’s painful for you to watch too!!! To add insult to injury it cost an arm and a leg to join. As a coach this killed me, I was really hoping to have someone else run practices so that I could be “mommy” and not coach.
Thanks to a friend I found St. Francis Squirt Soccer. The program is run by a couple who are parishioners at the local church and love the game. The subscribe to the same basic principles that I do, never turn a kid away if you can help it, try to encourage fun and love of the game and incorporate the basic skills.
This program is limited only by the number of coaches they can find to help out, and everyone helps out. Each parent who dedicates their time to coach means that 10 more kids have a team to play on. For less money than the gas that it takes to get there, your child gets a t-shirt and an hour of fun once a week. They learn basic skills taught with love by parents willing to spend quality with their kids and yours, and you are supplied with cones, goals and a list of fun games to play in case you can’t think of any.
It’s no wonder that there are over 120 kids age 2.5-5 years showing up each Sunday morning at 9 am to play ball, during both the fall and spring months. I am so happy to have found this program for my children and will continue to coach until they age out. As long as the program is running, I will continue to sing its praises and recommend to anyone that I know.
