Imagine if you will...

There have been multiple requests made to re-post this article. I am honoring those requests because the points of emphasis contained within are worthy of being reviewed again.


I have been coaching various sports for nearly 30 years now. Sometimes I wonder why I have stuck with it but mostly I enjoy working with players. To be witness to individuals developing their talent and combining it with others to form a team can be a wonderful experience. There is a process to it all and it never seems to grow old.

As a coach I want to see consistency in performance from the players I work with. Since I demand consistency from them I believe they deserve consistency from me. When we are able to combine consistency with continuous and constant improvement, good things happen for everyone involved. Sometimes things work out better than others but generally progress is made, experienced gained, a little something about life is learned.




Athletics brings out the very best, and the very worst in people. We all love the success stories based on how an athlete or team overcomes adversity to win the big game. We also revel in the smaller successes of simply reaching a preset goal for performance regardless of outcome. We participate because of a passion for the game. Our spirits soar in pursuit of success. Our hearts sometimes break when we come up a bit short. This is what sports are all about.

Coaches coach.

Players play.

Referees referee.

Spectators spectate.

It would seem that each of us has a role to fill. Each of us has a responsibility to the game. I have been fortunate to have seen the game of soccer from all four perspectives this year. That is, I coach my youngest son’s club team. I have participated in a game-like situations. I have refereed and I have watched as my son played high school soccer. Somewhere along the way a couple of thoughts entered my mind – why do spectators constantly yell at officials, coaches and sometimes even the players? And why is it no one ever yells at spectators?

I seldom sit amongst other parents at athletic contests because I do not tolerate uninformed criticism being directed at people giving their best effort doing something they love to do. Spectators yell at the referee’s constantly and often times with such disrespect that it is little wonder many sports face a shortage of officials. Referee’s take courses and must be recertified on a regular basis to insure they are knowledgeable and qualified to interpret the rules and manage a game. Yet according to some fans they know so little about the sport they are refereeing that it is the greatest of unsolved mysteries that anyone allowed them to purchase a whistle let alone pays them to officiate.

And if referees are the primary target of fans ire then coaches are often an extremely close second. These are people that have often dedicated themselves to becoming experts in their chosen field yet it seems the stands and sidelines are filled with people that know far more about the sport in question than the coach does. Coaches have to listen to the verbal barrage that insults his intelligence, his character and his heritage all the while trying to do his job. How would you feel if someone stood looking over your shoulder at your place of work yelling obscenities that insulted you and everything you hold dear? Do you think you could perform at a peak level?

So it is that I have been pondering what might happen were the coach or referee to chastise spectators for poor spectating? The vision this brings to mind might best be suited to a Hollywood comedic movie but do not lose sight of the point being made - we all have our roles to fulfill and when the lines between those roles become blurred the quality of the product is affected.

We appreciate good teamwork when we see it on the playing field but often fail to recognize the significance of the teamwork required to have a quality soccer match. That's right, a soccer match is a team activity in a much broader sense than the two teams competing against one another on the field of play. Players, coaches, referee's and spectaors are all on the same team with each holding specific responsibilities in honoring the game and making it a quality experience for all involved.

Do your part to the best of your ability and appreciate the effort put forth by all others involved in the process. We are all part of the same team and Together Everyone Achieves More.