Why you should volunteer to coach

By Janis Meredith | Posted 4/19/2017

After being married to a coach for 29 years, I know for a fact that there’s plenty of good reasons not to take a coaching job. Intense parents, long hours and little, if any, pay are just a few of those reasons.

So why bother? Despite these inconveniences, there are still some very compelling reasons to get involved:

1. You love kids. This is basically the bottom line. If you don’t love kids, you should not be coaching.

2. You want to be a good role model. I don’t think coaches fully realize the impact they can have on kids’ lives. It can be huge, and lifelong.

3. You love the game and want kids to love it too. Spread the joy of playing a sport you love.

4. You’ve seen negative and misled coaches and you want to change that. It’s frustrating to watch coaches who don’t know how to motivate, challenge and encourage kids. If you think you can do that, it’s time to help. Instead of complaining, be the change you want to see.

5. You want to show kids that hard work has rewards and can be fun. They are not mutually exclusive.

SEE ALSO: USA Football's Coach Performance Center

6. You want to partner with parents. Having another positive role model in their children’s lives is something most parents want.

7. You love competition. And like most coaches, you love to win, but not to the point of stunting development of young players. Youth sports need coaches who put development of young athletes over winning.

8. You don’t care about the money. A youth sports coach will never make a lot of money, and most of them are volunteers. If you can happily donate a ton of time, then go for it.

9. You want to be part of your child’s youth sports experience. If you’re a dad or mom who wants to coach for the right reasons, then go be part of your child’s world.

Many youth sports coaches are quitting because there’s just too much pressure and not enough support. If you are in it for the right reasons, please stick it out. You are very much needed in the youth sports world.

 

Janis B. Meredith, sports mom and coach’s wife, writes a sports parenting blog called jbmthinks.com. Her latest book 11 Habits for Happy and Positive Sports Parents is on Amazon.

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