It's OK for youth football parents to be nervous for opening day

By Peter Schwartz | Posted 9/5/2017

The same thing happens at this time every year.

Its opening week for youth football, and my son Bradley’s team will play its first game of the season Sunday. His equipment bag is all set to go with his helmet that Riddell re-certified, a brand new set of shoulder pads, an extra mouth guard, towel, eye black, and of course a football. After a minicamp and a month-long training camp, Bradley and his teammates are ready to go, but there’s a bigger question.

Are the parents ready?

I ask that question because the kids aren’t the only ones with opening day jitters. Those emotions also apply to youth football parents. My wife, Sheryl, and I have seven years of proof. Sure, our child’s safety is the primary concern, but there are so many more reasons to be nervous or apprehensive as the new season starts.

As a parent, you also worry about some mundane things like the uniform. Did you order the right size? You know what you put down on the registration form, but until you get the jerseys and pants, there’s a reason why you hold your breath. You don’t want something to be wrong. Did the program order the right size? Did they spell the name correctly on the jersey? Is the number correct?

A big concern every year is how your child gets along with the other kids on the team. Bradley has been fortunate to have played basically with the same group of kids, but each year, there are always a handful of new teammates and the hope is that everyone gets along as well as possible. At any level of football, not every kid on a team is buddy-buddy with all of their teammates, but you certainly want harmony when it comes to practices and games.

How your child gets along with the coach is always on the minds of parents, especially if this is your first experience with youth football or there is a different coach. Adjusting to a new coach can be tough, so my wife and I are fortunate that Bradley is entering his fifth year with a coaching staff that he likes. 

Another huge issue for parents, especially if you’re first-timers, is the subject of playing time. If it’s been an issue in the past, you hope the situation rectifies itself and your child gets ample playing time. No parent wants to sit on the bleachers for a couple of hours to see your kid only get a handful of plays, or in some cases, doesn’t even get into the game at all. From past experience, it’s not very pleasant, and the only thing you can do is discuss it with your child’s coach and perhaps the program’s administrator.

If your child is playing youth tackle football for the first time, the jitters are understandably more intense than that of a youth football parent with experience. You’ve heard the stories about injuries and you’ve heard the comments and concerns from family members and friends. You wonder if you’ve made the right decision in allowing your child to play, but the biggest reason your kid is on the field this week is because the child loves football and really wants to play.  

That’s what your fallback emotion has to be … the fact that your child wants to be on the field.

My wife and I have seen just about everything, good and bad, over Bradley’s first seven seasons of youth football. If a situation could take place, on or off the field, we’ve probably experienced it or seen it. But this year, we’re going through some that we haven’t experienced before, and it certainly adds to the opening week jitters.

After seven years with one program, Bradley is now with a new program. He’s playing for the same coach and has many of the same teammates that came over from the old team, but the team name is new, the jerseys will look different, and there’s just an exciting but also nervous feeling about it. There are so many questions. How will Bradley adjust to a new program? Will the kids that came over from the old program get along with their new teammates? How will all the parents co-exist, not only with each other, but with the coaches and administrators?

These are all common and understandable feelings for a parent. Youth football players are certainly getting pumped up for their first game of the season, but the parents are also feeling the emotions for the start of a new season. Just remember to hug your kid before the game and make sure they’re good to go, cheer on your child and his teammates throughout the game, and greet your child with a smile, win, lose or draw, after the game.

Keep calm. It’s only football season!

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