I’m the manager and coach of a parent run club. We started the club from scratch last May and have just finished our first season.
We were unhappy as parents with how the previous manager, coach and club was run so we set up ours for our children to stay together and enjoy football! Our age group by the way is under 10’s.
We had an end of season meeting on Thursday to discuss plans for the future and our presentation night. We decided on the usual managers, parents and players player awards.
Discussions led to most improved and clubman. One thrown in to the mix was Top Goalscorer. There was a mixed reaction as it was seen as a trophy that not every single player was capable of winning.
There are only 4 or 5 maximum in a team of 11 who’d stand a chance of winning and it would go against the club’s philosophy of being a team.
There are no individuals. The team scores not the individual.
After getting a show of votes today to confirm 6 we’re against for the reasons mentioned and 5 for. This has led to abusive texts and threats from a parent whom believes his son has earned the trophy and if the club don’t give it him he’ll not turn up to the presentation and also leave the club.
My assistant has also backed this behaviour and comments from the parent.
I’ve since quit because of this. I’m appalled that I’ve personally been lambasted and blackmailed by a parent.
I’d like you to put this out to people. Let’s see how they see it. Week after week we train and encourage passing, to work together and that most importantly that they are a team not a bunch of individuals. It’s not about winning it’s about enjoying football.
They are just 9 and 10 year olds. Do certain trophies encourage individualism and isolate certain team players from being able to win them?
What do you think?
