Feet of Dreams is about coaching soccer on two continents. It is the embodiment of the experiences of one man's desire to teach the game of soccer - sharing his life, time, skills in developing a new generation of soccer players. On one continent, the game requires no grass, no shoes but only pure passion and pleasure. Footballs are made from anything from clothes to old bags and bollards for goal posts. On another continent it is easy to recognize that the brand of soccer involves wealth and privilege. While it's often ...
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Feet of Dreams is about coaching soccer on two continents. It is the embodiment of the experiences of one man's desire to teach the game of soccer - sharing his life, time, skills in developing a new generation of soccer players. On one continent, the game requires no grass, no shoes but only pure passion and pleasure. Footballs are made from anything from clothes to old bags and bollards for goal posts. On another continent it is easy to recognize that the brand of soccer involves wealth and privilege. While it's often said that all the sport requires is a ball, in reality, the road to becoming a professional soccer player costs a lot of money. Throughout childhood, each season's cleats, gear, and uniforms have to be paid for, as do leagues, tournaments, travel, meals, and manicured fields. As children get older, annual summer soccer camps require significant investments. It is a sharp contrast of plenty and poverty. But it is the same game with the same demands on the coach. As a coach you guide your players through the trials and tribulations of learning two beautiful games: sport and life. You are in a position to change the lives of your players forever, not only by making them better athletes, but better people. You are a leader, you are a role model, you are a person who serves your athletes, and you are a person to whom they entrust their physical and emotional well-being. This is a responsibility not be taken lightly! Coaching is not just running a bunch of drills or organizing young players for a game. It is connecting with your players first as human beings and athletes. It is about empathy, integrity and consistency for young people during good and bad times. It is about modeling behaviors that you expect from your athletes on and off the soccer pitch. Soccer is a sport whose time has come. It's the sport of this generation and generations to come. And for those involve in teaching young people to play this beautiful game it is important to know that you are not raising only world class athletes although we do encourage our boys to follow their dreams. You are raising men, men who work hard and play fair, men who learn from his mistakes and always perseveres, men who encourages others and show compassion and shares grace. You are teaching life and how to live it through a game that has brought so many joys to millions across the globe. Along the way, I share my reflections about my first day as a coach, the soccer and soccer concept, thoughts on "the beautiful game," addressing parental issues, the rich kid game, embracing diversity, my first championship season and the opening of my non-profit organization, Feet of Dreams, and how I became a father and ended up a coach. As an Under 16 and 19 volunteer Coach with Alexandria Soccer Association, I have learnt so much from my team, and I am honored to be able to offer my own experiences and understanding in return. In short Feet of Dreams is a tribute to the game of soccer and hope that our young people- win or lose- will learn to respect themselves, their teammates, their opponents and officials and organization that make the sport experience possible. And as adults, how we define the game changes, but we hope the game of soccer teaches all of us to win and lose with dignity and respect.
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