教练是前欧洲某俱乐部职业球员，执教校队教练17年，多次获得州冠军。我觉得这封信对家长怎样正确引导孩子参加竞技体育有积极作用，想和坛子里的家长分享，共勉。
Dear Parents and Players,
First and foremost, I want to thank you for your dedication—both in playing for and supporting the team. The more we give of ourselves through volunteering, working hard, sweating, running, and even bleeding for this team, the more we ensure a positive season, no matter the final result.
I am incredibly proud of our history over the past 17 years at aaa High School. During that time, I’ve had the privilege of meeting many wonderful young men and terrific parents. I take great pride in the fact that this school consistently outworks its opponents, behaves better, and lets our feet do the talking, and carries itself with class—both on and off the pitch. Not surprisingly this often leads to good results both on and off the pitch.
Overall, that has certainly been the case this year, and I’m very pleased with how our players and parents have conducted themselves.
Like many in , it's easy to point fingers when things go wrong—the referee, the field, the opposing coach, or the weather. But I believe it’s extremely inappropriate to teach young men that if they don’t win or succeed, the blame lies elsewhere. Personally, I avoid people who live in that “excuse culture.” Life is too short for that.
I have my share of failings and could probably write a book with many chapters on the ways I’m not perfect. However, one area where I will not lower the bar is on or around a soccer pitch. Football has been both kind and cruel to me—but overall, it brought me to this wonderful country, and I chose to make it my home. I’m not here to preach from a pulpit, but I do want to touch on a few topics that are important to me. And yes, another of my failings is my written English skills—so please accept my apologies for any errors.
These boys—whether they play 80 minutes or none—are all important to me. Every single one. Naturally, I gravitate toward hard-working, well-behaved people (as most of us do), and I believe that represents the majority of the lads on this team. Of course, everyone has off days—they’re still kids, and we grow together. That said, I do have firm expectations when we play matches. We are representing not just ourselves, but our parents, our school, our community, our history, and our future.
We will behave the right way—on the pitch and in the stands. There will be absolutely no disrespect toward officials, no matter how much we disagree with a decision. I will not allow young men under my watch to be rude to referees. The referee’s decision is final—no moaning, no arguing. Let your feet do the talking on the next play.
Referees see the game from a different physical perspective—they’re in a different position than we are (completely different view) . Emotionally, they are engaged in the game, making numerous rapid difficult decisions, often under pressure from coaches and fans (not here, thankfully). And they’re doing all this while running 3–6 miles a game—after a full day of work and managing their own personal lives. Just because they earn a few bucks doesn’t give anyone the right to berate them.
We’ll get further by respecting their decisions and playing our best. I encourage parents to focus on their own child’s performance: their work rate, decision-making on and off the ball, tenacity, technical skills, and more.
Only my captains should speak to the referee. They will do so respectfully and if not, they lose their armband. If there’s a major issue, I’ll always step in to defend my players/team. We will not taunt opponents or over-celebrate goals. Running to the corner flag, jumping off the bench—it’s comical. Celebrate like we’ve done it before and will do it again. Class always—in defeat and in victory. If other schools behave poorly, that’s on them. We won’t sink to that level.
Parents—please don’t criticize your own son (and especially not others). Support the team. Your son may be embarrassed to hear you cheer his name, but if they heard 30 parents chanting “Let’s go aaa!” or “Go aaa!” they’d carry that memory forever, in a good way. And please, never chastise a referee or an opponent. Imagine if a stranger shouted harsh words at your child. If someone did that to mine—it wouldn’t end well.
Football is demanding—physically and mentally. Your son will get fouled. Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes it’s accidental. It’s part of the game. If I see a truly dangerous player on the other team, I’ll protect our boys. I understand the game—not as some old man with glasses—but as someone who played at a high level long before I ever stood on the sidelines. I still miss it. I miss the competition, the exhaustion after a hard match, the banter, the camaraderie. But that time has passed. This is their team now. Not mine, not yours—theirs.
Maybe a few folks in the stands weren’t regulars, but I was disappointed by some of the negative and rude comments I heard—from referee complaints to insults toward players. If that came from someone in our group, please know—I don’t want apologies. It must STOP, I want everyone to feel empowered to remind others to act the right way. If anyone associated with this team misbehaves, it will be me—not my players or their families.
We have a great group of young men—of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities. We are becoming a true team, and if we bring our best every day, we have a chance to achieve something special. There are no guarantees, and that’s the beauty of sport—and of life.
Please stay positive from this point forward. Be classy, always—whether we’re winning or losing. And never, ever give up.
This email has been sent because It is not the majority, I am just demanding this stop now. I am very proud of aaa High School and the communities contribution to our community.
Have a wonderful weekend and thank you!
My best,
