You know the saying, if you build it, they will come? It was more if you are coaching, they will come. One by one. Parents and their children walked down the concrete steps leading to the stadium field. Spread out in all four corners, coaches held signs with their team’s name and age group. A stampede broke loose as kids ran in excitement to new and familiar faces. Here at this moment, a transformation was happening. The creation of a bond between player and coach.
A Day of Smiles, Laughter, and Happiness
It was a cold early morning, but it wasn’t the sun that was going to be warming up the day. This past Saturday, the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club held their Meet & Greet at Baily Road Park located in Cornelius, North Carolina. This was for all athletes participating in the recreational youth soccer league. This event also gave parents the ability to ask questions pertaining to the upcoming season. The most important question is, what is the significance of the Charlotte Independence Meet & Greet?
To answer this, we must look at what took place prior. During the morning, all coaches took part in a coach’s clinic led by Assistant Technical Director Jamie McLeod from the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association. “This gives our coaches an opportunity for field sessions, so they are preparing for the kids coming into practice next week. Gives them an opportunity to understand how to set up sessions and keep the players engagement up at all points of time”, said Huntersville Program Director Keith Poston. “We are having the Meet & Greet for players and parents who haven’t met their coaches face to face yet. Before getting onto the field next week, this gives them the ability to meet their team, so they don’t feel overwhelmed finding their coach come game day especially if this is their first year playing”.
“I have been playing soccer my whole life, but I never really got the push to try and teach what I learned from growing up playing soccer to other kids”, said first year U5/U6 Kings Head Coach Sal Kaddumi of the Revolution. “What I love about this is the structure and the support that was given to enable me to do that. To take the jump and go and teach and help grow the game but most importantly make sure the kids have fun”.
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