The role of a youth soccer coach can be so powerful and important, SoccerNationNews asked two world class soccer legends Shannon MacMillan and Paul Caliguiri - both of whom represented the USA in the World Cup and the Olympics - to share their opinion on the role of being a coach. The Role of Being a Coach is a new series of conversations with landmark coaches on the impact of their role in the beautiful game.
SNN: What does being a coach mean to you?
Paul Caligiuri: Being a soccer coach is a privilege and a great responsibility.
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| Shannon MacMillan |
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| Paul Caligiuri waving with Thomas Dooley from the bench @ the USA vs Mexico Legends Game at the Home Depot Center, April 2012. USA Shutout Mexico 2-0. |
Shannon MacMillan: It is a great responsibility to be a coach. Parents are putting their trust in you to help their children, which is something I do not take lightly.
Paul Caligiuri: Youth soccer coaches have an important role to positively impact the development of young soccer players in their overall soccer experience.
As a coach, it is important to be a solid role model for our players. The way we conduct ourselves has a huge influence.
SNN: What is the importance of being a soccer coach?
Shannon MacMillan: The importance of a soccer coach is to be a teacher. We have an amazing opportunity to help educate our players, not just on the field but also as young people. There are so many life lessons that can be extracted from participating in team sports.
Paul Caligiuri: The important that soccer coaches always look for ways to improve. For instance, coaches should always strive to be the best possible communicators. It is important to have integrity, and to be open and honest with players and parents.
SNN: What is the responsibility of a coach?
Paul Caligiuri: A coach's responsibility extends beyond just the playing field. Soccer coaches are teachers, and the soccer field is the classroom. Players need feedback. One method to be a successful coach, is to provide players with a pre-season individual and team goal, then follow up with a mid-season report, and finally, at the end of the season an evaluation.
In terms of development, it is important to keep in mind that although soccer is a team sport, the team is made up of individual players and it is a coach’s responsibility to be available to answer questions from players and parents, and to promote open communication.
Shannon MacMillan: The responsibility of a coach is to find a way to reach all of their players. Every player is different and is motivated differently. A great coach can really find a way to motivate each individual player as well as the whole team.
Paul Caligiuri: The best coach's are those that put more time into the game off the field than on the field.
SNN: Any final thoughts to share?
Shannon MacMillan: The game of soccer has been incredibly gracious to me throughout my career so I felt it was important to be able to give back to the game. I want to be able to share my experiences, both positive and negative, and help my players reach their full potential and enhance their love for the game.
Paul Caligiuri: Through all my years in coaching, being a part of various Soccer Development Committees, and through my travels across the USA, players’ technical (skill) development is in great demand – especially for players U15 and older.
U.S. youth soccer players still remain technically behind other countries in comparisons to the global soccer powers, and with the lack of any such technical developmental initiatives, this gap will continue to increase. The fact that U.S. youth soccer players are technically behind hinders the implementation of the tactical part of the game.
Therefore, I encourage all players to practice on their skills on a regular basis in order reach their potential and to become a more creative soccer player on the field.
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