skip navigation

Friendly Reminder

By LMS, 06/06/22, 3:30PM EDT

Share

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO COACHES, PLAYERS AND SPECTATORS

As we have reached the half way point of our 2022 house league season, it is important for players, coaches and spectators to reflect on the fact that we are an organization that preaches fun and sportsmanship at the recreational level. LMS hopes that all players develop their soccer skills while understanding that winning is not the only goal.

Spectators can do their their part by cheering in a positive manner. In fact, if spectators cheered for all players on both teams, they would set a positive tone that the young players would build on. All players would hear positive cheering and develop their confidence in a welcoming and positive environment.

Coaches can teach their players to improve their individual soccer skills and understand the positions on the field. At the same time, they have an opportunity to teach young players compassion for their opponent. I applaud the coaches who are already doing this by putting their best scorer on defense, telling players to make 5 passes before trying to score or teaching them to help up an opponent who may have fallen.

Players can quickly determine if they are faster or slower than others or if they can kick the ball further or harder, but can they keep things in perspective? Do they see that a 4-0 win is just as good as a 9-0 win, except the 9-0 win demoralizes their opponents? That is our job as adults to teach them! As players get older and begin to better understand the game of soccer, we would hope, as adults and role models, that these young players have not only improved their skills, but increased their compassion and respect for all players, coaches, spectators, officials and the game of recreational soccer. These are qualities of good citizenship on and off the field that I hope we want for everyone!

Let's continue to move forward in this goal as we play through the month of June and head toward our June 26 Windup Day! Thank you to all for doing your part, especially those parents who were brave enough to send emails to LMS to express this very point!

Yours In Sport

LMS