The Sad End of the Forest Glade U10 Tigers

After an absolutely amazing 4 years of managing and coaching the Forest Glade Tigers which Brandon played for, the team has finally folded. It has been one of the more difficult decisions I have had to make as the boys have come such a long way and developed so much in the last 4 years. There have been some absolutely fabulous memories and some good friendships made which we will never forget.

With the forthcoming change to 9-a-side next season a few parents went in to panic mode wondering whether the team would continue or split up and have decided to leave early resulting in not enough players to field a team. The 6 weeks or so leading up to Xmas were very stressful as there was lots going on with the team and it felt like I was constantly being stabbed in the back and that the parents had no loyalty or support for me. When you consider I coach their children as an unpaid volunteer giving up half of every weekend for their kids when I could be spending time with my own, it was an easy decision to make. 

Finally I am putting being a Dad first and a coach second. For too long Brandon has suffered on the team and his development almost hampered because I never wanted to show favouritism towards him. Well no more, from now on Brandon comes first and hopefully I can stay involved in a coaching role wherever he ends up playing. Currently we are exploring two very good opportunities for him, one is joining the Forest Glade Panthers coached by Dan and the other is a completely new club and joining Essex Royals where a few of his school mates play. 

Telling the parents the team was folding yesterday was one of the hardest things I have done in ages and I really didn't expect it to play out this way as we had such a stable team for so many years. Part of me feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that it is finished whilst the other side of me wants to curl up in a corner somewhere and have a little man cry. As time moves on though I am sure I have made the right decision for myself and my family.

Such a shame that some of the parents started putting too much emphasis on winning instead of it being about kids playing mini soccer, having fun and developing their skills.

The Tigers came such a long way in the 4 years I coached and we had some great memories to share along the way. But all good things come to an end.