Philip Ward points out the 5 sideline behaviors that soccer parents should avoid at all costs.

1. SIDELINE
HAZARDS
5 Behaviors for Soccer Parents to Avoid
PHILIP WARD SEATTLE

2. ARE YOU A MONSTER
SOCCER PARENT?
Despite your good intentions, your furious attempts to “help” your
child achieve during their big game might actually be damaging their
love for the sport, as well as their confidence in themselves. Moreover,
a too-engaged, angry parent has the potential to tank team morale,
and foster ill-will among coaches and parents.Youth soccer can be a
wonderful environment for young athlete to grow as skilled athletes
and confident team members – but only if parents leave the
instructing to the coach, and remain sources of support for their
players.
Here are a few tips on how to stay supportive on the sidelines, and
avoid becoming that parent on the field.

3. You aren’t the coach. It might feel good
to shout guidances from the sideline,
but your yelled suggestions can distract
and stress your child. You aren’t the
coach – so stop instructing from the
sidelines! Stick with supportive, positive
cheers – and if you find yourself
standing at the edge of the sidelines,
screaming instructions and feedback at
your child as they play, take a step back.
If your suggestions conflicts with the
coach’s plan, you’ll not only undermine
the coach, but also cause your child
stress as they decide which authority to
follow.
STAY CALM ON THE SIDELINES.

4. You might be eager to dissect that
missed goal after halftime, but your
tired player probably won’t be. Good
coaches will provide your child with
constructive criticism once the game
ends, so your comments will only make
them feel worse about what they see as
mistakes. Be supportive! Tell your child
that you enjoyed watching them play,
and then turn the subject to something
else. If your player wants to analyze the
game with you, they can raise the
subject themselves.
QUIT THE POST-GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY.

5. At the end of the day, soccer is a team
sport that offers young athletes a chance
to learn how to be part of a positive,
productive team environment. If you
march over to the coach and demand
that your child be given more time, or
yell for a ref to rethink what you see as a
bad call, you’re undermining that team
and detracting from your child’s
experience. Moreover, your loud actions
will probably embarrass your child in
front of their teammates and slow down
the game.
DON’T ARGUE WITH THE REF.

6. Be encouraging after every game, even if
it doesn’t go as you hoped it would. Find
positive observations to share with your
child about their performance, and
support them through the wins and
losses. Your child will weather losses
better, and will be able to move forward
towards improvement without fearing
failure.
STAY POSITIVE.

7. Your child loves soccer, and you want
them to have the best possible
experience. That’s the reason you hop
out of bed on those too-early mornings;
why you work so hard to make sure that
your child makes it onto the field at
every game. You care – and your child
knows it. But sometimes, a quick check-
in with your child can do wonders for
your team efforts.
CHECK IN WITH YOUR CHILD.

8. Ask your child what they want out of the
experience. Is it competitive for them? Do
they want to get the most goals and play
the best games? Or do they just want to
play for the fun of it, with the teammates
they already know and enjoy playing with?
Figure out what your child wants out of
the sport, and you’ll be able to make sure
that they have the best possible
experience!

9. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
TIME.
For more of Philip's work, visit
PhilipWardSeattle.org