Coaching the Girls Soccer Team
Girls soccer is an amazing sport. Even though it is more of a boys sport, girls are still allowed to play it because it doesn’t involve any rough or physical activities. Of course there is a difference between coaching girls and coaching boys, as boys are more difficult while girls are sometimes noisier. Soccer is great for girls to play because it does not require them to show who is physically stronger. You do not need to have big muscles to be able to kick a ball straight or far; you really just need the timing and accuracy to be right. Girls need a lot of practice, just like boys, but they may just “catch on” and understand easier than the boys, but this is not always true.
You as the coach have to understand the difference in attitude between the two sexes. Boys might be more defensive while the girls are shy; there are many differences between the sexes that can be linked to soccer. The training sessions have to be hard too. Don’t let the girls get away with working hard because they are girls, they chose to play the sport, and therefore they must be willing to get their hands dirty. While you are training them, determine who would be best at what position. The toughest girl of the lot, the one that sows she is not afraid to get her hands dirty is the one you would want to put as the goal-keeper.
Drill the girls as hard as you would the boys, treat both sexes equally. A girl’s soccer team is not like having a boy’s netball team; soccer is for both sexes where netball suits only girls. Let the girls do warm-ups like the guys do it, but maybe just let them do a little less than the guys, it all depends what your team can handle. Also, during practice let the girls have a friendly match with the boys team, the boys will probably just give them trouble about trying to play a “men’s” sport, but ask the guys is they will help the other team and show them some of their stuff.
Don’t allow your girls to run off the field if it starts to rain! Unless the other team is not willing to play any longer due to the weather conditions. The girls need to learn not to be afraid of a little rain; it makes the game more interesting! If one of your players appear to have an injury, check it out first before just sending her off the field, it might just be a broken nail that she doesn’t need in order to continue the game. If you hear of any arguments going on between your team, sort it out. Girls will be jealous if there is another girl on the team that is better than they are and they will think that they hate each other. To sort this out, let the two “enemies” spend the practice session together, teaching each other.