Colman Noctor: Coaching soccer has changed my view on the value of winning

"Becoming a Premiership footballer is not an aspiration for either of us, so the primary purpose is for him to enjoy the game."

Colman Noctor: "As a children’s soccer coach, I have learned that winning is not everything for children but a nice bonus." Pic: iStock

ANYONE familiar with my column will know I have critical views on the over-competitiveness of children’s sports. I have written about my disdain for the ‘win at all costs’ approach adopted by some organisations. However, my recent experience as a coach of an under-14 soccer team has made me reconsider — I now see the merits of winning.

My involvement with my son’s soccer team was accidental. He started playing at under-10 in 2019, and I attended his training sessions as a parent. I stayed around for the sessions simply because we lived too far away to make going home impractical. In the second season, his head coach asked if I wouldn’t mind ‘helping out’. I explained at the time that soccer was ‘not my sport’ and that most of my playing days were spent on a rugby field.