Alexis makes the point that coaches should just do what they do best – coach and get kids into the sport!
Great wrapup Huy. Made me feel like i was there!
One thought about your comments about refereeing though.
I strongly disagree with the idea of coaches refereeing. The system is far from perfect but coaches have enough to do already. Most are in charge of minors 24 hours per day 7 days per week, which is challenging enough as it is!
For years there has been talk about how at National Juniors half (or a significant proportion) of the overall budget is spent on referees. I have a huge problem with this. I don’t say don’t pay the referees, i say pay the coaches the same – which will result in a proportional decrease in referee costs.
It is arguable that you can’t play the game without a referee. However it is far clearer the coaches contribute exponentially more to the development of the sport. They are the ones who spend hours each week, 12 months of the year, working for free (except for the lucky ones). Referees contribute and some regularly participate in the sport, but they get paid for it.
The future of this sport in Australia relies on participation and coaches do more to encourage participation than any other group of people involved in the sport. They actively inspire young players to have a lifelong commitment to the sport. Out of the various achievements I’ve had over my years of coaching, it is having achieved this with some individuals that gives me the most satisfaction.
