Navigating the coach-parent relationship isn’t about avoiding conflict. It’s about building trust, setting clear boundaries, and keeping the focus where it belongs: on the player’s experience. Parents and coaches don’t need to be best friends, but they do need to be allies.

The Starting Point When I first started coaching, I thought the biggest difference-makers were tactics, technique, and fitness. If a...

As a coach, a parent, and someone deeply invested in youth soccer, I’ve spent countless hours wondering what truly shapes a great player. Is it their technique? Their understanding of tactics? Their speed? Or their mindset? The truth is—it’s all of it.