A Preseason Reminder For Parents, Coaches, And Everyone On The Sideline
There is a drum I have beaten before.
It is one that shows up in almost every coaching license, diploma course, and serious conversation about player development. It is also one built from thousands of games watched over the past 20 years.
And as we begin a new season, it is a drum I feel the need to beat again.
Louder than ever.
Soccer is a player’s game.
It is a game of scanning, reading, perceiving, deciding, adjusting, and solving problems in real time. Every match asks players to make hundreds of decisions. Some are big. Some are small. Some happen on the ball. Most happen before the ball ever arrives.
Where should I move?
Can I turn?
Is there pressure?
Should I pass, dribble, shoot, or protect the ball?
Can I step?
Should I drop?
Where is the space?
Where is the danger?
These decisions are not extra pieces of the game.
They are the game.
At Cleveland Futbol Club, we want to develop players who can think, adapt, compete, and solve problems. That does not happen if every decision is shouted to them from the sideline.
Players Learn By Making Decisions
As coaches grow in their understanding of the game, one truth becomes clearer and clearer:
Players like making decisions.
They enjoy solving problems. They want to test themselves. They want to figure out what works, what does not, and what the game is asking of them.
And they are uniquely equipped to do so.
A player on the field understands things no one else can fully understand in that moment. They know their body position. They feel their balance. They sense the defender nearby. They know how the ball is arriving. They see the angle of pressure. They understand, in real time, what they believe they can execute.
At any given moment, a player occupies one specific place on the field.
One blade of grass.
One problem.
One decision.
No parent, coach, or spectator can fully step inside that player’s body and experience the game exactly as they do. We can guide. We can teach. We can prepare. We can support. But once the game is moving, the player has to play.
That is where learning happens.
Each decision becomes part of their development. Every choice gives them information. Every mistake offers feedback. Every successful solution builds confidence.
If we take those decisions away, we take away a major part of their growth.
The Sideline Can Help Or Hurt
This is where the sideline matters.
A positive sideline can give players energy, encouragement, and confidence.
A noisy, instructional, emotional sideline can create confusion.
Too often, players are trying to solve a live soccer problem while multiple adults shout directions at them:
Shoot.
Pass.
Dribble.
Clear it.
Take them on.
Send it.
Get rid of it.
Go forward.
Drop.
Step.
Run.
Why didn’t you pass?
Now imagine that same player is also trying to listen to their coach, understand the team’s game model, manage pressure from an opponent, and make a decision in less than a second.
That is not support.
That is interference.
A player cannot think clearly when adults are constantly trying to think for them.
The Classroom Example
Think of it this way.
Imagine your child is in school, working through a math problem. They are trying to understand the process, test an idea, make a mistake, and learn how to solve it.
Now imagine adults standing around the classroom shouting answers.
“Carry the one!”
“No, divide first!”
“That’s wrong!”
“Hurry up!”
“Why didn’t you do it this way?”
Would that help your child learn?
Probably not.
It might help them get one answer in the moment, but it would not help them understand the process. It would not build confidence. It would not teach them how to solve the next problem on their own.
Soccer works the same way.
If we constantly give players the answers, we may feel like we are helping in the moment. But over time, we can prevent them from learning how to read the game for themselves.
Development Over Control
This is not about silence.
We want passion. We want energy. We want families who care. We want players to feel supported.
But support and control are not the same thing.
Encouragement sounds like:
Great effort.
Keep working.
Next play.
You’ve got this.
Good idea.
Stay with it.
We believe in you.
Control sounds like:
Pass there.
Shoot now.
Dribble left.
Clear it.
Why did you do that?
Don’t lose it.
Go, go, go.
One builds confidence.
The other often creates hesitation, stress, and confusion.
As a club, we want our players to become brave decision-makers. That means they need room to make decisions, even imperfect ones.
Especially imperfect ones.
Development is not clean. It is not linear. It is not always pretty from the sideline. Players will make mistakes. They will choose the wrong pass. They will dribble when they should pass. They will pass when they could turn. They will hesitate. They will learn.
That is part of the process.
The Coach’s Role And The Parent’s Role
Coaches are responsible for teaching the game.
That teaching happens during training, in team meetings, through halftime adjustments, through guided questions, through reflection, and through the long-term development plan for the team.
Parents are responsible for supporting the player.
That support matters deeply.
A parent’s voice can either settle a player or tighten them up. It can either help them recover from mistakes or make them fear the next one. It can either reinforce confidence or make the game feel heavier than it needs to be.
The best parent sideline gives players permission to play.
The best parent sideline lets the coach coach, lets the referee referee, and lets the player play.
That is not always easy. We all care. We all see things. We all want the players to succeed.
But caring does not mean controlling every moment.
Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is step back and let the player solve the game.
Questions Worth Asking Before The Season
As we begin this season, I would ask every parent and coach to honestly reflect on a few questions:
Do we value our players’ ability to think, reason, and solve problems?
Do we recognize that soccer requires players to make hundreds of decisions every match?
Are we helping players learn the game, or are we trying to play it for them from the sideline?
If our child was solving a problem in school, would we want adults screaming answers at them?
What matters more in this moment: the long-term growth of the player or the immediate result?
How much do we truly know about what the player sees, feels, and experiences in that exact second?
Are our instructions aligned with the coach’s message, team model, and developmental goals?
Are we creating confidence, or are we creating fear of mistakes?
These are not always comfortable questions.
But they are important ones.
What We Are Asking This Season
This season, we are asking our families to help us create the right environment.
Let the players think.
Let the players decide.
Let the players make mistakes.
Let the players solve problems.
Let the players grow.
Cheer for effort. Encourage bravery. Support the team. Celebrate good ideas, not just successful outcomes. Help players move on from mistakes instead of living inside them.
When the game is over, resist the urge to turn the car ride home into a tactical breakdown.
Start with something simple:
“I loved watching you play.”
That sentence goes further than most people realize.
There will be time for learning. There will be time for reflection. There will be time for coaching.
But on game day, in the flow of the match, the players need the freedom to play.
Final Thought
Soccer belongs to the players.
Not because coaches do not matter. They do.
Not because parents do not matter. They absolutely do.
But because when the whistle blows and the ball rolls, the game asks the player to see, think, decide, and act.
That is where development lives.
At Cleveland Futbol Club, we are committed to building players who understand the game, love the game, and grow through the game. That requires an environment where players are trusted to make decisions.
So as we begin this season, let’s make a pledge together.
Let’s be positive from the sideline.
Let’s support without controlling.
Let’s trust the process.
Let’s give players room to learn.
Let them think.
Let them decide.
Let them grow.