Benefits of Playing Soccer: Enables “To Discover Who You Are” 

You are all fortunate and blessed. You are enjoying and having fun playing soccer on your school team.

Your coaches all have developed unique tools that are necessary and understanding of how to constantly improve as players and as a team:

  • TECHNIQUES AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT
  • PROCESSING ONES EXPERIENCES
  • TEAMWORK and MUTUAL RESPECT
  • THE 3 D’S: DISCOVERY, DISCIPLINE, DEDICATION
  • COUPLED WITH PERSONAL, PRODUCTIVE, PURPOSEFUL 
  • ALONG WITH POSITIVE GROWTH MINDSET

You as a student and an athlete now have a chance to use these tools, processes and understanding. To draw from this essential needed knowledge base that you and your coaches have built together.

To continue the journey/process of Discovering Everything That YOU Are.

                 I call it — Discovering the Possibilities

This essay is about the birth of your awareness of new possibilities. Working and developing together, as you and your teammates discover your natural abilities, new techniques, and new skills, and begin putting to use the gifts you bring to this team, school and community. You are encountering, and will continue to discover, new horizons and exciting unknowns. The get the most out of this time in your life, and all the future times that still await you, it is essential to embrace the joy of discovery. Celebrate your ability to stretch beyond your comfort zones and transform into an even better you.

Challenge your ability to handle the constant need to improve/learn

As a coach I ask: “Is it possible that you are not who you think you are?”

Are you willing to consider the possibility that you might be more than you think you are?

That life itself could be more? 

That each day might open itself up to you, in unexpected ways, and that you have all the power you need to make that happen?

In the spirit of our journey as a team and as a coach, I invite you every day to open yourselves up to the birth of new possibility in your life.

I have learned as a coach, that our ability to care and support each other is ultimately stronger and a greater force for good, then the fear of failure could ever be.  We need to share at times that being uncomfortable is a positive sign of growth, and trust that those around us will cheerlead our efforts and encourage us while we learn

As a coach, I not only want you to be more growth minded. But I also want you to be a carrier and an advocate of that mindset for others.

Be a source of light and hope to your teammates, classmates, and friends. Be somebody others can fail around, because they know you will lift them up, learn, and eventually succeed.

To paraphrase a faith forebear, the arc of the universe is long.

But it ultimately bends towards care and sharing

As potential agents of change, you and I are called to be leaders and examples in this world. 

We are the believers that say “YES!” to the reality and belief that our efforts to develop will yield positive transformation.

We can share our given gifts- by volunteering and contributing in school and in our community.

Let us shine our lights and spread hope, and goodness, wherever we go in the years ahead.

May you work hard to discover and perfect your talents, as you continue to empower yourself to discover a new you every day.

The 3 D’s WE ALL embrace as player and coach/ teacher:

  • Discipline to discover, 
  • Desire to learn the possibilities,
  • Dedication to put them to use

And continue the process to develop more tools from your discoveries to meet future challenges. 

Giving Back

Finally, harness your limitless possibility to bring clarity and sustainable improvements to your life and to others.

Realize that we ourselves are living examples to everyone.

Let us together be about possibility and being growth minded 

Others will learn from our own profound dedication and mutual respect for all, our commitment to fair play, and our dedication to inclusiveness, that we can all move forward together.

Through human caring and wholeness, and by our leadership, we can let everyone know that constant improvement is possible.

You need to continue and be dedicated, determined to improve as a human being, as in soccer. To develop skills and techniques necessary for growth and improvement and apply the same effort in the real world as you do on the field. 

From our combined experiences together, you have and will continue to make a difference.  Your future legacy will be the difference you make. 

And as strong supporter of each other and our long-term friendships from soccer, let’s continue to grow together and make a difference. Be Personal (stay connected), Productive and Purposeful with a Positive attitude, and a growth mindset.

Develop your mind, body and spirit. And every day, let’s continue to create and build who we really are.

Coach Ed Weil

United Soccer Coaches

Coaches provide for the Health/Welfare of their team, by personally Caring for each player, striving to make the experience Fun and share how to Enjoy playing the game of soccer in that order.