My eldest daughter plays football. It was a little funny when she announced that she was going to try out for the team because she is 100% and academic her school results are her total obsession even though that is not something we as parents demand at all. Our remarks to both our girls are always, "study and do your best", we are not the "you better get an A or else" type. But this has been her, her whole school career, a few teachers over the years have told us that she is her own worst enemy because she demands too much of herself and over the years I have just had to make peace with the fact that this is part of her personality as hard as it is especially when exams are approaching.
Anyway, she had tried some sports before but was always very cautious, very afraid of getting hurt, afraid of hurting others, a ball would come her way during netball and she would duck down to miss it. So when the news of football came up, I wasn't sure what to expect, but as always my children know they have my full support. She knew my only rule when it comes to extra curriculars is if you start a season you must finish that season and not quit half way, toi many people quit when something becomes hard or when they are not winning in the way they thought they would.
And so off she went to trials. Her little sister, dad and I sat watching with other parents not quite sure what to expect and boom she scored 3 goals at trials when they put her up front. Okay, where did that come from??
They then switch them to different positions and a defender she certainly wasn't because she played with much less confidence.
And so trials went on for a few days. The teams are then announced and she makes it to the under 14C team, the lowest team possible, which was fine was us. We felt this would allow her to develop her skills in a less demanding way. But a month on the under 14 A and B coach calls her to come stand in for a player that is sick and can't make it to a match. She goes and plays that match and suddenly she is now part of the B team and no longer with the C team at all. Then we get hit with a drought, the department of education instructs all schools not to use their fields so her school decided to switch to a 5 aside football team and practice on their tennis courts instead. The under 14 A and B coach announces his teams for both and her name is on the list for the A and B team. "Coach is this a mistake?" "Nope, no mistake I want to use you in both teams. But now I want you to be the goalkeeper"
The goalkeeper? Is this guy for real??
But he is 100% sure of himself and he has her under his wing season, I was a nervous wreck because I know my child, I know how nervous she can get and how hard she is on herself and imaging all the goals she might not save and how she will feel about it gave me so much anxiety. But you know what? She had the most clean sheets throughout the season, only 2 goals went past her and they were the league winners! At the end of the season she won team player of the year. We were incredibly proud but also very grateful for a coach that poured so much trust over her. He stood by her side at ever match, he spoke so positively over her. "Well done Makayla, that's my girls, you are the best, you are capable of more then you could ever imagine" and you know these words became her inner voice.
The following season, she moved on to the under 15 and did her trials this time her new coach wanted her to play upfront, she was actually quite excited about it. Then her previous coach, the first team coach and head of football showed up at a practice and called her aside, they spoke to her for a long time and I just stood on the stands wondering what is going on. After the head of football and first team coach left she still stood there chatting to her previous coach I knew from the look of it that he was giving her the whole I believe in you talk. Her new coach walked over to them shook her hand and dismissed her from practice.
I thought, Okay, what is going on here is she going back to the under 14s?
She came to me with a shocked looked in her face and said "Mommy, they want me to play for the first team as the goalkeeper. Coach says I have what it takes, head of football says there is no pressure but they would like me to really consider it. First team coach says he wants me to start training with them tomorrow afternoon"

I was speechless. First team, as in my 14 year old is going to play as a goalkeeper with 18 and 19 year olds. I decided not to show her my concern but rather asked her how do you feel about it? She said she wasn't sure on the one hand she wants to play upfront but on the other hand it would be great to say she made first team at 14 even though she had only played football for a year.
I left the decision to her and she decided to go for it.
Everything was different that season, the girls played more maturely, they also didn't play the blame game when things went wrong like younger players tend to do, they were a wonderful group of girls that won and lost together as a collective.
They didn't win the season, they finished 3rd. But for Makayla, it was a successful personal season, she won 2 awards but she was also called up to the head of footballs office as well as the head of sports office at the school where she was told a sponsor had asked her to be their brand ambassador. They would sponsor everything for her in return for her wearing their label, their shoes and drink from their water branded bottle at all official matches.

Can you just picture this, an academic turned sponsored football player is just less than 2 seasons.

This year the preseason training had just begun when the virus took over and it had to be called off. It was a bitter pill for her to swollow because she was well on her way to being the most capped player for the first team considering most players are only there for a season or 2, by the end of her school career she would have spent 4 seasons with the first team. But every cloud comes with a silver lining, she was contacted by the head of football during lockdown and asked to do a motivational video to inspire other players to stay active during lockdown. They are also going to have some training as from next week and I am looking forward to seeing that smile on her face again.

#success #football #girlsfootball #schoolfootball

A missed season