08/09/2026
This one is a bit of a personal post.
This year, I have become really passionate about advocating for all kids in sport. My husband was the manager of my sons football team, and we were blessed to have 2 coaches who absolutely poured their hearts into each & every player, no matter their ability. No kid spent more time on the bench than others. Every kid was build up and this group of kids, who at the start of the year had no chance of making finals, made an elimation final.
This is a group of Div 5 kids, and as we know with sport, often the higher divisions get all the fan fare & glory. That makes me wonder what we are teaching kids from the get go, that the higher divisions are somewhat more important & valued.
In fact, we know often kids in the higher division who show talent early on may burnt out due to increased pressure, excessive training & expectations.
My son, who has never seen his potential acknowledged, this year did. The kid who was benched, given less game time, was given a chance to sign. I am sure he was in complete shock to win this award. As a parent, to see a kid who goes under the radar & gets overlooked acknowledged & fully seen for his potential was heart warming.
And what I learnt is this takes a different kind of coach. One who has the technical skills, but also the people skills to build up every single player on the team.
So if you have a kid out there like mine, who is constantly overlooked and underestimated, there day will come 💚❤️
And whilst junior sports is maintained by volunteers who are greatly appreciated, we need to value all kids at clubs, whether they are Division 1 or 5. They all have something to offer, and that one kid who was underestimated might just be the one who surprises them all.
