3 Reasons Moms Make Great Coaches

Moms, have you ever had the desire to coach your kids’ sport teams? We know it can be intimidating, especially since coaching is usually dominated by dads. Have no fear- everyone has to start somewhere, and lucky for you, you already have everything you need to be a great coach! The skills you have as a parent are transferable to any field or court.

Why Coaching is Worth It

They always say being a mom is hard-work but it’s worth it. Coaching can be described in the same way! Is dealing with different personalities on the weekend challenging? Sure. But knowing you put a smile on the faces of 10 kids every weekend is worth it. As a coach, you become the person these kids look forward to seeing every week. You get to be the fun parent!

Representation in sports is also a great reason to give coaching a try. We need girls to see more women in coaching roles so they feel included, they keep playing, and they feel like maybe one day they can coach too. Being a female coach will help girls’ and women’s sports continue to grow and open more opportunities for our kids. As a coach, you’ll serve as a role model for athletes and you may even inspire the other parents to coach too.

How We Make Coaching Easy

At i9 Sports^®, we offer professionally developed practice plans, drills, videos, and other coaching resources at the touch of a button. You can even access them on the go while you’re at practice. If you bring the positive attitude and patience, we’ll bring the practice plans!

Now that you have the resources, here are three reasons you would make a great coach for any team. 

Three Reasons Moms Make Great Coaches:

1. Moms are organized, even when it feels like you aren’t.

One of the biggest skills necessary in coaching is organization. There are a lot of moving pieces to balance in youth sports, but as a parent of an athlete, you probably already have this mastered. You know where the equipment is, what time practice is and at which location, and who is handling transportation. Your organizational skills carry over to coaching and the process can be simplified by delegating tasks to other coaches as needed and communicating expectations for the season with the other parents.

2. Moms build morale.

Youth sports is all about playing with your friends, having fun and building confidence. When kids are trying a new sport, it is easy for them to get discouraged. But if you teach them in a fun way, give pep talks and praise the small wins, they’ll keep showing up. Your role as the coach is to get them excited to play, learn skills, and make friends in a safe environment. For example, when a player keeps missing shots on offense, you can turn it around by saying, “Hey, your shots aren’t falling today, but that’s okay – you’re doing great on defense!”

3. Moms are adaptable.

Parenting forces you to think on your feet. Especially in a sports setting, it is important for coaches to know how to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. From mid-game emotions, to interpersonal disagreements, coaching inevitably involves shifting away from your initial plan to address the current situation. Between the actual sport-related activities, you’ll have to tie shoes, give numerous bathroom breaks, and repeat yourself countless times. Every child learns and communicates differently but by adapting your approach, you can help ensure they have a fun season. Afterall, fun is the goal when it comes to youth sports. Some parents may think winning is important, but with younger age groups fun is number one. The more fun kids have, the more likely they are to want to play again! They can’t win anything if they quit because they didn’t have fun.

Think about it- what are the qualities you would want in a coach for your children?

Someone who is kind, someone who knows how to relate to kids, and someone your kids look forward to seeing every week. Moms are the perfect someone for the job. You already come to the games, so you have the sport-specific knowledge and we’re here to help with coaching tactics!

If you choose to coach, know that you’re not alone.  We provide you all the tools you need to coach so you can focus on the fun part- spending quality time with your kids playing the sport they love. There are also local and national organizations that can help guide you through the process.

Play Gap is a nonprofit dedicated to building community and supporting adult women in sport, whether they want to play, coach or simply be a fan.

You have the resources, you have the characteristics, you have the skills. You can totally coach!

Volunteer to Coach

Did we convince you to take the leap? Try coaching with i9 Sports^® and let us worry about the logistics. Follow our practice plans and have fun with your kids and their friends! Click here to fill out a volunteer application.