I remember how nervous my daughter was when she moved up from the second to the first team at club soccer. She had worked hard all year to reach this goal, training every day between town soccer, club soccer, and a private coach.
After tryouts, her club played one final soccer tournament and the coach of the first team invited all the girls who were moving up to play on their team. Now, I want to note that my daughter and her second team friends knew the first team girls. The two teams had years of combined practices either when one coach could not make a practice or just for team building. There were strong bonds already, and the first team girls were uniformly welcoming.
Still, my daughter was worried about making a mistake in front of her new teammates. This tournament was hosted by her club soccer organization and was meant to bring all the different locations of the club together. In other words, no pressure. This was purely for fun!
At the end of the tournament, her new team gathered under a shady tree. The parent team manager was a kind man who always made an effort to make the new girls feel welcome. He and his daughter had prepared certificates for each player which was presented with a short, funny story and something from the drug store that best exemplified the award. For example, the Most Inclusive Player received a Kind bar.
My daughter was touched to be included in this informal ceremony. Even though, her new team didn’t know her that well, they created an award for her and told a story that made her feel like a valued part of the team.
To make it easy for parent volunteer coaches, we have free downloadable and editable award certificates on our website.
These 35 award certificates are for:
- Most Positive Player
- Best Free Kick
- Best Assist
- Best Goal
- Best Penalty Kick
- Best Throw In
- Best Save
- Best Passer
- Best Attitude
- Hardest Working
- Most Dedicated
- Best Award for Defending
- Best Cheerleader
- Most Responsible
- Most Inclusive
- Most Motivating
- Fashionista
- Never Gives Up
- Coolest Cleats
- Fastest Runner and Highest Jumper
- Most Passionate
- Most Improved
- Most Knowledgeable About the Sport
- Last One Off the Field
- Always Willing to Help Out
- Most Supportive
- Most Focused
- Performance Under Pressure
- Risk Taker
- Not Afraid to Try
- Fun Award
- Clutch Award
- Award for _____________
We hope, as the spring season winds down, this will help coaches end the season on a high note.
Mia Wenjen blogs on parenting, education, and diverse children’s books at PragmaticMom. For more information about HOW TO COACH GIRLS, please visit our website. It is available for purchase at Audrey Press.
Alison Foley is the head coach for women’s soccer at Boston College. In addition to co-authoring HOW TO COACH GIRLS, she created a winter training class, Soccer on the Mat, that combines Brazilian feet skills with yoga.