Soccer Advice: Please Don't Tell Me You Have Potential

Does anyone remember when Bob Hawke was Prime Minister of Australia? The Sci-Fi thriller Star Wars was gaining momentum and Atari and Intellivision was all the rage. Black and White TV’s were being replaced by color and VHS had finally killed Beta to dominant the Video tape industry. The band Kiss had finally removed their make up only to reapply it as their popularity declined. Those were the days.

Growing up meant alot of different things for me in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Watching shows like Leave It to Beaver, Mr Ed and the Wonder Years were common practice. Falling in love with the characters and idolising characters like the Fonz from Happy days and the Dukes of Hazard were standard amongst all the youth. Think for a moment.

For those that grew up in this era you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Can you remember this time?

Where were you living back then?

What were you like?

Who were your friends?

Did you have any hopes or dreams?

If someone had asked you 10-15 years ago where you would be today, could you answer? Did it work out the way you planned? I hope so! A decade can pass by quickly, can’t it?

The point I’m trying to make is this,

How are you going to live the next ten years of your life? Are you going to train hard? Are you going to give Soccer a real crack? What does the word soccer really mean to you?

If you grew up during my wonder years, chances are you would have retired by now. But that does not excuse you from this post. Are you coaching? Do your kids play soccer?

The questions I’d like to ask everyone is this,

What is important to you or your kids today? What has soccer got installed for you in the long run? Will you or your kids greet the manager that will inevitable hand you a 5 year deal worth millions?

You see, 10 years from today will surely arrive like it did for my generation. The question is where will you be? Who will you be playing for? How will you live? The best bit of advice I can give anyone is don’t take soccer for granted. Soccer, just like any other sport is here today…………..gone today. You’ll remember me when your knees no longer bend due to arthritis.

Think about this for a moment. Is there a difference between being interested in soccer and being committed to it? You better believe it! Many parents are proud of their children and rightly so. All dream about their kids playing on the big stage. Some have even predicted it. My son goes to this clinic, my son plays for…….., my sons coach thinks he has great potential.

Without sounding too harsh, let me give you some more advice. The word potential gets thrown around a lot in this world. Can someone tell me what the word “potential” means in relation to soccer?

Stop guessing here it is,

A soccer player that has potential is a soccer player that hasn’t made it yet. That’s it.

What ever you do, don’t find comfort in the word potential because before you know it, your wonder years will have slipped you by. So get off the sofa, switch off the PlayStation and commit to soccer before it’s too late.