I coach a U12 girls team. We play on nice fields, they all have their own soccer balls and good boots. I want to show them the other side. Does anybody have links to any articles that I could give to them that shows the other side? I was thinking something along the lines of how some kids have to play with a homemade ball or no shoes or something like that. Thanks in advance for any help someone can provide.
I was wondering why you would want to do this ? BTW anybook on Brazilian football should be useful, try Futebol, The Brazilian Way Of Life by Alex Ballos.
Next time you're in Florence, I'll just tell you about the view from the top of the Duomo so you don't have to pay to go see it. The Brazilian book is good. I'm guessing that any info from the Passback program would probably have some accompanying pictures
Sometimes I wonder if people actually read the posts. I want an ARTICLE. I didn't say anything about pictures. Me just telling them is not the same as them reading it for themselves or seeing it for themselves. I do actually want to read Futebol.
Africa too. African boys don't even use boots, it's often too dusty and dry anyway. Small kids often use handmade balls or cans.
Pile them up in a van or two and drive them through the worst neighborhoods in Birmingham you dare. Ask them where they think the girls' soccer fields are in that part of town (there probably aren't any), and then tell them how lucky they are to have parents who were born with an advantage. That would do more than having them read a book. The book will give them an idea, but seeing the abject poverty with their own eyes wuld have more of an impact, IMO. On the other hand, I say all this with the knowledge that you may run into trouble with Rhett and Scarlett (parents) by doing any of this, including the book. Have you gotten permission to even broach this topic with them? If not, expect to hear "Boy, we pay you to coach soccer, nothing else" from at least one set of parents. I'd stay away from the whole thing if I were you. As much as I hate to say it, these girls will eventually become their parents, and no amount of moral education from you will change that. It's one of the reasons I got out of coaching for now.
Personally, I think a soccer coach should stick to soccer. I agree that it would be good for kids that have everything they want and need to understand how lucky they are, I just don't really see how teaching this lesson falls into the domain of their youth soccer coach.
one day when they come to training make them play bare foot and fill a plastic bag full of cloth and then make them play till they are crying. That will teach them to be gratefull. I read an artical about Lua Lua once about how he used to do gymnastics but was so poor they couldnt afford a spring board so the dug a hole in the ground and tossed in some old car tyers for him to jump off. He was so poor they didnt have a beem to do the flips and stuf on so he used a brick wall and broke his arm 3 times. Now that is poverty with attitude
Re: Re: privileged vs. underprivileged You know NOTHING about the families of these kids. I also like how you assume that their parents were born into their advantage. I came from one of these "families of privilage", my father made a very nice living and my mother stayed at home to raise us. Of course, the fact that both of my parents grew up in poor families has little bearing on your assinine view.
This thought crossed my mind, too. On a practical note, how many parents are going to get ticked because they think you've overstepped your bounds and what will the repercussions of that be? You might want to frame your discussion in terms teaching them about love of the game (as in, these kids will find a way to play soccer no matter what, they don't wait for groomed fields and adult coaches, etc.) as opposed to "you don't know how good you've got it." As for the examples you're looking for, almost any third world country will do. I remember watching some Javanese boys start a pickup game with what was basically a large grapefruit, their bare feet, and a very rocky field. (Although, admittedly, even they thought it was a little bit of a joke.) You might be interested in this: Games and Empires by Allen Guttman has a chapter on soccer and how it moved from England to other countries, especially the third world. Sorry, it's a book--no link.
Re: Re: Re: privileged vs. underprivileged Shut up ya spoilt bastard and stop complaining. i would like to know what type of "poor" family because i doubt they grew up on the streets like alot of familys do i doubt they had to drink clean water and i doubt the whole family slept in the same bed.
Does everybody on this forum have ADD? I don't want them to read a book. I just want them to read a short article about some soccer situation where the participants "don't have everything" so that they can appreciate what THEY do have. I can't drive the whole team around north Birmingham to show them disadvantaged areas. I think that their parents would appreciate me instilling something besides soccer in their child. Athletics/sports are more than just opportunities to go out and run around and kick a ball. You can teach other things through sports.
This is more along the lines of what I was thinking about. I'm not trying to say,"Look you little spoiled brats......." I just want them to see what passion for the game will make people overcome.
Re: Re: Re: Re: privileged vs. underprivileged What's the matter, you don't think someone who was dirt poor could raise themselves up? You know nothing of my family. Nothing. But don't worry, I'll ignore this thread from now on.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: privileged vs. underprivileged Yes i do think poor people can drag themselves up and they are oftern gratefull and aprreciative of it. Its there children that dont know poverty and are snobish bastards. But dont worry im sure when he pops off he will leave you somthing in his will.
Tell them the story of Garincha or Pele or Maradona, famous and talented players who were dirt poor but still played football for the love of it.
Re: Re: privileged vs. underprivileged I wouldnt tell the the storry of maradona they would come back next training session fat slobbish coke addicts. Damn him and his genius football skills.
Maradona is great, bad lifestyle or not, I kind of like that in a player as long as the player doesn't drive it as far as the likes of Maradona and Best did... P.S. Everywhere in the world poor kids play the game, either on the street or in little dirtfields, shouldn't be that hard to find an example...