09/20/2026
โฝ๏ธ WHAT COACHING U15 GIRLS TAUGHT MEโฆ
I was asked to help coach Georgiaโs U15 team &, with my schedule, agreed to help โon the odd occasion.โ
That lasted 2 games๐คฃ
After watching the girls struggle with positions, communication, confidence & getting slaughtered, Dana knew there was NO WAY I could just stand on the sidelines.๐
So I joined Sam, an amazing 19-year-old running practices & our other coaches ๐
Having played rep soccer, I knew we needed to build STAMINA, STRENGTH, POSITIONING, COMMUNICATION and most importantlyโฆ CONFIDENCE.
Some girls were incredibly shy & fearful. What shocked me was hearing they didn't call out because they were afraid of sounding bossy, mean or offensive.
Using your voice doesn't make you bossy. Being direct doesn't make you unkind.
One mum told me I was a little โaggressiveโ because I pushed the girls hard & was loud.
She was rightโฆ I AM loud ๐คฃ
I listened & explained that authority & loudness shouldn't automatically be confused with aggression. There's a difference between tearing someone down & challenging them because you believe they're capable of more.
Sport should be fun, but kids also need to learn it's okay to lose, fail, be corrected & TRY AGAIN
By game 4, we had a DIFFERENT TEAM
They communicated. They challenged. They stopped backing away. They started WINNING.
That same mum had one of our shyest, most fearful players. By the end, her daughter was scoring goals, challenging for balls & USING HER VOICE.
Her mum told me her confidence had skyrocketed, couldn't believe how much she LOVED it, thanked me & apologized for calling me aggressive. ๐ญโค๏ธ
This season reminded me:
WE NEED TO RAISE GIRLS WHO HAVE VOICES.
Girls who aren't afraid to take up space.
Who can respectfully disagree.
Who understand discipline, teamwork & respect.
Who know failure isn't something to fear.
Who support each other AND hold each other accountable
Kindness doesn't require silence or agreeing with everyone to keep them happy
Respect doesn't require agreement
Speak up.Be strong. Be respectful. Be YOU
Watching those girls finish the season stronger, louder & more confident than they started ?
That was the biggest WIN of all โค