So we only have 2 ACs and a header with 27 players.  The other AC (his first year) just sent us a text begging off because of job and family responsibilities so now we're down to two; me and Coach W.  Certainly the two of us coached 39 players by ourselves in high school, but 27 10u's are the equivalent of 78 high school kids.  We did the 2 coach/27 kids last night and it was definitely something I did not enjoy.  Truth be told, I didn't like it much in high school, but it was easier still to organize and run.  This is like an ant farm and my OCD is pushing me to my limits.  

The elementary school we practice at is taking away one of our practice nights, so we will have to cut down from 4 nights to 3.  We also don't have any lights or portable generators so we lose light early.  This is the infrastructural part of youth football that I absolutely detest.  At a school, these issues don't exist.  (Of course, there are plenty of other issues that exist with school ball.  But these aren't them.)

That all being said, as I was loading my van after practice last night a man approached me and introduced himself as a player's grandfather.  He wanted to thank me for how much time I spent and "the manner" in which I coached his grandson.  He said, "This is his first year and I know he isn't as good or as big as some of the others, but he really likes this.  We drive him 90 minutes to get him here."  90 minutes?  Gadzooks.  I thanked him for letting me know.

Then another parent wanted to talk to me about the positive impact I'm having on her son.  She thanked me for teaching him life lessons.  We talked for a while and had a pleasant conversation. 

Meanwhile, the header was meeting with a mom who couldn't understand why her son wasn't a running back.  (Despite the fact that he's a defensive starter who has no sub.)  She used the "we need to prepare him for high school offenses."  I told him, "With the Double Wing?!" lol

Oh, the challenges of being a header when you don't have a Parents Meeting.

--Dave