Recognizing the value of youth sports

When I was growing up here in the United States, soccer was never the most popular sport. The game, having migrated to this country, was always secondary to several traditional American pastimes. Even today, I see more and more kids choosing football, baseball, or basketball as their sport. I was involved in those sports as a child, but soccer is the sport that was closest to my heart.

My German father and family in Germany, especially my grandpa, drew me into soccer. Looking back, I don’t think it was necessarily technical qualities of the game that created this connection between me and soccer. It wasn’t soccer that sparked my love of soccer. It wasn’t kicking the ball or scoring a goal. Sure, that rush of scoring a goal or making a good play was a part, but not the most important part. It was something deeper that goes beyond the sport. It was the memories. It was the love and connection it made me feel with my friends, family, and community. It was the passion from those times kicking the ball with my dad and grandpa on the cul-de-sac outside our house in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the summer memories of Germany when we would play with friends in the street during the day and watch the German national team play in the evening.

Sports remained a way for me to connect with people in new places as I moved from Charlotte to Switzerland and back, and finally ended up here in Washington. As a sophomore at Peninsula High School, I made so many friends while playing for my high school and club teams. Because of this, I believe that loving a sport is not so much about the sport itself, but about the people and memories you associate with it. Youth sports are more than a way to keep kids fit and healthy, they provide kids with a place to connect with their communities and develop those happy memories. Youth sports are also a way for kids to learn values ​​like hard work and respect through competition.

I started playing soccer for Harbor Premier, our local soccer club, in 2021 and since then I’ve had a number of positive and negative experiences with coaches and cultures on both my high school and club teams. In that time I’ve experienced times where pressure and issues on the field have made me completely hate playing soccer. I’ve seen this in my peers as well. Youth sports can make you lose the reason you loved the game in the first place.

When Harbor Soccer hired a new director in May of this year, I was intrigued by his philosophy and his German history. Jason McGlothern, former Elite Clubs National Coach at the PacNW Soccer Club in Tukwila, told me he believes culture is one of the most important components of a soccer club. He was born in Germany and learned his love of the game from his grandfather.

McGlothern moved to Washington at the age of 5, where he played for clubs such as PacNW, Eastside FC and later the Sounders Academy. In 2010, McGlothern spent a year playing in the academy of 1. FC Nuremberg, a German team that was then playing in the Bundesliga. He told me that on that journey, he learned many lessons as a player that he hopes to apply as a coach and leader.

Like me and many other young players, McGlothern had times when he started to lose love for the game, albeit at a much higher level. “When I came to Germany (to 1. FC Nuremberg), I suddenly thought: Holy crap, I kind of forget why I played in the first place. You forget the days when you were running around in the backyard or on the street and playing just because you were excited and you loved the game.”

He told me that he wants to create a culture at Harbor that develops players and instills values ​​that prepare them for life. “We always try to be the best at everything we do and I think there’s some truth to that. I think that’s an important value, but winning is not development. Winning is a byproduct of development. So I think it’s really important that we as coaches create an environment that continues to foster a love of the game.”

Youth sports can mean different things to different people. For some, it’s simply a fun pastime, while for others, it develops into a full-time pursuit that can lead them into professional or collegiate sports. Soccer, a game enjoyed by millions around the world and many in our community, is a joyful experience.

As my time at Harbor Premier and PHS comes to a close, I hope to spend the next two years helping to develop a culture that encourages players and coaches to promote positive values ​​and a love of the game.