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My top 5 MUST-HAVE soccer team culture values
As a soccer coach myself, I try to sit down at the beginning of each season to define what type of culture I want to create for the upcoming year. These are some of the questions I reflect on:
- What are my current personal values? What are my current coaching values?
- What things are important for me to teach my players? Things that will not only help them become better soccer players but better humans?
- What have I recently learned that feels important for me to share with my players? Things that are applicable not just in soccer, but in life?
- Also – what things do I already know that my players will NEED to have a successful season?
Here are my top 5 most important values for strong team culture in soccer:
#1 - Growth mindset & healthy striving mentality
Winning is great and fun and awesome, but just winning and never experiencing struggle won’t bring you the growth and development you need to continue to progress forward and improve. When players understand this, they are more resilient, more motivated, more hard-working and can focus on the pursuit of improvement and move away from results based expectations.
{Related reads: How to be more CONFIDENT in soccer: STOP hyper-focusing on the WIN}
#2 - The power of the collective; team 'one-ness'
There is an (often untapped) power that lies in playing for the collective selflessly and with great intensity & passion. When players focus on something bigger than themselves, work to support each other and develop a genuine compassion for their teammates, MAGIC HAPPENS.
Work hard to establish a team culture where players and coaches appreciate each other, trust each other, and have great respect for each other – and you’ll be blown away by what you can accomplish together.
#3 - Player accountability
{Related reads: Become a better soccer player by doing this one thing: BE INVESTED}
Coaches can instruct and teach, parents can guide and encourage, but ultimately it is up to the players to take responsibility for their development. THEY have to want it and THEY have to do it. And strong team culture in soccer can inspire them to step up. It’s amazing to see when players begin to get excited about getting invested in their development, when the culture motivates them to give themselves and their game the care and attention they deserve.
A strong team culture in soccer that emphasizes personal accountability is one where players also eagerly seek feedback on their own. You want to have a culture where players ask questions, are hungry for information and are genuinely interested in self-improvement and in learning more about themselves.
Accountable, dedicated, driven players are amazing individually, but man, when you have a team culture in soccer that creates an ENTIRE TEAM of these types of players….All I can is that your opponents better watch out, because they don’t even know what’s about to hit them.
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#4 - Loving & appreciating the struggle
#5 - Mental toughness
{Related read: The 3 key pieces to building mental TOUGHNESS in soccer}
Learning the mental performance skills to mentally prepare before competition is extremely important and players that grow this part of their soccer game will quickly elevate ALL OTHER PARTS of your game. By creating a culture where players learn regulate their focus and emotions and can get into an optimal headspace before hitting the field you are helping to create a team that can withstand difficult situations and still play their best soccer.
Coaches: defining YOUR team's culture
Figure out your coaching 'why'
What things do you find yourself constantly and passionately going on and on about? What things do you always feel very strongly about? Some examples that a lot of people resonate with are work ethic, integrity and respect for others. These are all values that can easily be incorporated into team culture in soccer.
Here’s why I coach girls soccer:
Coaches: building team culture in soccer
If you speak from your ‘why’, from your core values, this won’t feel forced or awkward, it’ll just be an extension of you. When your players can tell that you are passionate about something they will be quicker to jump onboard especially if they already trust you and value your leadership. Here’s an example:
Creating a culture of accountability
I pull it into everything we do. I make it very clear that they need personal accountability to reach their goals, to get to the top, to win games, to improve. I also am known to create systems and tools for my players to help them be accountable. I make it fun and I make it an integrated part of how I coach.
Be yourself, BE your values
The magic of strong team culture in soccer
Strong team culture in soccer has the ability to make or break an individual player’s season and very often influences their decision whether to stay and play another year. Young female athletes quit organized sports at alarmingly high rates in middle school and high school and bad team culture plays a huge role in that.
Hi everyone! I’m Jenn and I create content to help female soccer players and coaches maximize individual and team potential by developing healthy mindset skills. Join other subscribers and sign up for the newsletter for all my best tips and advice!
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