Ron Clark has a fantastic article up at CNN highlighting the flight of teachers from the profession, in part because of trouble dealing with parents. Reading it, I saw a lot of parallels with coaching youth sports and dealing with soccer parents, which can have a huge impact on a team and player development.

Soccer calendars vary by state, primarily due to the local climate. Yet many soccer parents chuckle at the concept of 'Spring' soccer, because the weather can get pretty wild (and cold) some years. Still, the idea of 'Spring' soccer generally meant the bulk of the season was played in... the Spring.

Soccer calendars vary by state, primarily due to the local climate. Yet many soccer parents chuckle at the concept of 'Spring' soccer, because the weather can get pretty wild (and cold) some years. Still, the idea of 'Spring' soccer generally meant the bulk of the season was played in... the Spring.

Stories of loud and obnoxious soccer parents are not hard to come by. We've all encountered them, though in my experience they're not as widespread as the media would lead you to believe. When you do encounter them, it's usually a couple of parents being loud and/or obnoxious while the other parents behave (and often try to get as far away from the loud ones as possible).

From the Evansville Courier Press, October 23, 2011
When adults look back on those who were most influential on their lives growing up, it is not uncommon to hear a reference about a significant little league or high school sports memory.
Saying that, there is a strong sentiment that youth coaches of this era don't always offer the same level of support.