Football, Passports And The Fountain Of Youth
If you listen to the rumours and the bloggers from Nigeria, don’t worry; I do not need your banking details to put millions in your bank account for a small fee, giggle, believe something fishy is happening to Nigerian Soccer.
If you had the pleasure of watching some of the African Cup, you couldn’t help but notice that Nigeria, the once power house of African Football looked slow, timid and to be honest, they looked old.
So what could be the problem?
Nigeria was labelled the sleeping giant and the next powerhouse of Soccer. Strong showings in the Olympics and the youth World Cups suggested that the Nigerians were ready for world dominations with big scalps, which included both Brazil and Argentina.
Soccer great Pele declared that Nigeria would easily win the World Cup before the turn of the century after electrifying performances in the U-17 and U-20 age groups.
So what are the whispers that have escaped Angola? Read More
Kids Soccer: Zombie Slayer Or The Mindless Human Being
Is it fun?
Is it a great way to stay active and healthy?
Or is there something more sinister going on around the green pastures of the world.
Soccer in the last decade has proved to be the world game and a force to be reckoned with amongst all other codes. Soccer has become big business and has infected the world of kid’s soccer.
Stop scratching your head and don’t worry, it’s not contagious.
Kids soccer has become the battlefield for parents. Crazed zombie like parents with dollar signs in their eyes act possessed and put integrity, ethics, fun and love on the back burner in that elusive pursuit for money.
The pursuit for money can make the most righteous man stumble to his knees. The dynamics of kid’s soccer has changed significantly from the days when I graced the holy turf. Back in the days, soccer was about the grass stains, the bruises, the wind through the long flock of hair and the friendships. Not to forget the orange wedges at half time and the trip home with your best mate.
What has happened? Read More
Johnny, Politics and The Coach With No Balls
Are you a team player or do you simply hog the spotlight? Most of you are more likely to succeed at soccer if you work together as a team rather than as individuals.
Agree?
A team will always perform better when the day-to-day interactions are open and honest. A team will always perform better when it’s a team. No way, stop the press!
Believe it or not, what others in the team think about you and what you think about them is extremely important.
Do you have a player in your team that unsettles the dynamics of your team? Do you have a problematic player that never seems to listen? Don’t be alarmed, it’s rare to find a team where someone’s behavior or lack of respect doesn’t occasionally distract the team from achieving success. Read More
Soccer, Cliches and the Dreaded Curve Ball
It’s not who you are, it’s who you know.
Clichés are more artistic and at times provide very little wisdom or insight. A cliché is just a string of words used to generate an idea or provoke a thought.
No big deal.
The idea for this post came from a comment left by Christopher on my previous article,
“Kids Soccer: Can Love Buy You Money?”
Chris, (hope you don’t mind) replied,
“…part of the 2%…” Depends on your will, and how strong it is, not on your surroundings and all that. If you’re goal is to become a pro soccer player, then, you WILL become one, if you keep trying. Depends on the person, not on the surroundings/situation/century/year/parents/etc, is my point.
No offence intended here but lets break down your comment. Read More
Kids Soccer: Can Love Buy You Money?
Kids Soccer has become the breeding grounds for crazed parents. Parents seem to lose their minds and every last ounce of dignity when the referee blows his whistle.
Frustration, agitation and the occasional burst blood vessel are common practices around the kids.
So what’s happening?
Has the game of soccer changed?
Last time I checked it was the same, can anyone here enlighten us?
Before you fly off the handle again, listen up. The slogan “money is the root of all evil” is usually thrown around in the corporate world amongst the big executives. At the end of the day, millions of dollars are at stake and the business to put it politely is cut throat.
Do you agree?
With the prodigious amounts of money involved, executives are faced with enormous pressures and the only time they get a break from issues is when they’re dealing with a crisis.
Can you see where I’m going with this? Read More