Letter of Concern

1007 Westbench Drive,
Penticton, British Columbia,
V2A 8Y4

May 25, 2011

Mr. Kleats,
Soccer Coach,
Central High School,
123 Main Street,
Sportstown, British Columbia,
V2A 1W3


Dear Mr. Kleats:

I am Peter Johnston, the father of Rick who plays on your soccer team, the Sportstown Slicers, and I would like to express a few concerns. During my frequent attendances to Rick's games, I have noticed a few problems that I would like to bring to your attention.

I recognise that you have a busy schedule and you are volunteering your time to help these kids have an organised soccer league, but when I had the opportunity to visit one of your practices, I was slightly disappointed. I noticed that your punctuality to the training I saw was lacking considerably. I know that you have a regular job and are taking extra time to coach, but I think that being on time is essential. It would serve as inspiration to your Slicers, teaching them the value of being punctual. Also, the practice I saw lacked structure and there were no real drills. The practices consisted of random scrimmages, which do offer a game situation, but not skill development. I believe that a structured practice is a necessity to winning, which, as a frequent attendee of soccer games, is evidently very important to you. Perhaps you should consider having an assistant coach help you with your management. An assistant would be able to help you organize training exercises and start the practice on time while you make your way to practice.

From observing at the many soccer games I have seen this season, I can see that you are very fixated on winning. I respect that wish completely as I cheer for my teams to win in the FIFA World Cup and I do want to see the Slicers win, but your passion for winning has transferred in a negative way to the players, my son included. Members of the Slicers are not being played evenly, regardless of the fact that all parents have paid the same amount of money for registration. We all want to win but my son, being one of the less adept players, has spent considerable amounts of time on the bench whereas Johnathan spends an entire game on the field. Seeing as this is not select district team, I would suggest setting a time limit to the substitutions and rotating everyone in for 15 minute intervals to allow everyone to play. Another grievance that I would like to discuss would be your tone when addressing your players. Kids will respond better to a kinder tone and I assure you that if you encourage your players in a positive way, you will see a dramatic increase in the success of the Slicers. I know how much you like winning so this proposal would benefit everyone.

As enthralled as you may be with the possibility of winning, we must all see that these are young kids and have signed up to enjoy the pleasure of playing soccer on a team. I hope you will consider these suggestions and concerns and that you can continue to coach the Slicers, perhaps leading them to their first league title. I thank you for your time and look forward to watching the game this Saturday.

Sincerely,

Peter Johnston