Back in 2015, I wrote about the importance of Team Sports in the context of my Son joining an under-10s football team.
Three seasons later and he’s still playing for the same team. They’re under-13s now and doing rather well, sitting top of their league by 7 clear points – although the second-place team do have a game in hand, potentially reducing that gap to 4 points if they win it.
It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for the past three seasons if I’m honest. I’ve watched almost every game he’s played (not every game, because there are always circumstances that keep you away – but you can’t count the games I’ve missed on one hand).
We’ve had highs, like reaching a cup-final, and lows, like losing that cup final.
But overall it’s been a worthwhile experience for the boy. I don’t know how long he’ll keep playing – typically under-14s is when a lot of boys stop playing, but I hope he keeps going if for no other reason that it represents regular exercise.
The boys are flying this season. Playing very good football and winning games – in the league they’ve now won ten out of the twelve they’ve played.
I really enjoy watching the team play – although my boy can be frustrating sometimes. He’s not the most skilful player, but he’s a reliable defender who generally makes good footballing decisions. It’s just those times he makes the wrong choice that frustrate me as they are usually at just the wrong time and lead to a goal scoring chance for the other side.
I really should stop referring to him as “the boy” though. He’s 13 now. He’s a young man.
Now that’s a scary thought.
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