At every level of play team cohesion is vital. When teams are familiar and trust one another they perform better on the pitch, play harder for one another, and have more fun. At the professional level players are brought together come from all corners of the world, with different styles of play, and unique personalities. For these teams, what happens off the pitch is just as important as the training that takes place on it.

Our Breakers players and teams are just the same. Our teams are made up of players who live in close physical proximity but draw from many schools. In fact, our players represent over 10 different schools! And there’s no question our players have unique personalities 😉  The only contrast I would draw with professional teams is to move the Fun element to the top of the list. For kids, “passion to play” is the key.

The fun is the kindling for the fire. The more fun they have the more psyched they are to get to practice. The harder they will work at practice and on their own. The more success they will have…and the virtuous cycle continues.

In that spirit, we’re excited to introduce the Breakers Supper Club. The idea is to ensure each team pulls its players (and parents) together at least 5 times each Fall season for team meals. The team coach should stop by and say a few words to the kids, and it’s a good idea for a parent to share some thoughts as well.

The first dinner should take place prior to the first game. So, end of August is ideal. Tournaments are a good time to have lunch together (that counts), and immediately after practice is a creative way to get the carpool thing working in your favor as well. Showing up at the end of practice or after a game with a stack of pizzas is a pretty much a slam dunk.

Most teams do this at some level already, but I think it merits emphasizing the importance of team get togethers and giving it a bit of structure to make sure it’s consistent across all teams. We will look to managers to help keep us on track pushing this idea forward, and I hope parents will jump in proactively as well.

Let’s eat (together)!

Posted in Events, Teamwork