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Oh Yeah - For The Love Of The Game (An Individual Position Perspective) by Brandon Campbell, Krystal Campbell, Wade Campbell, G.T. Cambell (deceased) & Rod Campbell
I'm a goalkeeper and some people call me “keeper” or “keep”. My main goal, (no pun intended), is to stop the other team from scoring. If I succeed, I am praised above all - but if I fail - I usually take the heat. I give out instructions to my fullbacks where to move and usually they in turn tell me what I should have done, or should do next time. The spectators are always glad to give helpful comments. Such as: I should have stayed in longer, or I should have come out sooner. When I get down on myself in a game, or someone starts yelling at me, I wonder why I keep playing keeper? Then I think about it and remind myself - ”Oh Yeah - For The Love Of
The Game”. Fullback I'm a “fullback” or “back” as some call me. Sometimes I am called a “sweeper” or even a “stopper”. My primary job is to make sure that no one gets to my “keeper”. I work hard to guard my area from all opposing players. It is my space and I make it plain to them that they are trying to invade my space and I won't stand for it. But when a ball gets by me, I sometimes get yelled at by my keeper and the rest of the team because I missed that particular ball. It doesn't matter that I stopped the 30 balls before that; it was that one miss that mattered. When a corner kick comes up I not only have to watch my space, but all other opposing players running in as well. Everyone gets upset if I don't get into the “wall” fast enough, and HEAVEN FORBID if I have a handball in the box! I get blamed for not pulling up and causing an offside trap, and if I get beat by my opponent on a run I get blamed for pulling up too far trying to get the trap. Of course the most embarrassing is when I actually SCORE! (For the other team). Why, oh why, do I put up with this job of constant defending and flack from the rest of the team and spectators? “Oh Yeah - For The Love Of The Game”. Halfback I'm called a “halfback”, “center”, or “midfielder”. My positions are left, right, center, attacking mid, or defending mid. It just depends how the coach needs me to play at the time. My job is to help the fullbacks protect the goal, but I also have to help the forwards in their attempt to score. Along with all of this, I get yelled at for not being in the middle of the field when a pass is made, and if a wall pass, or give and go doesn't work, then I manage to take the blame for that too. A normal player runs approximately 2-½ miles each game in 90 minutes of play. My job usually makes that 3-½ to 4-½ miles average. But yet I can't let up because I am “letting the team down”. On our goal kicks, I get screamed at by my teammates and coach to get to the ball first. They forget that they haven't just run the 100-yard dash 21 times in a row. When I need a drink on the side lines or just need a small breather, I hear from the crowd, “he or she really needs to be in better shape don't you think?” Why do I put myself through all this running when I could be sitting in front of a T.V. watching movies and eating ice cream to my heart's content? “Oh Yeah - For The Love Of The Game” Forward I'm a “forward”, or “striker” as some call me. I do my best to get the ball to the corner for a cross or make a bent run to draw out the fullbacks so that we make a hole to score. After the whole team works hard to get the ball to my end and then I lose it - I sometimes take heat from the team and the spectators. Half the crowd yells at me to “get rid of the ball faster”, and the other half yell, “don't just kick it away, dribble up closer”. And if I mess up and kick it over the goal when it was an easy shot, oh my! Why do I fight hard all the time to just take the blame when we can't get a goal? “Oh Yeah - For The Love Of The Game” Officials I, as an “official”, go out and get paid not nearly enough to put up with yells and comments about needing glasses to see the game better. I dress like a bumblebee and I must act like one too because I am constantly being told that the last call really stung. Players yell at me if I stop the game for a handball or high kick and tell me we should just play on. If I don't call it, then I am yelled at for never calling anything. Between the coaches constantly complaining, the players constantly whining, and the spectators constantly harping, why in the world do I put up with it? Then I remember - “Oh Yeah - For The Love Of The Game” Coach I, as a “coach”, get the thrill of being the “bad person” for having to discipline the players for being late for practice, late for a game, mouthing off or swearing on the field, partying late nights, and not going to classes or getting bad grades. (Never mind the fact that if they didn't do any of these things, I could keep my mind on what I am actually here for, the job of coaching). If we win, the team gets the credit, but if we lose, the coach gets the credit. I have so many “assistant coaches” in the grandstands and sidelines that I really don't know why the team even needs a coach. The players sometimes can't even here me because of all of the other advice being given to them from the “assistant coaches.” Why do I put up with all of the aggravation of coaching? “Oh Yeah - For The Love Of The Game” When someone looks at you and says why in the world do you watch, or play, or coach soccer - why do it when people say it will never be as good as baseball, football, volleyball, or even basketball? Why play a game where things go wrong all the time and you are constantly adjusting in the game and never get a break or a time out to get a drink or rest as with other sports? When someone asks you these questions, just sit back and think about it a moment. Just sit back and smile and think about soccer and all the fun you have had playing, watching, or coaching it. Tell them about how it is not only the largest sport in the world but also the fastest growing sport in America. Tell them how many friends you have made, and the sportsmanship and morals you have learned. Then say why do I play it? “Oh Yeah - For The
Love Of The Game” To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters please click here Have a great day! Lawrence |