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GRASSROOTS COACHES SHOULD STOP SEEING THEIR PLAYERS AS PRODUCTS
There is a mindset we need to change in grassroots football.
Our players are not livestock to be raised, trained and eventually sold. They are human beings whose lives we have the responsibility to develop.
In grassroots football, it is common to hear coaches say, โI want to sell this player,โ or โWe have sold another player.โ But I believe it is time we changed this language.
A player is not sold; a player is transferred.
This may sound like a simple difference in words, but it reflects a deeper difference in mindset. When we constantly describe players as products to be sold, we risk forgetting that they are human beings with dreams, ambitions and futures beyond football.
WE ARE DEVELOPING PEOPLE, NOT PRODUCTS
Think back to our primary and secondary school days. Our teachers did not see us as products they would eventually sell. They taught and trained us because they wanted us to become better people, have a better life and progress in the future.
Some of us became professionals, businessmen, civil servants, coaches and entrepreneurs. Their satisfaction was not in selling us but in seeing us grow and succeed.
Grassroots football should follow the same principle.
Our responsibility is to develop players technically, tactically, physically, mentally and morally. We should help them become better footballers and responsible individuals who can succeed with or without football.
COMPENSATION, NOT PROFIT FROM SELLING PEOPLE
There is nothing wrong with an academy receiving legitimate financial compensation when a player transfers to another club. Coaches invest their time, academies spend money, and player development requires commitment and resources.
When a transfer brings financial returns to an academy, that money should be seen as compensation for the work, resources and investment committed to developing the player, rather than profit made from selling a human being.
We did not develop the child simply because we wanted to sell him. We developed him because we wanted him to become better.
The transfer should be a consequence of successful development, not the reason for development.
LET US CHANGE OUR MEASURES OF SUCCESS
Instead of asking, โHow much can I make from this player?โ let us ask, โHow far can this player go?โ
Instead of celebrating only the financial value of a transfer, let us celebrate the opportunities created, the lives transformed and the futures secured.
If a player becomes a professional footballer, that is success. If another earns a scholarship or progresses to a higher level, that is success. And if a player eventually chooses another career but becomes a disciplined, responsible and successful person, that is also success.
Our greatest achievement should not simply be saying, โI sold this player for this amount.โ
It should be saying, โI played a meaningful role in helping this young person become somebody.โ
LET US REMEMBER WHY WE STARTED
Grassroots football should be about discovering potential, nurturing talent and giving young people opportunities to build better futures.
Our players are not commodities. They are not products waiting to be sold. They are young people entrusted to our care.
Let us train them, educate them, guide them, protect them and give them opportunities to progress.
When the right transfer opportunity comes, let us appreciate the compensation that recognises our contribution. But let us never allow financial interests to replace our responsibility to the player.
WE DEVELOP PLAYERS TO GIVE THEM A BETTER LIFE, NOT TO RAISE THEM FOR SALE.
Develop people. Develop footballers. Build futures.
That is the true purpose of grassroots football development.
โ Jonathan Opara
Director, Sparrow Champion Athletes Academy Ltd
CEO, OCSPORTS Ventures
2 weeks ago
Heading to training this afternoon โฝ๏ธ๐ช๐พ Iโll be there until 5 PM.
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Double wall passing challenge Champions.
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
#football #footballplayer #fyp #viral #highlights
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Bonnie of @Pioneer academy. A very committed grassroots coach.
2 weeks ago
โThereโs something special about being around the game you love. Football isnโt just a sportโitโs a passion, a feeling, and a way of life.
@Footballerlife @Ftblrlifedreams @Fantastic @A4ksoccer @SoccerProfile @ehord26 @Pumafootball @Marradona23 @Adidasfootball
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๐ฆ
๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ โ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ.
The wait is over. Soccer Assassins officially begin the 2026/27 WNSL Zone B campaign today against RVNP Queens FC.
๐ Madira Grounds โ Vihiga
๐ 12:00 HRS
One badge. One mission. One road back to KWPL.
๐๐งโ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฌ. ๐๐๐งโ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ก๐ง. ๐ฆ
๐
#SoccerAssassins #AssassinsUnleashed #WNSLZoneB #RoadBackToKWPL #Matchday01 #TheHuntBegins
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