When Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo’s two sons were young, he had one overriding concern when putting them into leagues.
“For me, the most important part — and time has changed, it’s a shame we have to think about it — is background checks for coaches,” Clavijo said. “It’s something that is sickening, to be honest, but we have to, the way life is today. It was not the case when I was growing up.”
Also?
“I wanted them to have fun,” he said. “I would not allow my kids to be in situations where they were being offended by the coach, screaming or anything like that.”
Clavijo said he supports mandatory licensing for coaches. He said he has seen improvement in the quality of soccer coaches at the youth level over the years but insists there is room to get better.
“I believe many coaches force the kids to not play or not want to play because the pressure is too high,” he said. “We’re talking about younger kids, and they’re talking about winning and positions instead of having fun and enjoying the game. But I think, being involved for the last 30 years in soccer in this country, it’s going in the right direction. There’s no question about it.”
