Dear Soccer Dad, Thank You

June 18, 2021
By Rachel Gonzalez

“Hey, you’re Rachel’s dad, right?”

That’s what my dad would hear all the time in my town when I was a kid. At the grocery store, movie theater, even the driving range. And he would always smile with pride and say, “Yup, I sure am!” And even when I moved on from AYSO and joined up with better players and the recognition stopped, he saved that proud smile just for me. Win or lose, no matter what, watching me play was all he needed.

So Dad, in case I don’t tell you enough or never told you back in the day here it is.

Thank you, with my whole heart, for being my soccer dad. For never letting my temper get the better of me. For practicing with me every summer before middle school try-outs, even when I didn’t want to, in the sweltering Arizona heat. Thank you for coming to every game you possibly could, for the travel tournaments, and always being the loudest one on the sidelines.

Thank you for listening to me when I told you it was time for me to quit. And for going with me to tell my coach that night. Thank you for helping me believe that I could do anything on that field. That I could play any position, and for doing everything you could to get me there.

You are the reason I was ever as good as I was, between your killer genes and all of the supplemental training. Even today, a full decade since I last played, you’re the first one to remind anyone how good I was. From the time you tried to run practice because coach TJ was late, to scouring the country for bar seating to root against Sweden in Sweden during the last men’s World Cup—there’s no one I’d rather have by my side.

You were my first-ever coach, my biggest cheerleader, my advisor, my shoulder to cry on, and so much more. I would not have the work ethic or half the really cool sports scars and stories I do without you as my soccer dad. With you, I share all of my triumphs both on and off the field. Because of you, I am a stronger, more determined person who never gets going when the going gets tough.

Whether you’re a present or former soccerista, don’t forget to thank your soccer dad this Father’s Day.

Dad, thank you. For more than I have words.

Featured Image via Pexels