Every time we end another sports season, I want to write a love letter to the coach and give them a million dollars. Since that’s not realistic, I have to settle for this thank you letter to Coach (and a gift card of waaaay less than $1,000,000).
I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way — I think this could easily be a thank you letter to Coach from any parents, anywhere.
Feel free to email it, print it out, or use social media to share it with the youth sports coaches in your life.
Thank You Coach: A Letter from Parents Everywhere
As another sports season wraps up, I’d like to take a minute to marvel at the wonder that is the volunteer youth sports coach.
By the time I finish the train-wreck that is dressing and fully equipping my kids for practice each week (twice), I’m pretty excited to send them out on the field and put a little distance between them and me.
But the coaches? They feed, dress and prep their own kid(s) and then spend the next hour or two with ten more!
Once we finally arrive at practice (late, probably—I’m so sorry, we really tried), I enjoy the actual practice time. It is a blessed hour where my kids are not talking to me. I love my kids more than life itself, but man, they have a lot of words!
But the kids don’t stop talking just because it’s time for practice, so you know who’s absorbing all that verbal yak-yak? The coaches.
And the questions?! Oh Heavens, the questioning!
If I have to field one more in-depth interrogation about why water is wet or how birds fly or who would win in a battle between Iron Man and Captain America, I fear my head could explode.
Meanwhile, the coaches are fielding questions tenfold. Why does the soccer ball go squishy? (“I think you mean ‘flat.’”)
Why can’t we use our hands? (“Because those are the rules.”)
But why? (“Because then it wouldn’t be soccer.”) But whyyyyyy?
Bless them.
They teach. They encourage. They correct.
And they do it all for free.
Correction: even less than free, because coaches do it at great cost to themselves. They actually spend quite a bit.
They spend their own money on equipment, supplies, and snacks.
They spend their own time making plans, drawing plays, and filling out paperwork.
They spend their own sanity positioning little feet, settling teammate squabbles, and ignoring asinine commentary from parents.
Youth sports couldn’t happen without volunteer coaches and we are just so grateful for all you do.
Even if our kid never scores a goal, never earns a run, never makes an out, they’re still better for having spent a season under your guidance.
So, thank you for volunteering.
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for teaching.
Thank you for coaching.
Thank you.
With Love and the Most Sincere Gratitude,
Parents Everywhere
*If you’d like a clean, printable pdf-version of this thank you letter to coach from parents, feel free to download it from the resource library. You can print it on cardstock and frame it as part of a nice coach’s gift for the end of a the season.
If you don’t already have access to our free, password protected resource library, you can get access by clicking here.
So true ! It’s an often overlooked fact about our kids coaching. We forget to thank the mentors. Thanks for this beautiful reminder. I will make sure to send a thank you letter!
Thank you, Cynthia. You re right. It doesn t matter the sport, good coaches are so important. Please share this post with any coaches you know or parents that need to be reminded to be grateful for their kids good coaches.
Love this! Those volunteer coaches really are heroes! It’s nice to show your appreciation for the work they do!
This resonates with me so much. We just started football in August. My son isn’t the easiest kid to teach since he has adhd so his coaches have been anything but amazing to him.
Oh yes, this is so true! My granddaughter just finished up a soccer season. And she had the most wonderful coach!!! She was so good with the kids, encouraging, taught them so much, and overall made the season amazing!
What an encouraging letter for the coaches who do so much to help shape the next generation. It takes a special person to coach, and this would be a sweet gift for them!
Yes love this – they work so hard with our kids!