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Godfather of the goal scorers
Don Corleone has nothing on Sterling's Bob Gannon.
Gannon is the head coach, the godfather, of the Sterling Youth Soccer Association [SYSA] U14 team The Scottish Mafia. He was recently honored as D.C. United's coach of the month for June 2008.
Regarding the name of his team, he said, “I give my kids the chance to come up with a team name. One year, a kid came up with the Scottish Mafia, and we went with it.”
Gannon began coaching his son's soccer team eight years ago with no prior coaching experience in soccer.
“When the kids are young, coaching is easy. If they are kicking the ball towards the goal, they are doing something right,” Gannon said. “Up until about the age of 12, the game isn't so much about keeping score as it is trying to keep the game fun and the kids interested.”
He continued, “I adapted over the years to the game. I learned by watching and by reading online, but ultimately you coach to how your players play.”
And his players play well.
Gannon's gang is a force to be reckoned with, compiling a 29-4 record over the past two SYSA seasons.
Gannon now coaches eighth-graders who are on the verge of competing at the high school level.
“It's more competitive now, so I try to run my program like a high school program,” he said.
Going beyond the scheduled practices times the team is given twice a week by the league, Gannon also sends out e-mails to his players about extra practices and off-season workouts.
“The commitment of my players makes it easier,” Gannon stated. “The kids have bought into my system. They work hard at practice, which translates into working hard during the game.”
Gannon, who sees himself as a father figure to his players, describes the real honor of the award as being two-fold: “One came from a parent standpoint. The other is the proud sense that comes from knowing that you're making a difference in a young person's life.”
With plans to continue coaching youth soccer and a desire to help out a high school team, Gannon said, “I want to get involved however I can, even if it's just shagging balls.”
Don Corleone could certainly respect that.
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