Every few years, I revisit this exercise—to remind myself the reasons why I coach college soccer. When a season gets rocky (and let’s be honest, that happens more often than most of us like to admit), it helps to look back at the motivations for why we coach, most of which are unrelated to winning a championship.
Before reading my Top 10 List, try writing your own list for your sport and team. If you don’t, that’s okay—maybe this list will spark a few of your own reasons for stepping back onto the field (or into the gym) year after year.
10. No Worse Than My Childhood Soccer Coaches (Who Were Really Hockey Coaches)
I grew up in Minnesota, where many of my youth soccer coaches were old hockey coaches picking up an offseason gig, or paycheck. Most had no idea how soccer was played besides that it was on grass instead of ice.
They’d yell things like “Get the damn puck in the net!” without realizing they were giving themselves away. Soccer concepts like pressure/cover/balance, proper spacing, and passing angles were unheard of on my youth soccer teams.
So yes—it’s comforting to know the bar for “better than my old coaches” was set low enough for me to skate right over, even though I can hardly skate.
9. The Thrill of the Unknown
By the time you hit fifty, life doesn’t throw too many pitches that you haven’t seen before. Most days and weeks follow a predictable rhythm.
That’s what makes coaching so exhilarating. Every match unfolds with its own unpredictable storyline—decisions, emotions, and outcomes you can’t script. Even when the unknown ends in defeat, that surge of nerves and adrenaline reminds me that I’m alive and doing something that truly matters.
8. Eager Beavers
In my day job, I teach high school science. It’s meaningful work—but not everyone in the classroom wants to be there. Coaching, however, offers the joy of teaching people who want to hone a particular craft or skill.
Student-athletes crave feedback, chase growth, and apply lessons in real time. Seeing something we worked on in practice show up in a game is the kind of professional satisfaction few jobs can match and one of the key reasons why I coach college soccer.
7. Winning Still Feels Really Good
Let’s be real—winning is fun.
In my younger coaching days, it ranked high on my list of reasons to coach. Now though, I find joy in witnessing any team rise to the occasion and beat a quality opponent—even if that opponent is my own PCC Panthers.
When a team gets a big, emotional win, it validates all their hard work. I enjoy the simple fact that players will be able to tap that emotional feeling for years to come, just like I still do from my biggest wins as both player and coach.
6. The Great Oregon Outdoors
Oregon’s fall weather was made for soccer. From August through late October, we get crisp mornings, golden light, and perfect playing temperatures.
Coaching gives me an excuse to spend more time outside—soaking up sunshine, breathing fresh air, and breaking away from the screen. Even the rare soggy sessions have a way of keeping me grounded, healthy, and grateful to get to coach a college soccer team.
5. The (Small but Honorable) Paycheck
Let’s face it—I’m not in coaching for the money. If I calculated my hourly rate, I’d probably laugh… or cry.
Still, in more than three decades of coaching high school and college teams, I’ve never turned down that paycheck. Earning even a modest return for something I genuinely love is a reward in itself—and one I’m deeply thankful for.
4. Connection Through the Game
Soccer is a beautiful, collective puzzle. Coaches can guide, but players must constantly read, adapt, and trust each other.
I love being part of that shared process where teamwork takes over and leadership emerges naturally. Beyond tactics, the relationships formed through journaling, training, and shared experience are what make it all meaningful. Together, we are learning about the game, life and ourselves.
3. Tapping Into My Childhood Joy
My youth soccer teams were anything but good—we won fewer games across all my years of playing than you have fingers and toes. But I loved every minute of playing “goaltender” for those stickless hockey teams—which helped turn me into a starting collegiate goalkeeper.
The muddy fields, the laughter, the post-game exhaustion of making 38 saves—it all built a lifelong love of sport. Coaching lets me revisit that feeling again and again. When I step onto the field, I’m that same youngster, diving after something much bigger than the numbers on the scoreboard.
2. Making a Difference in Young Lives
One of the greatest joys in coaching is helping student-athletes find their voice and confidence.
Team sports offer a rare space to fail safely, test leadership, and build resilience. Watching my players grow not just as athletes, but as people ready for what comes next—that’s the ultimate reward. The lessons they learn through effort, adversity, and teamwork reach far beyond the field, and I adore seeing my players become leaders in their communities after playing soccer at PCC.
1. Coaching Is the Ultimate Puzzle
For years, I thought my top reason for coaching soccer was to make a difference in athletes’ lives. While that’s definitely important to me, I’ve realized something even more irresistible: I love solving puzzles—and coaching a college soccer team is my ultimate one.
Every new season feels like a treacherous dungeon full of traps, dead ends, and detours to nowhere—each to be avoided at all costs. Meanwhile, our group of players and coaches—each with unique skills, personalities, and goals—must blend into a highly functional unit racing to face the final boss in peak condition. What an exhilarating puzzle to try to solve before time runs out!
Afterthoughts on Coaching the Perfect Team
Although the puzzle of putting together a successful college soccer team is my #1 reason for coaching, I’ve never truly perfected a team—and I know I never will.
No season ends perfectly. Even when you win the championship, there are always games where your team didn’t play its best. The imperfect becomes permanent in the stat book. Thankfully, that gives us permission to go out there and do our best on any given day. Neither coaching nor life is ever perfect. “Good enough” is all we can ever hope for—and that’s good enough for me.
Happy Coaching,
Coach Shawn
I hope you enjoyed the top 10 reasons why I coach college soccer.
- What’s the #1 reason you coach your team?
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