“Well, let me say very selfishly that I’m glad you’re here coaching. On a personal level, my son has improved immensely under your guidance. What made you go into coaching children and not adults?”
“It’s much easier to coach children, for a start, when you don’t have years of football experience under your belt. Many of the top coaches and managers you see in the game were players for many years. On the other hand, my coaches when I was a child made a huge difference in my life. They were big inspirations to me, and without them, I wouldn’t be here now. I guess that’s what I wanted. To make a difference in these kids’ lives.”
“You absolutely do,” London said, typing furiously at her keyboard. She paused to flash me a small smile.
“Thank you for saying that.”
“Let’s talk about soccer. You said that your father was a team doctor for a Premier League team—that’s the top soccer league in England, for readers unfamiliar with it—but I imagine that took a lot of time away from you. Was that all that got you into the sport?”
I nodded. “It did. I started playing in the back garden with my cousin as a means to spend more time with him when he was home or during the summer when we have the off-season. Eventually, he realized I had some real talent and signed me up to a local team, and I discovered a true love of the game.”
“What position did you play?”
“I was in goal.”
She paused, fingers hovering over the keys, and smiled. “Well, that explains a lot. Was it your chosen position?”
“No, actually. I wanted to play in midfield, but my first team had a rule that we all had to try a position in every part of the team at least once. I’ve always been tall, and my then-coach recognized I had quick reflexes, so encouraged me to focus on it.”
“That’s interesting. I remember not long after I signed my son up and the soccer classes started that you did a similar thing to test them all. Was that inspired by your first coach?”
“Absolutely. Most kids dream of being a striker like Messi or Ronaldo and scoring hundreds of goals for all the glory, but it’s a team sport for a reason. Sometimes a kid who wants to be up front is better talented to being in defense. It’s also just great for them to understand the dynamics of a team and the fundamentals of each position. In my opinion, it makes them better team players if they know how hard their teammates are working.”
“That makes sense. It’s a good philosophy to have, and those team-building skills are invaluable in life in general.”
“Exactly. Even if they don’t pursue a career in sports, the underlying lessons will serve them well.”
“So you’re not just coaching them in soccer. You’re also giving them skills they can use later on in life.”
“Unintentionally, but yes. Everyone involved in a child’s life helps shape who they’ll become, and if that means I have a hand in shaping some great kids into great adults, then I’ve done my job well.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
London went on to ask more about what I did at the center. It was all very general stuff—the classes offered, the age groups, boys and girls, too. It definitely turned more into a minor advertisement than an interview, but I was pretty happy about that.
I’d talked enough about myself.
“Well, that’s about everything. Thank you so much for sitting down with me today, Oliver.”
“Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure.”
London reached over and hit the same button on her phone, presumably ending the recording. “I’ll write the introduction and close it out when I’ve written it up and edited it.” She tapped the mousepad with a flourish and sighed, then turned to me with a big smile. “Thank you so much.”
“Thank you for lunch. You make a great tuna sandwich.”
She dipped her head with a smile. “Thank you. You get a bit used to it when your child never sits still and is constantly hungry. The day he learned to make his own sandwiches was the best day of my life.”
I laughed. I could relate to that—that was me when I was a kid. “My mum always told me she was dreading me being a teenager because my older brother didn’t run nearly half as much as I did and he never stopped eating.”
“I don’t think I want to ask how much food she went through.”
“Probably best not to.” I winked.
London checked her phone. “I’m sorry, my lunch is done and I have to get to the office. Seb will be calling soon to set up our interview.”
I held up my hands and gathered the rubbish leftover from our lunch. “You go ahead. I’ll tidy up here.”