The ones responsible for the kids’ success are off the field
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Text: Linda Gutiérrez
They are always busy multitasking. They prepare the uniforms, the meals, they take their children to training, games and they are their biggest fans and supporters: they are the soccer moms, mothers that dedicate a big part of their day to soccer, to their children.
Neither Messi nor Cristiano
For a soccer mom, her favorite player is her child, her favorite team is her child’s. There’s no Messi or Cristiano that can be better than her child. Soccer moms are like a “barra brava” that get together to support their children. They sit on the field’s edge, just a couple of meters away, in a folding chair that they carry themselves, and they speak about one common topic: soccer, soccer, soccer. Soccer mom, is a completely American concept that grows day after day on the soccer field, as they support their children. Fabiola Izaguirre affirms the following, “I tell my son that the most important thing is to work hard and give your best in the game.”
Organized soccer moms
In some soccer clubs, soccer moms meet to raise funds to support their children’s soccer teams. They also organize parties to create more unity among all of the club members. An example of this would be the FC Banfield soccer moms, who built friendship and relationships around the traditional Argentine “asaditos” or barbeques. The soccer moms scream and clap all game long, but they respect the coaches’ roles, as mentioned by Susana Pertierra, who supports her son in the PSG Academy: “I tell the other soccer moms that the coach is the one in charge. He is the one leading and we must trust him.”
5 ideas to recognize a soccer mom:
1. She always wears a cap and sunglasses.
2. She is always fashionable, wearing yoga pants, sports clothes or shorts.
3. She is constantly screaming at her child: “drink some water”
4. She’s always got a Starbucks coffee cup in her hand, or a glass of water or homemade lemonade.
5. She’s a faithful “Soccerplus” reader.
Ursula Imanha
Kendall Hammocks Lightning
Children: Gael, Yago, Jaszchuk Imanha
“My children were raised in Argentina, that’s why they like soccer. Over there, kids play soccer all the time even with a ball made out of rags”, comments Ursula without taking her sight off the field. “Being a soccer mom involves getting up early to take the kids to school, go to work, pick them up afterwards and making sure that they do their homework before coming to soccer training. Additionally, I bring them to soccer training three to four times a week.” “I do a lot of sports, and I teach my children the importance of stretching. For my kids, soccer is a life philosophy.”
Vanessa García
FC BANFIELD
Children: Gean y Lucca Infantino
“For a soccer mom, it is more important to watch her kid’s game than to watch a championship game between Argentina and Brazil. I don’t even go to the restroom when my kid is playing. My children come to training from Monday to Thursday and play tournaments on Saturdays.”
Nora Sánchez
FC BANFIELD
Hijos: Ignacio y Nicolás Flores
“I like the Banfield club because the kids are integrated, they have friends, and they enjoy training. I’m a soccer mom because I love to see my kids play sports and learn about teamwork.”