How has being part of a football team shaped your family? Share your proudest moments for a chance to win £200!

[geemumsnet]

Come rain or shine, you’re always on the sidelines. Cheering them on, washing the never-ending messy football kits, finding that one missing shin pad …

Whether your little one is just starting out or you’ve clocked up years of early Saturday mornings and muddy kit bags, we want to hear your football family story.

Has being part of a team helped your child grow in confidence, make friends, or find their passion?

We’re also keen to hear about your involvement with the club! Have you become a volunteer, coach, or made friends with the other football parents?

Whatever your proudest moment, from their first kick to their latest hat trick, we’d love you to share it below.

One lucky commenter will win a £200 voucher to spend on anything your sporty family needs!

Comment below by Friday 12th September for your chance to win!

My child is not a natural sporty kid but gives it his all with football. He's made some great friends and it's lovely to see him red faced a smiling after every session, even when wet and muddy. He's certainly more confident than he was and more aware of how important team work is.

My child is more dertermined. He never wants to let his team down so consideres others feelings more.

So much!

Being a team player, camaraderie, friendships, kindness within competition.

How to deal with loosing healthily and with grace.

That parental support is always there, steadfast and with pride no matter the score, day, weather or time!

That they matter.

Ive learned how other parents see other kids, the encouragement and will for kids, not just their own, to do their best and praise them for it loudly and proudly.

I am not a football fan in any shape or form, do not watch it at home but every now and again I get to take my child as my dh takes our other child to their hobby. We can’t be in 2 places at once!
I find myself strangely drawn in, thrilled if anyone scores or misses due to the action that surrounds each attempt. The skills, look of determination and effort on their little faces, the joy when there is a goal is mesmerising to me. I diligently text the score updates to dh who is eagerly awaiting news. It’s lovely.

Dh “runs the line”, he gets abuse from parents but never lets it get him down. He always chimes up “they are kids!” To the mouthy overly invested sideliners.

Grass routes football is a lovely part of childhood!

My son has always loved football since was 2 years old and started training with his team he still plays for now when he was 5, moving into games when they were old enough as U7’s. He’s now about to start the new season as U13’s. He also plays for a local academy he joined a year ago, which he also loves. He lives and breathes football and has always been sporty. He's thrived and made lots of friends, and he’s part of the leadership group in his main team, which has definitely helped him grow in confidence, he’s a valued member of his team and newer team members have a lot of respect do for him.

I help as well with his main team, I’m our official photographer, will be running the new Matchday/training day app we’re about to start using, sometimes help our manager/head coach with some of the admin, have set up a fb group, try to arrange social events and we’re going to be doing some fund raising in the new season.

We’ve made some lovely friends over the years and we have a lush football family. I absolutely love being a football Mum and being part of the football world, and being on my son’s football journey with him. You can’t beat being stood on the sidelines on a cold winter’s day, or at a summer tournament. Grassroots football is the best.

My DS7 has been obsessed with football since he was a toddler with a mini goal in the garden. He started off in the Inclusive team (he has asd and adhd) when he was under 5, but he struggled as the team was fairly new and there was a lot of older kids. He was always upset as he could never win the ball.
I spoke to the Club welfare officer who said to try him in the main little kickers group. They gave him a 1-2-1 support. I’ve never encountered a mainstream organisation that is so supportive with SEN. They were looking for assistant coaches for his team, so I thought I would give something back to the club as they have helped him so much. I’ve learnt so much about football 😂. He’s now in under 8s with the season starting again soon. He can’t wait!! The whole club feels like one supportive family.

For my son, we moved house so he went to a different secondary school from all his friends, but we moved him to a football team in the area a year before our move,.and those friends from his football team became his solid group of friends at secondary school and it made such a massive difference to him

I have been going to football with my DS since he was 5 in the tots all running around after the football, to now in the under 10's all in position and passing and scoring goals. My DS is the smallest in the team - but won the penalty king this summer - which is my proudest moment (and his) I know the trophy will be sitting proudly on his shelf when he gets presented with it on the teams annual get together.

My son had a brilliant coach, and when he once gave backchat to him, they next match he was a sub, and had to watch on the sidelines. He later apologised (without anyone suggesting this) and learned a lesson in respect from that day onwards.
Sadly this coach left the next year due to pushy parents - and was a loss to the club.

My DS has played for the same club, and we are a 'family' from fundraising for kit's open days, signing on days, I am the treasurer for our club and manage the collection of subs - we have a safeguarding lead who have helped with the care of an individual child who was at risk.
My DC has a very strong friendship group, a sense of pride for his club and is a good sportsman - if they loose fair and square - then they accept and shake hands - it's they best outside school activity for children

I have been a 'touchline mum' for many years - have a down coat for the winter, and am involved with the committee - I enjoy the Sunday mornings, and training sessions, and my DC has such an enjoyable time being part of a team, he is proud of his kit, and the medals they get every year for each age group.
We have developed a very close friendship group, as have my DC's and have had many a sleepover with some of his teammates.
I hope these friendships continue, and if a scout comes along and sees a budding Messi - they that would be wonderful.

Since the Euros in 2022, my DD has played football - a new team set up by one of the dad's whose daughter wanted to play.
She trains, and they now play in a league - although we have to travel a long way for some matches - the Lionesses and their success have changed a lot of young girls lives, I help with the whatsapp group for match days and training sessions and am working to get a website up and running.

I have seen my DS's confidence grow, and his interaction with his peers, I am so proud of how he tries his best, gets up every Sunday looking forward to playing/training even if the weather is really bad.
I also have benefitted from the friendship of the parents, being a person who never really fitted in at school, feel I now have a group of friends who like me for me and don't judge - I am welcomed even though I was new to the footballing world.

Being a touchline dad, my proudest moment when the dad's took on the son's at the end of the season Dads v Lad's event , my son asked my to play - I had not played since school (not a sporty chap) but we had the best day.

Our local junior football club is now at the heart of our family, both my DC's now play for 2 teams - juggling matches can be difficult as I cannot watch them both.
They have a good healthy rivalry and are both better with discipline as they know from football if they don't train well or be sportsman like they will more than likely be chosen as a sub for the next match, so it teaches them humility, and sportsmanship - which is a essential personality trait going onwards.
My proudest moment is when DC2 went to DC1's cup final match to win the under 11's trophy - he wanted the win as much as everyone else, and went on to the pitch to hug his brother when the final whistle went - he would have never done this before joining a football club.

we are all volunteers, and it takes a lot of organising and fundraising, so thank you to all mums, dads, carers and grandparents, and club members who give up so much of their time so our children can have the most amazing experience.

My proudest moment, is when the coach chose my DS for 'most improved player' at the annual prizegiving, he goes to training, is often subbed and will go on for the last 10 minutes - but he loves playing with his friends, and cheers them on until then end of the match. It has given him pride, confidence, and better co-ordination.

It has been amazing for our family all 3 dc have played and now I do too. We set up a women's team as something to do whilst they trained and I now play 3 times a week. 10 years on many of the then young girls are joining our team.
The 18 year olds have been playing together since they were six. They are so bonded and it's great to have girls interested in their bodies for being strong and skillful rather than aesthetics. Can't rate it more!

Mine played from around 3 and still play now - they formed their own adult 6 a side team with friends (they're all 19- 22 and regularly beat the older players which causes a lot of argy bargy 😂 it helps that one of their team is a semi professional and one has just finished a football scholarship in the US.

My proudest moment was when my shy 8 year old found his voice through football, his passion for the game and his team - he learned to overcome his shyness and shout to his other teammates when passing and also to shout messages of support to other players - it's really brought the best out in him.

Football has really helped my child grow in confidence. It has built their confidence, kept them active, as they were a bit of reluctant to do any sport, its taught them the value of teamwork and discipline. I’ve seen them develop a resilience which will help them going forward—celebrating wins but also learning to handle setbacks positively. Most importantly, it has given them friendships and a real sense of belonging.

My proudest moment was when they all stood in silence to remember VE day - a young set of children all standing shoulder to shoulder - and when the whistle went after the 3 minutes silence - they all went away quietly to their positions - for young humans they ere very mature that day - all thanks from a directive from the club committee.

I didn’t realise how involved we would be! Assumed it would be a drop and run however it is very much not! But through it we’ve made a really good group of friends, and have enjoyed non football things together too - bbqs, and weekends away

We've had time together which I would not have without football, my DS has an elder brother who is SEN and has always taken a back seat, and although we try to manage behaviour it's always hard for him.
Football takes us away from that, he has freedom with his friends, and it does his mental health good - and mine, being with our football family - I am proud that he has football as an outlet and something to call his - long may the club life continue.

We've just started, and have been really welcomed into the club, and have volunteered to be the safeguarding lead for the club.
We now really look forward to the atmosphere and the way the payers have a good ethos of sportsmanship - even at such a young age.
My proudest moment was when my DC won man of the match on his 3rd match.
They do take it in turns - but having a trophy to display on his shelf made him proud.

What a lovely thread instead of the usual ones about how awful football is and how terrible the parents are!

My dd plays a lot of football. She plays in an u15 boys team for our local football club. She's the only girl in the whole league!
The way the team and parents have embraced and supported her has been great, we were worried at first that they wouldn't.
She also plays for her school team and is part of a talent hub for our local city team.
Unfortunately she snapped her acl at the beginning of the year and has had reconstructive surgery so she will miss out most or all of this season. She has a long road of physio in front of her.

My ds plays for the same club at u12 and the team have grown and improved so much it's been amazing to see. They went from being beaten 12-0 every week to finishing near the top of the league and they worked so hard and did it with good humour and supported each other the whole way.
Ds has a tendency to disappear into his room and wants to spend a lot of time gaming and watching YouTube, so football is a great way to get him out in the fresh air socialising and getting fit.

For the last few years I've had to give up weekend lie-ins, been stood on the sidelines in fog, rain, freezing temperatures in the dark.
There's been highs, lows and nailbitting matches.
The kids have made friends they never would have mixed with without football from all different schools and backgrounds and I have made some great friends with the parents. I've loved every minute of it.

Grassroots football is a really important and the coaches and club volunteers giving up so much of their time to make it happen are amazing 👏

My proudest moment was when my DS and his friends made up the numbers when they went to an away match, and two of the players did not turn up, they volunteered to pay for the opponents, the Coach was magnificent in the way spoke to the team about the away teams issues - the match - although a league match came to much more than that.
Eventually the away team folded and the remaining players moved over to our team.
It's a real moment of kindness, sportsmanship and humanity that young children need in their development.

My nephew lives in another country but loves to follow British football. When our local team made it to the Premier Leage, got him tickets and flew him over. He was the happiest soul on Earth! 🥰