I wish you were coaching my 9 year old's team. I offered to assist since she was coaching alone and she laughed in my face. (I just stepped away from assistant coaching my 12 year old's team which I had been with for 4 years.) Another parent told me yesterday that his offer to help had been brusquely turned down as well. He had coached his son's team before this year as well (and it is clear by watching the kid play that he has been well coached). I am trying to be a good parent (it is sometimes tough when you are used to wearing the coach hat), but I see her struggling and I don't know how to help without stepping on toes.I feel your pain. Im the coach of an U10 soccer team and consistently never have more than 8 of my 12 players at practice. I have tried to make other arrangments but between my own schedule, kids in football, taekwondo, swim and so on it is a major challenge.
The regulars i do have are the ones performing in games, while the others watch the wind blow, and cant remember which direct their supposed to go.
As others have indicated, rec sports has become about socializing and unpaid babysitting. My first interaction with my team this yr was an open invite to all parents to seek help during practice, i have yet to have a single parent help me since the season began.
As far as keeping it fun - especially at the young ages I couldn't agree more. Our 9 year olds never come across the field and high five all of the spectators like every other team in our league does - win or lose. One parent told me he asked his son why they don't and he said coach told them she doesn't want them to. It is little things like a fun game that teaches something but doesn't feel like work at the end of a practice, snacks at halftime, and - yes - even high-fiving all the parents and getting a "good game" after losing 10-0 that keeps it fun and keeps them coming back until they start to figure it out. I doubt that anything will change since I just learned that she sits on the club's board.