Managing
kids
versus
clients
Picture this: It’s a crisp Saturday morning, coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, and Emily is on the sideline clutching a clipboard while nine ten-year-olds zoom around like they’ve just chugged three litres of fizzy drink for breakfast. Welcome to the other side of Emily’s life, where she manages her son’s junior soccer team. Spoiler alert: it’s not just the kids who need managing—it’s their parents too.
Now, as someone who spends so much of her weekdays managing client relationships when approached to manage the team a few years ago she thought “How hard can it be?”. Turns out, junior soccer is a masterclass in multitasking, diplomacy, and, occasionally, refereeing (on and off the field). Here’s what Emily has learned about managing a soccer team and how it surprisingly mirrors client management.
Drawing
parallels between managing
clients vs. kids
Communication is key
Even if it sometimes involves raising your voice a ‘little’ to be heard, lol! In marketing, clear and timely communication keeps the wheels turning. In soccer, group chats are essential for coordinating practices, games, and snack rosters. Repeating yourself and suppressing the urge to say “ as per…” features heavily in both roles!
Managing expectations
Parents want assurance they have bred the next Lionel Messi. Clients want their Google ads to deliver leads overnight. In both cases, Em has had to master the art of setting realistic expectations. “Your child can score a goal… if they stop chatting long enough to kick the ball” isn’t so different from explaining, “Yes, SEO takes time, but you’ll see results if we stick to the plan.”
Coaching kids vs. managing clients
Both kids and clients sometimes have a knack for unpredictability, but the way it plays out can be wildly different.
Take the kids: one moment, they’re laser-focused on the ball; the next, they’re practicing cartwheels or inspecting a particularly interesting patch of grass. Clients, however, require a more nuanced approach. We are always happy to pivot if necessary, but the timing of the pivot in relation to the project running to time (and budget) is critical. Like when you are about to launch a new brand or a new website but in the 11th hour there is a "quick tweak" required, that’s anything but quick.
At least on the soccer field, you can shout or whistle to bring back order. With clients, a well-timed phone call is necessary to keep things moving in the right direction, but it’s not quite as satisfying as that quick “oi” that halts chaos in its tracks.
Juggling a million moving parts
Between organising training, coordinating carpooling, and ensuring there are enough kids on the field come game day, the admin side of soccer team management is eerily similar to marketing. There’s strategy, timelines, and a million little details to keep track of. Forget one thing, and you’re fielding multiple messages about what field to meet on or shock horror… no goaly on game day.
The whistle as a power move
We’re not saying Em has considered bringing a whistle into the office… but we’re not not saying it either. She finds there is something immensely satisfying about a quick blast to command attention. Maybe she is just waiting for the day it becomes socially acceptable in meetings.
Lessons in patience and perspective
At the end of the day, whether it’s kids learning to pass the ball or clients adjusting to new marketing strategies, it’s all about patience and perspective. The victories—a well-executed play or a perfectly crafted campaign—make all the chaos worth it. And when things don’t go to plan? You brush off the grass stains (or metaphorical ones) and try again next week.
Conclusion
Managing a junior soccer team has been an unexpected crash course in leadership, empathy, and staying cool under pressure. And while Em is yet to yell “SUB!” during a client meeting, she’s not ruling it out. After all, marketing and soccer both thrive on teamwork, communication, and maybe a little bit of luck.