Harnessing the Impact of Meaningful Connections

It’s basic knowledge to know that having connections is crucial. Especially in football. 

One common mistake plenty of young footballers make is being too quiet on and off the pitch. And it may be because of how kids are these days. They tend to be closed off and usually only stick to interacting with people they know. They’re shy about meeting other people and introducing themselves to others. But a great life skill is the ability to converse with adults other than parents or relatives. Having this life skill and level of maturity will help you grow faster and go farther. You will have a better cache of success being mature around adults. 

If you want to be successful in football, you must also be able to establish relationships with other players and coaches. Be social. Get to know your teammates. You don’t know the connections another player or coach may have that may benefit you in the future. Or they may become good friends. You can experience your football careers together.

I have a great example of how connecting with teammates can benefit your game and give you opportunities.

When I was 15, playing for Calgary Foothills, I had a teammate named Danilo. We connected well and pushed each other in training to perform better. We often chatted about going to different places for football. Our connection off the pitch benefited our chemistry on the pitch. He was a left-back, and I was a left-winger. We often combined in matches and worked exceptionally well together because we knew in advance what each other was doing on and off the ball.

One day after training in mid-August 2020, we talked like usual while taking off our shoes and shin pads. He told me about an opportunity the following weekend, a trial for an academy in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

As he told me more about it, his dad suggested I go with Danilo to the tryout. The Moose Jaw academy coach was a close friend of Danilo’s family; they both had Serbian backgrounds. The academy coach trusted the dad's judgement of players.

My family and I drove six hours to Moose Jaw the following weekend. I performed very well in the tryout. The coach told my parents and I that Moose Jaw Soccer had recently signed a deal with Scottish club Celtic FC to have an official Celtic academy in Saskatchewan. The goal of the Moose Jaw Celtic Academy was to train for a year, then travel to Scotland and train with the Celtic Under 17 Academy, play matches against them, and see how many of us they might sign.

The coach invited me to move to Moose Jaw, join the academy and live in a billet family with two teammates. I had two weeks to make a final decision. 

We had to pack everything I owned and move to another province in less than two weeks. We had to figure out schooling and plenty of other small details that popped up.

It was a bit stressful and scary time, but I was excited about the new opportunities and people I would meet. The only people I knew were Danilo, the coach, and a few boys from the tryout.

I had to be in the billet house in Moose Jaw before November 1st. I didn't know anyone in the new school I enrolled in. Everyone was a stranger except Danilo.

I lived in Moose Jaw for five months, training every day, three times on the weekend, until COVID hit Saskatchewan and everything shut down, including the academy. I then had to move everything back to Calgary and restart my life back home. I never made it to Scotland.

It was a short period, but looking back, some of the most beneficial times of my life so far.

This story shows why building connections can be essential and provide you with opportunities to advance in your footballing journey. In the short time while in Moose Jaw, I not only improved as a footballer, but I also improved as a person. I gained loads of independence and matured in not just my everyday life but in my game. I still chat with some of the Saskatchewan teammates and the billet family I met in those five months.

I know it’s easier said than done, but be social. Introduce yourself to people, ask them about their personal life when appropriate and remember a few key details about them. You never know when you’re going to have an impact on someone or how they will impact your life. 

Recently, I’ve found while playing and coaching that the soccer community in Calgary is so tiny. I often run into former coaches, players and parents from past teams or clubs I’ve played with or battled against. I still keep in touch with several players and people who have played a positive part in my life. It’s also vital to leave someone with a great first impression of confidence when talking to them, asking questions, and building relationships with those you meet along the way. 

To any footballer reading this, I strongly encourage you to talk to more people. Don’t be shy.  Coaches look for a positive character and attitude on and off the field. Build positive connections. You never know what opportunities others have or where it will take you.

#enjoytheprocess

-Alec Wells