Daley Stevens has been taught to accentuate the positives and it’s the philosophy that the 21-year-old youth coach brings to the soccer field.
Stevens, a University of Oregon senior, started working with kids when he was 13 years old by assisting at youth sports camps and then teaching six-year-old children the basics of soccer while in high school.
After graduating from South Eugene High School, Stevens became an assistant coach for the Eugene Metro Fútbol Club, a competitive youth soccer program, now the Eugene Timbers Fútbol Club.
“I was ready to say, ‘I get kids. I understand them.’ Then I just had to apply it to soccer, which was the easy part,” Stevens said.
He honed his craft during subsequent years under the tutelage of his former high school coach, Jürgen Ruckaberle, and other professionally certified coaches. This past spring, Stevens took over as head coach for a U-13 team and has been able to create a competitive and enjoyable atmosphere for his players.
“Part of it is making it age appropriate,” Stevens said. “Kids enjoy fun things and moving around.”
The often-political landscape of competitive youth sports can lead to coaches and parents butting heads, but Stevens is proactive when it comes to developing rapport with parents and being accountable as a coach. He actively emails parents and holds individual meetings with them to discuss their child’s progression.
Stevens is also knowledgeable when it comes to strategy. He holds a United State Soccer Federation coaching license and several of his teammates on the UO club soccer team (for which he’s also the head coach) indicated that he is one of the most skilled players and most knowledgeable soccer minds on the team.
The respect Stevens commands from both his players and their parents has halted any arguments about playing time or strategy.
“He really thrives in that environment,” said Ruckaberle, who serves as the ETFC director of coaching. “I’m convinced that if he wants to continue to make coaching a bigger part of his life, he has a big career in front of him.”
Stevens is set to graduate this spring with a psychology degree. He would like to eventually work as a technical director, perhaps with the Portland Timbers Academy, where he’d be able to continue working directly with players. Another field he’d like to explore is conflict in sports, where he could work as a consultant for player-coach and parent-coach issues.
“He sees sports as a vehicle,” said his mother, Flo Delaney. “It’s not just an end. It’s a means as a way to develop kids as people.”
Between Stevens’ psychology background, experience with kids and passion for soccer, he offers the perfect skill set to excel as a youth coach. Most importantly, he knows why he’s there. The purpose behind every training session is the most fundamental, yet often forgotten concept of youth sports.
“How do you put that all together for the betterment of the child?” Stevens said. “Because in the end, that’s why we’re there, is for the kids.”
Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch