Coach finalist for junior title
John Dentice from Kapiti Coast United Football Club (KCU) has been named as a finalist for the McDonald’s Junior Coach of the year competition.
With three finalists being named from each of New Zealand Football’s seven federations, Dentice, who coaches the 11th/ 12th grade KCU Thunder, goes above and beyond for the team despite his lack of coaching experience.
“As far as I know it’s his first season coaching and by his own admission knows very little about football,” said KCU chairman Darren Reynolds. “All our coaches are volunteers and he stood up at the start of the season despite his lack of experience. This is what makes his nomination that bit more special. He has instilled into his team that it’s all about having fun and not the win/lose ratio and they have really done that.”
Nominated by the team’s parents for his ‘amazing attitude and constant positivity’, a quote from one of the nominations reads, “John is an amazing coach for our KCU Thunder team.
“He is always so positive and goes out of his way to make them all feel like champions (when there is no way we are!).
“John has a great sense of humour in his emails to the parents, brings chocolates to the game for the kids, hires out Action Indoor Sports if the fields are too muddy to practise and shouted all the kids pizza for reaching 25 goals this season.
“It’s a really tough job coaching our team and he does it with a smile every time.
“Amazing attitude and well deserved nomination.”
Dentice’s KCU Thunder play in the Capital Football competition with Dentice named as a finalist along with Gary Hewson (Greytown) and Kelly Lloyd (Brooklyn Northern United).
“I started coaching by default,” Dentice said.
“I was just a dad of the team and they needed a coach so at the last minute I said I’d have a go.”
Dentice has never played football himself but is helped out by the kids being in a grade where they are still learning the rules themselves.
“The parents have been absolutely awesome. It’s been a team effort from the supporters too as we are certainly not the top of the table.
“I’m under no illusion that this nomination is for my football knowledge or wisdom.
“For our guys the real success is that they have fun and they wanna come back and play next season. There’s a whole heap of stuff that I think kids can learn from playing team sports — how to win with humility and how to loose with grace, fair play, teamwork and what it means to be part of a team.”