The Match Decided at the End⚽

The team has lost every match, and heads are hanging low in the changing room. But your child has noticed something the others missed and has a plan. Perhaps the team needs to pass more, or give the player who always sits on the bench a chance. One teammate has stopped believing in themselves, and your child wants to help them look forward to playing again.

There are training sessions in the rain and mud, a coach who has doubts and a teammate who wants to quit. Then comes the final, with supporters in the stands and one minute left on the clock. Whether the ball goes in, and whether that even matters most, is for you to discover as you read.

This idea is for children who play for a club, kick a ball against the garage door every afternoon or have recently taken a defeat to heart. If your family loves another sport, such as basketball, hockey or rugby, you can write that in instead.

For a three-year-old, there’s the ball, the kick and the cheer when a goal is scored. An eight-year-old will recognise the nerves before kick-off, the joy of improving and the question of what matters more: winning or being a good teammate.

Add the team’s colours, your child’s shirt number and the pitch where you usually play. A friend from the team, a sibling in the stands or a parent as coach can all become supporting characters. If your child has recently scored their first goal or lost an important match, you could weave it in as something that happened last time.

Tell each other about a time when things didn’t go well and how you felt the next day. What can a good teammate do when someone makes a mistake? Go outside and practise something your child would like to improve, such as a pass or a penalty. Find more sporting stories under Sport.