Balancing Soccer, School and Social Life

Are you stressed, blessed and soccer-obsessed? We bet you are! Especially as you play at a higher level [varsity, collegiate or pro], it can be extremely challenging to fit in time for others, let alone any time for yourself!

It's not easy to balance soccer, school, and social life when you are committing over 2 hours a day to the sport that you love...

Lucky for you, Team SGP has experienced it all! We compiled a few pointers and tips to help you find the healthiest and happiest balance as you advance in your soccer journey!

PRIORITIZE
What is important to you in-season, post-season or in the off-season? It's crucial to understand what is most important to you when trying to schedule your time.

Our best advice to you is to:

A) Make a list of your current priorities or goals

EX.

1. Score 10 goals this season

2. Earn a 3.5 GPA for the semester

3. Improve my relationship with my friend

B) Now make a game-plan...a list of small steps or stepping stones to get you to where you want to be!

1. Score 10 goals this season

Game plan: Schedule in 30 minutes of extra shooting practice with a coach on Mondays and Wednesdays.

2. Earn a 3.5 GPA for the semester

Game plan: Study at least 2 hours while en route to away trips [3 scheduled for this month]. Go to the library in between classes on Tuesday and Thursday.

3. Improve my relationship with my friend

Game plan: Text my best friend from home 2x a month to check in and see how she's doing! Plan a coffee-date once a month! Literally, SCHEDULE IT IN YOUR CALENDAR!

TIME MANAGEMENT

Ladyballers, it can be intimidating fitting in studying and writing papers in between practice, technical sessions, fitness sessions, extra fitness, film sessions, talks with coach and team social or volunteering events!

We'll never forget one of us crying our eyes out in the locker room after practice because of feeling "overwhelmed" from school and our soccer schedule. We looked at our week as a hot mess rather than tackled each thing at a time in an organized manner.

Our best advice to you is to:

A) Create a Google calendar or shared calendar with your coach/team

B) Invest in an agenda or desk/wall calendar!

C) Schedule everything. Literally, block off times for WHEN and WHERE you have things going on - even your nap or "free" time!

D) Utilize your travel time on buses, trains and planes to get your studying in! Write your 10-page paper in all of 4 hours on the way to your away game. *Get it done beforehand, you might be exhausted after you score 3 goals ;)

When you have your crazy schedule mapped out in front of you, it's easier to realize how doable it is! Prioritize and you'll be fine.

SCHEDULING CLASSES
*if this applies to you and your school

This is extremely crucial if you have the opportunity to pick your class times. Luckily for in-season athletes, more often than not you get to pick first for classes before the rest of your classmates. This is a MAJOR KEY so that you can schedule classes around your practice and game schedules.

Make sure you pick realistic times so that you are not overwhelmed rushing from one class to another then straight to practice.

Choosing Professors

In addition, ask older teammates about certain professors because there will be times you need to miss class because of an away game or mandatory soccer event. There are some professors who love athletes and some who are stricter...that's just the reality!

Our best advice to you is to:

A) Pick a professor that works well with athletes
B) communicate with them early in the year that you may or may not have to miss a class at some point but you'll always provide an absent note from the athletic department
C) Remind the professor that you'll do everything you can to make up for missed work!

If you do the above, you'll be A-OK (GET IT? Because chances are you'll get an A?) Alrighty, let's move on.

PICKING A MAJOR

Shout out to you collegiate ladyballers! We know how stressful it can be trying to find a major that works well with your soccer schedule.

Usually, nursing students or engineers have a hard time finding the healthy balance between labs, studying and soccer practices or games!

Our tips to you would be to:

A) Do your research before you pick the university to attend. Ask the coach about his policy with students who have more time-consuming majors.

B) Ask around the team or contact the team captain. Do they have student-athletes who have the major you want? How does their schedule work with soccer? Ask for tips and tell them to be honest!

C) Ratemyprofessor.com - Read reviews on your teachers beforehand!

FITTING IN A SOCIAL LIFE

Ladyballer, let's be real. You've lost count with how many proms, sweet 16s and bat mitzvahs you've missed in your lifetime because "you can't you have soccer".

Sometimes, we're just too tired to even go out and socialize! This is where we can go wrong...You NEED to hang out with your friends and family to have a well-balanced life.

Our best advice to you is to:

A) For every invite you say NO, say YES the next time. Even if you go to the party or event for 30 minutes to an hour. Go show your face and get some social time in!

B) Pick roommates who are NOT on your soccer team! All three of us SGP ladies roomed with other athletes on the softball, basketball and volleyball team! Every time we walked into the living room, we relaxed and bonded with other friends who cared about us!

C) If you have time, go grab coffee with a classmate or join a campus club! Just make sure that it's not another sport, your coach will not want you getting hurt.

We hope that these tips were helpful. We wish we found a healthier balance with school, sports, and social life when we were younger. Learn from our mistakes and JUST HAVE FUN WITH IT ALL!