UQ Soccer Game

Nathan's soccer team was asked to be ball boys for one of the senior team games. I thought it'd be a fun opportunity for Nathan to see what could happen down the road if he decided to stick with the sport.

After a quick pep talk with the coach, our boys waited for the senior boys to come out of their locker room and they marched alongside the big boys onto the field.

Look at how small our boys are beside the senior team!

All three teams lined up before the start of the game (missed that photo op) and after the two playing teams shook hands, our little guys took off to their spots on the field.

Had I thought this through properly, I might have realized that being a ball boy meant Nathan and his teammates would have to stand around for 90 minutes. I might have also considered letting Caleb stay at home.

However, I didn't think it through properly so it wasn't until right before he set foot on the field that Nathan found out he would be standing for a very, very long time.

Caleb found ways to entertain himself. It mostly involved kicking a ball around with Andrew (because I was given a firm "no") and eating snacks brought by the other moms.

I was afraid Nathan would be stuck on the field with nothing to do for the whole game, but soon enough, a ball flew past him, out of bounds. After a quick shout from Andrew, Nathan took off after the ball, grabbed it and brought it back to the field, placing it decisively right at the edge of the grass. A split second later, he realized he should probably kick it to the player waiting for the ball a couple meters away, so he booted it over then resumed his position on the sidelines with a newfound excitement for his job.

Nathan got a few more chances to chase the ball down throughout the rest of the game. He did really well getting the ball to the right players!

Originally, there was supposed to be another U7 team there and they were supposed to play a mini game during halftime but since they didn't show up, our boys just kicked the ball around. It gave them all a chance to get their blood flowing again.

We didn't take as many pictures during the second half. Caleb kept munching on snacks. The moms had some snacks and drinks while we chatted. 

After the game, the senior team shared some pizzas with our team for their help. Can you see how much Caleb loves all the attention he gets from Nathan's team?

Nathan was thrilled to have had the opportunity. On the way back to the car, he asked if he could be a ball boy for the senior team again.