Best Ideas For Kids End Of Season Soccer Awards

So, you’ve come to the end of yet another soccer season.

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Though there is always drama in every team, everyone can agree that the celebration after a long few months of playing hard is the best part.

Best Ideas For Kids End Of Season Soccer Awards

Getting everybody together – coaches, parents, players, and friends – for an afternoon or evening of rewarding all of the effort and time that has been devoted to the team can end the season on a high note no matter what happened.

Even if it wasn’t your most successful season, celebrating the good attributes and skills of all of your players is a great morale boost for the next time, as well as a reminder of their talents outside of winning trophies and coming first.

Whether on the older or younger side, we all love getting a trophy. It’s important to consider everybody and give everybody and all abilities an opportunity to win something.

So, on that end, here are some ideas for rewards to consider, as well as a list of gifts and tokens you could utilize if you’re looking to give out a goody bag or prizes.

Possible Award Categories For End Of Kid’s Soccer Season

Even if you don’t have the budget to buy a medal or trophy for everybody, it’s super cheap and simple to print out certificates of recognition or commendation. That way, everyone’s contributions get acknowledged, too!

Though they’ll certainly appreciate any gifts or treats you throw their way, it is the receipt of praise in front of everybody that your kids desire, so it’s super important not to leave anyone out.

Remember, not everybody can be your Player Of The Season, and some kids really need the encouragement of winning something to encourage them to keep trying. After all, it’s practice that makes perfect when you’re not naturally gifted!

It requires minimal effort on your end, but your team will not only feel valued and appreciated but also reinvigorated if they experienced a lot of loss. This can spur them on to play better and work harder next year.

It’s super easy to come up with an award for all of your players – there are thirty above, and those are just generic! As a coach or a team parent, you will know your players better and can figure out some more personalized categories.

They don’t even have to be about soccer in particular – any attribute is worth mentioning, from a good work ethic to a player who consistently cares about their teammates. That said, recognizing everyone’s individual skills is good too.

To get all of the players involved, you could have a People’s Player Of The Season, where your team all vote amongst each other for the player they believe has performed the best this season, allowing you to give them a say in this ranking.

Best End Of Season Soccer Rewards For Kids

Either alongside a certificate or as part of a goody bag for all players, if the budget stretches to some gifts or tokens to commend your team on a job well done, there are plenty of options to consider. It really doesn’t have cost the Earth, either!

Framed Team Photo From The Season

This is a nice way to preserve a memory, as well as a token of their win if you had a lot of success that season.

You could have everyone’s names printed along the bottom too, so when they dig it out in 20 years it’s easy to take a trip down memory lane.

Certificate Of Achievement

You don’t even have to buy these premade – anyone with a computer can design a simple certificate and print it out onto some colored card.

There are a bunch of services out there that will do this for you, but if money is tight, this is the way to go.

Soccer Balls

These don’t have to be fancy designer sports balls like those used in the league. Any relatively decent ball that can withstand a good kicking will do and also ensure they have something to get some practice in with for next season!

Trophy/Plaque

Don’t go thinking you have to splurge on real gold, silver, bronze or metal trophies, though if you’re buying in bulk you’d probably be able to get a pretty good deal online.

The plastic ones will be appreciated, but the real deal, especially engraved, even more so if the budget stretches.

Medal/Ribbon

Again, you don’t need to break the bank picking these out. Something cheap and cheerful will be just as proudly worn by your players as the extravagant kid which would definitely eat into your budget.

Wristband/Keychain

This one is pretty self-explanatory – a soccer themed wristband, sweatband or keychain for your players is a cute keepsake from that season that they won’t just toss in the trash and can be picked up easily and affordably in bulk online.

Gym Bag

No, not a really expensive one from Nike or anything like that. Just a simple drawstring bag for their soccer uniform and cleats will do, possibly with the team’s logo or the player’s name and/or number if the budget allows for printing.

Sports Bottles/Mugs

Again, you don’t need to go fancy here. All athletes need a good sports bottle and everybody loves a novelty mug, so you can’t go wrong here.

Plus, they’re super cheap to buy a lot of at once, even if you’re having them personalized!

Stationary

Like a notebook or a pen with the team’s name or logo! Simple, straightforward, and somewhat useful, depending on how old your players are. These are great for bulking out goody bags if that’s the route you’re going down!

Sports Shirts (Out Of Season)

This is probably only for those teams with good sponsors and nice budgets, but if you’re able, a commemorative soccer shirt for that season will always go down well. Make sure it’s distinctive to their kit though, or it’s basically the same thing!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it’s really easy to put together a reward or two for all of your players after they worked their butts off for yet another season of soccer. You don’t have to splurge to let them know they’re valued, and you can even do it for (almost) free!

It’s also worth keeping in mind the humble pizza party: if you can really only hand out certificates, why not do so whilst enjoying a big old slice of pepperoni? Asking the parents to chip in for this would be appropriate too.

Remember: don’t ignore your wallflower players. There’s always something you can pick out and reward them for, whether that’s coming to practice on time every week or always trying their best to improve their skills in every game.

Likewise, rewarding those kids who shine bright and play best is also important! As long as you don’t make them the priority, it’s absolutely fine and we would encourage you to share in the joy of their successes with everyone.