In his first season as Head Varsity Soccer Coach, Mickey Watson had a memorable conversation with Middle School Soccer Coach Rich Shock. His colleague gave him some advice while pointing to Callard Hall (Lower School building): “You need to figure out how to get those boys to fall in love with soccer.” As Watson thought about how to do just that, an idea came to him: Invite Lower School students to serve as ball boys at home games. “How exciting and memorable would it be for them to walk out with the referees on game day?” he said.

With help from a couple members of the Parents Association, there was no shortage of willing participants. “Having the boys at our games has been an incredible experience,” Watson said. “I’m typically tense before games,” he continued. “However, I’ve found that interacting with them — playing Rondos or World Cup — has helped me relax. More importantly, I’ve heard a few of them say, ‘I can’t wait until I’m playing on varsity like the big boys.’ That was my ultimate goal with all of this.”

Below, third and fourth grade boys share about their experiences.

Jack C.: “I liked feeling like I was contributing to part of the game. It was cool to see how fast and tough the varsity boys are and it makes me want to work harder as a soccer player so I can make varsity when I am in high school. An exciting moment for me was being included in the team huddle. It made me feel like I was part of the team.”

Travis B.: “My favorite part of being a ball boy was going into the dugout with the team. I saw the coach talk to the team and show them what to do better.”

Luca D.: A standout moment of the game was “when they scored a goal to tie the game in the last 15 seconds.”

Cameron C.: “My favorite part of being a ball boy at the soccer game was meeting the players and helping them out with the game. My other favorite part of being a ball boy was having fun with the other ball boys: we played soccer with each other and then with Coach Mickey before the game started.”

Andrew L.: His favorite part was “watching the game up close and feeling like a part of the game.”

Will S.: His favorite part was “getting to run down the sidelines and playing with the coach before the game.”

Noah R.: “My favorite part about being a ball boy for Gilman’s varsity soccer game was getting the ball and giving the ball back to the players. An exciting moment for me was when Gilman scored its fifth goal of the game.”