Football season is upon us, and millions around the United States are suiting up for the love of the game. The sport is extremely popular at the high school and college level, and players of all ages will be looking to have as much success as possible. Even if they might not realize it, one of the most important things a young player can do is listen to their coach. Here is a closer look at five reasons why this is so important.

 Coaches have been there, done that

Most football coaches are former players, and a lot of them have played at the college level or beyond. That means they know quite a bit about the sport, even if a young kid thinks they know more.

Flaws can be pointed out, then worked on.

Friends and family are always going to be supportive, but that might not always be the best when trying to improve. Every single football player has something they need to improve on, so it is important to identify those flaws and work on them. Coaches can do that, because they aren’t afraid to tell a player what they might not want to hear. Even when thinking about who is the best fantasy football player in the NFL, they had coaches along the way point out flaws.

Parent figure

Football players come from many different backgrounds. However, every player could use an additional parent-like guidance. Even though it is just a game, a lot of life lessons can be learned from football. The sport will be taking up a lot of time this fall, so kids and young adults should embrace the parent-like aspect.

Football prepares for the real world

There might be times a player is extremely frustrated with their coach, but that’s life. The same thing happens with teachers, bosses and more. Football is a sport, and each player is supposed to have fun. Have fun, because a boss down the road will probably make a football coach look tame in comparison.

They make the decisions

Ultimately, the coach makes the decisions. If a person wants to really have success during the football season, they need to be on the playing field. This does not mean a player has to suck up for playing time, but just be coachable to avoid being punished for not following directions or rules.