The blog is all about soccer now so get used to it...

...because nothing else is happening in my life. Except dogs.

We minded Sophie the golden retriever for a few days - while she was here our friends Steve and Meredith came over with their three hounds. It was a classic five-dog situation.

Meanwhile Marcus's Under 11s had their first game of the year, with me wielding the clipboard and doling out the oranges as coach. At this age they play 9-a-side. I have a squad of 18 players, which is ludicrous, and 16 of them actually fronted up on Saturday. We have 5 more games this term, and I will have a rotating group of 5 or 6 who will be "rested" each weekend just so I have a more manageable sized team.

The parents were very supportive and helpful, and the boys responded pretty well to what I asked them to do. I just asked them to focus on teamwork and encouragement - code for "please pass to, and refrain from abusing one another". I was relentlessly positive and that seemed to pay off - despite getting a pasting on the scoreboard, the kids didn't take it too hard. The opposition, Kingborough Lions, were very impressive.

In other round-ball news, my Friday night indoor team had a lively 9-9 draw, and my Saturday Over 35s outdoor team also drew 3-3. I played better with the oldies than I have before - I made less mistakes and helped set up a goal. There's a much bigger gulf between indoor and outdoor than I ever imagined, but I am getting my confidence on the ball back gradually, and starting to learn all over again about wind and grass and potholes and big open spaces.