Ben and Mike return with one of their most honest episodes yet, tackling a feeling every parent-coach knows but few admit: the desperate, irrational need for your child to play well when someone’s watching.

What begins as a normal weekend of grassroots football — a couple of big games and the usual sideline chaos — spirals into a raw reflection on pride, pressure, and parenting. When Ben’s son Alfie picks up an injury and struggles through a match with a friend in the crowd, it triggers a wave of guilt, frustration and self-awareness that hits harder than any defeat.

Between the laughs, match analysis and familiar coaching highs, the dads ask the real question: are we pushing our kids to enjoy the game — or to protect our own egos?

Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iokfootball

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iokfootball/

X (Twitter): https://x.com/iokfootball

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iokfootball

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsonlykidsfootballpodcast/

Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.