Set the Table
Whether your final game is filled with exuberance from winning or tears from a painfully abrupt end to the season, players tend to open up and express more in that moment then they do all season.
You’ve seen it. We’ve seen it.
“I loved playing with you”
“You taught me so much, thank you for everything you did for me.”
“I couldn’t have been who I was this year without you”
“You made me a better person and a better player”
“I love you”
There are so many great sentiments shared at the end of year, oftentimes communicated by each other for the first time. Unfortunately for the team’s sake, it takes place after the season, missing the opportunity to have grown the relationships within the team during the season.
Would your teammates have grown closer if some of the sentiments had been shared sooner? Would you have coached greater if you truly knew the impact you were having? Would a players confidence have increased if they knew what their teammates felt about them.
"“At the end of every the season the amount of encouragement I receive from my players is overwhelming. They share so many nice things, things I would’ve loved to have heard in the midst of our season.”"
Head Varsity Football Coach
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Lesson Plan
Example Video
See Say Goodbye Today in action below to get a better understanding of how to teach the the Exercise.
Exercise Reminder Card
To emphasize and reinforce the lessons learned in this exercise with your players, download and share this graphic with them 24 hours after completing the exercise.
Quiz Questions
Use these questions below to engage after you have taught the exercise.
- An encouraging word should __________________.
- Why is it important to not wait until the end of the season to share a positive message with a teammate?
- What happens when teammates feel loved and appreciated in the early stages of the season?
At Home
Coaches, use the below question, reflection, and action to engage parents, guardians, and other family members in the lessons learned in this exercise.
Suggestions on how to use: Email to parents the day you have taught this lesson, add it to the materials you send home, or text it to text message threads with your players.
- Question: What does Say Goodbye Today teach about the importance of sharing encouraging words with teammates now and not waiting until the end of the season?
- Reflection: Which words of encouragement that were shared with you had the most impact?
- Action: Discuss how you can continue to share meaningful words of encouragement with teammates throughout the season.
Coach’s Reflection
Coach, take a moment to reflect on the lesson and how you can lead by example to your players.
Coach, our job is to keep our team growing and moving forward throughout the season. In doing so we can get so caught up in the process of improvement that we forget to share words of encouragement. Make it a priority to continuously share words of encouragement with your team throughout the season.