Matt Laight is an accountant at Shell Canada and a longtime hockey player. But Matt’s favourite time each week isn’t in the office or on a rink; it’s on a pitch, coaching the Boys U11 Wolves in Foothills’ developmental program.
Matt’s coaching journey began two outdoor seasons ago, when his son’s team needed a coach, and no one stepped up. With a mandatory coaching clinic looming and still no volunteers, he came to the rescue. “I just didn’t want my son to end up without a team,” he explains. “I jumped in so the kids could play.”
“The weekly practice with the team has honestly become a highlight of my week,” he says. “I’d never even played soccer before. Now I love it, and I love coaching.”
He arrived as a hockey player who knew nothing about soccer. Now he follows the game, studies sessions, and turns up each week with fresh ideas, often based on drills he’s researched after asking or hearing directly from the players what they want to learn.
A Recreation Team Where Everyone Belongs
The Wolves are in the developmental program, designed for kids who love the game but don’t want to commit to multiple nights of soccer each week. That means a team of mixed abilities where everyone belongs.
“We’ve got everyone from kids who have never played before to some with lots of experience and incredible skill,” Matt says. “It can be challenging, but my main goal is that every player is engaged, has fun, wants to come to games and practices, and feels like they’re developing in the way they want to.”
Sometimes that development flicks a bigger switch. Last season, two players who only wanted to play once a week gradually became more curious and competitive and chose to move into the developmental plus program, a moment Matt describes as “incredibly rewarding.”
He also builds in small, personalized challenges. One player was lightning fast but avoided physical play, so Matt quietly added a safe-contact element to drills to build his confidence. Those little details, he says, made a clear difference.
Coaching with Empathy and Resilience
Matt is open about his own experience with anxiety and says it shapes how he works with his players.
“I recognize it when I see it,” he says. “I try to meet the kids where they’re at and talk to them and parents about resilience.”
He spends time during and after games helping players measure success without a scoreboard: Did you try something new? Support a teammate? Execute a skill we’ve been working on? Show a bit more courage than last week? Watching the players have the confidence to apply what we’re practicing is great. That, he tells them, is success.
Volunteers: The Outstanding People Who Make Foothills Successful
Matt says Foothills gives volunteers like him a strong platform to succeed.
“The facilities and equipment are huge,” he says. “We thrive with the time and space we have. And when we ask for advice, Foothills is there. They answer questions, give feedback, and even let us attend academy sessions to learn. My coach tip would be: don’t be afraid to ask Foothills for help.”
Foothills talks about developing excellent players and outstanding people, and Matt sees that come to life in everyday moments. One of his favourite examples is a new player whose older sister, Kalina, previously played for Foothills. Though she no longer plays with the club, Kalina still believes in “soccer for life” and now helps at practices.
“She’s amazing with the kids,” Matt says. “That’s exactly what ‘outstanding people’ look like.”
Kalina, too, is enjoying her time with the team. She says, “I’ve been playing soccer since I was 5, most recently playing with the Foothills WFC 09 Tier 1/2 team. I’m taking a break from playing this season to focus on my studies. Working with Coach Matt allows me to still be involved in soccer and with Foothills. Coaching these young athletes reminds me of my beginning days in soccer and seeing the potential in each of these players to become the best of themselves.”
When his players move on from the Wolves, Matt hopes they carry one thing with them.
“I want them to remember that winning isn’t the priority nor is it the only measure of success,” he says. “You’ve got to measure what matters.”
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