The brutal truth about wanting your kid to shine

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?

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