Women's football: what makes a good captain?
What I'm not going to do here is state the obvious and tell you, "To play football you need a ball, boots, shorts, etc." If I did, you'd only come back to me and say, "This guy's a genius! You need a ball to play football? I'd never have worked that out for myself." Don't worry! I've got other things to share with you and I hope they'll be useful for you.
You're a listener
If you want to be a good captain, you need to be approachable, thoughtful and available. You also need to have a natural gift for listening. It'll really help your team-mates to talk freely with you and to tell you things that are essential to the harmony and success of the team.
In that respect, you are the link with the coach and the team's other leaders and go-to players.
You're a talker
Communicating and bringing people together are essential skills for any decent captain.
Feel relaxed at the idea of talking to the team or the local media? (And just to make it clear, we're talking about radio and newspaper interviews here, although you wouldn't have a problem doing post-match interviews on national TV.)Then what are you waiting for? Put yourself forward for team captain next season.
Do you also have the ability to lift your team-mates before the match. Do you know how to project the ambitions and values of your club?
Then the captain's armband is definitely made for you.
As the spokesperson or ambassador of your team, you can also play a bigger role at your club, passing on your advice and experience to younger players at coaching sessions.
Ultimately, being a captain is a bit like being a good colleague at work: you take responsibility, you don't give up at the first obstacle, you're not afraid to make decisions, you can bring a team together, you can set examples, and you can embody the values of the company you work for.
This article was co-written with:
Romain da rocha
Product leader
I love team sports more than anything else and like a lot of other players I've been playing football since primary school. Football has always been part of my everyday routine. I used to play in the playground and after school with my friends in front of my house. I carried on playing every day at secondary school, where I finally decided to join my first club, in the Paris region. And I've kept on playing all the time since then.
I don't have a speciality because I've played in every position: central defender, full back, wide midfielder, goalkeeper and centre forward!
That's just the way I am. Even at work I like to be versatile and adapt to the constraints of every task I'm given.
