The Value of Learning—and Having Fun. Coach Terry Lynch on His Nearly Three Decades with Town Soccer

Terry Lynch coaching Town Soccer at Henderson Field

I remember several years ago taking my young boys to “town soccer” for the first time. As we walked down to Henderson Field along Riverview Road, we caught sight of a man in the distance leading a group of enthusiastic young soccer players in a morning greeting. I was sort of taken aback by how well his voice carried—I could hear him clear as day from about 100 yards away. My son hustled to join the group. As I caught up, coffee in hand, I was immediately blown away by his unbridled energy. “Good morning! Are you guys ready to play soccer today? My name is Coach Terry! First things first: we’re not only going to get our voices warmed up, but our whole bodies warmed up!” And then the kids started jumping up and down. Jumping for joy. “Why? Because it’s Saturday!” Terry proclaimed. It was clear this person had a way to connect with the kids. 

If you have had young kids involved in sports activities with the Swarthmore Recreation Association (SRA), chances are you too have seen Coach Terry in action. Terry Lynch has long been a fixture on our local soccer- and tee-ball fields. With an infectious energy, Terry has dedicated his Saturdays to teaching kids the basics of soccer and baseball, emphasizing the importance of having fun. I chatted with Terry this past week after learning he was planning to (mostly) hang up his black cleats after 27 years on the field. (Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.)

Chatting with Coach Terry for this interview

Greg: Your love for soccer is palpable. How did you get into it? Was it something you played as a kid? What fuels your passion for the game?

Terry: I played in the Saturday morning recreation league in Nether Providence when I was in elementary school, so you can consider me a disciple of the late great Bob Urban and the program that he set up across the creek. I think I started late—maybe in fourth grade or fifth grade—but I really loved it. And when I came back to Swarthmore as an adult, I was in graduate school, living in the Dartmouth Court apartments—and, looking out my back window at the Swarthmore-Rutledge School fields, I thought maybe I should give back and become an assistant coach.

Greg: So what year was that?

Terry: I think it was 1994 when I got involved: I went to the sign-up table and said, “I can help coach.”

Greg: And you’re a Union fan, right?

Terry: Oh yeah, absolutely. We had a big group of the “Sons of Benjamin West,” and for a few years there was a heckle-thon. We had a great time stirring up trouble in Section 118.

Greg: I remember seeing your kids helping out on the field. Was that something that just evolved, or did you ask them to help?

Terry: No. I brought them along. Sometimes you’re just working short, and you need the help. I think it’s a great thing to do. We’ve got a number of mentors that Sarah put in place this season, they’re in around grades seven through nine. It’s a good way for kids to get involved in doing a little community service. They’re good souls and have helped me over the years with town soccer—as well as tee ball when I had that mantle for a couple of years. And they were also playing baseball. But when I reflect on what some of these kids—who were 14 or 15 at the time—have gone on to do, it’s extraordinary. Some became class presidents in college, one was a candidate for mayor in Minneapolis, and many became drum majors in their marching bands. A lot of them seem to go on to do important things. And I think getting them to learn how to blow a whistle and command 4- and 5‑year‑olds was teaching them a life skill, you know? 

Greg: There’s a lot of life lessons that kids can take away from playing team sports. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve wanted kids to take away from town soccer?

Terry: You read so many ugly stories about the behavior of sideline parents in youth sports (particularly in youth soccer). But town soccer has never been like that. Coaching town soccer seems simple, but the work involved is actually tremendously complex. My two goals—“learn” and “have fun”—are deeply thought-through. I tell parents, it’ll be wonderful if you get a division-one soccer scholarship, but I’ll be just as happy to see your children eight years from now dancing in The Nutcracker, or playing ultimate frisbee, or swimming, or performing in a marching band. As long as they’re getting out in the fresh air and participating in a big group, if town soccer is their launching pad for that—that’s what’s important to me.

Greg: Speaking of ultimate frisbee, your kids are now involved in that sport, right?

Terry: They’re both playing it. I’m coaching the junior varsity boys (which is part of the impetus for me stepping away from soccer a little bit). Ultimate’s a great sport. I think it’s philosophically a lot like town soccer. It’s self-refereed. It’s got a community that extends beyond the school district to the Philadelphia area and even to the world beyond. It’s great because, when the disc is in the air, it’s as competitive as anything, but I think the teams are less tribal than in a lot of other sports. You come away from an ultimate match with respect for your opponents and a community that you can go hang out with, and talk about the game with. It’s not like anything else I’ve seen.

Greg: Stepping away “a little bit,” huh? Will you still make appearances at town soccer?

Terry: Oh yeah, absolutely. I’ve been helping the new director, Billy Lynch, learn the ropes. And honestly, once my sons are grown and gone, if they go far away, I would like to be able to come back, put on the black shoes, and sing some soccer songs again.

One of Coach Terry’s pep talks

Greg: I remember bringing my boys to town soccer for the first time, experiencing your pep talks and song circles. Was that something that evolved over the years, after you got more comfortable in the role? Or is it something that you were inspired to do from the start?

Terry: It was definitely an evolution. I think the challenging thing about a recreational program is that you need to teach the game and at the same time keep the door wide open for kids who are differently abled. I’m not willing to compromise on a poor throw-in. I want quality soccer, wherever I can get it. And that can create some tensions within a community—some people like it, and others want the standards to be more relaxed. So, trying to find a balance, that’s how I landed on the key ideas: “learn” and “have fun.” I do want people to learn how to play it the right way. If kids want to go on to join a travel team and be in a competitive framework, I want them to be prepared for that—but I also want them to have fun. So, I got to thinking about what “fun” is. In a lot of programs, people just get a bunch of kids together and get them to play. But when you’re a young person doing that, you sometimes think, “What’s the big deal about that?” You miss the fun a little bit. That’s why, even when we’re doing warm ups, I’ll say, “We warm up our voices so we can be loud (because this is a place where we can be loud); we warm up our bodies so we’re ready to go and play”; but then we also “warm up the heart.” And part of what got me doing those warms ups was being a Union season ticket holder and getting into their chants and songs. I thought, why shouldn’t that be part of our program too? Why shouldn’t I adapt the songs for the kids at town soccer? So I began teaching them to clap and stand up and cheer. And it was an instant hit. I sometimes hear from parents that they’ve got little ones in the back of their minivan singing the town soccer song. To me, that’s really heartening—because those memories are what last.

Greg: My boys asked me to ask you how you were able to manage so many kids without going crazy.

Terry: My professional background is in education. Though I’m now a healthcare consultant, I was trained as a secondary school educator. But it turns out that early childhood education is probably what fuels me. And that’s one of the reasons that coaching town soccer has really sustained me. I’ve really never left teaching. It’s always been there. Life is long and can be bumpy at times, but teaching has been a constant for me—a source of strength.

Greg Were there some mornings when you just didn’t want to do it? You just weren’t feeling it?

Terry: Yeah, I had a couple. There was one rough year in particular—and I give a lot of credit to Don Henderson, who had that old school attitude of “get back on the horse and keep riding.” And then, once it was a habit, I saw how it sustained me. I knew I would come back on Saturday afternoons in a great frame of mind. Why would I want to stop? On just about every other day of the week, I need coffee to get going—but not on Saturdays. Of course, it’s tough when it’s rainy. Rainy days are always the hardest.

Greg: Of all the Saturdays you’ve been down at Henderson Field, does any particular one stick out from the others?

Terry: Yeah. There’s so many. For example, this past year, at the end of a session, a young man came up to me and introduced himself. It was Dave Knapp. Dave had been one of my referees—he was with me from grade 7 through 12, and now his nephew is part of the 10 o’clock group. I’d wondered what had happened to him after he graduated. And it was just so nice to see him again, as a young man—coming back here, checking back in, making that connection—it was genuinely thrilling and special.  

Greg: So what’s next for Coach Terry?

Terry: I’ve wondered about that myself. It depends on where life goes. My decision to step down was mostly a life-stage thing. Once my kids are grown and gone, there’ll still be a crying need for referees. So I would consider doing that, especially for the under-12 travel soccer set. I might also help to grow ultimate frisbee—that’s a sport that’s very much in my system right now. 

But know this: there are lots of people who contribute to the community—in so many different ways—and have stepped up to help. Is that special? Yes. But is it also something anyone can do? Absolutely! So, whether you want to play soccer, or join the volunteer fire company, or get involved in some other way—assume you’re valuable.