About Team Tisell: What I Learned From Coach Grandpa

I didn’t grow up playing soccer — I grew up watching it.

My dad was a professional soccer coach in Sweden, working at the highest levels of the game. He coached in the top two divisions, served as both head coach and assistant, and was part of the team that won the UEFA European Cup in 1987. He’s also a Swedish Champion — the highest honor in Swedish soccer.

Those achievements matter — but not for the reasons people usually think.

Seeing moments like this up close taught me something important early on: trophies fade, but how adults show up around the game stays with kids.

That’s my dad on the left. This photo has lived on my parents’ wall for as long as I can remember — part of the background of my childhood around the game.

What stayed with me wasn’t the trophies.

It was how he showed up around the game.

Growing Up on the Sidelines

As a kid, I followed my dad from field to field across mid and southern Sweden.

This was the 90s — before video analysis software or instant replays. He carried a magnetic tactics board. He studied VHS tapes. I remember the sound of the tape rewinding, his pen tapping against the table, and the way he quietly prepared for each match.

I remember the smell of damp grass.

The clack of cleats on asphalt.

Cold mornings warmed by coffee — never tea — because in Sweden, staying warm is half the game.

And always, something simple to eat after long days. Food mattered. Rest mattered. Presence mattered.

I didn’t know it then, but I was learning far more than soccer.

What Coach Grandpa Taught Me (That Still Guides Me)

Keep It Simple

Skill comes from time with the ball — not expensive gear or endless tournaments.

“Just touch the ball every day,” my dad used to say.

That idea still shapes how I think about development.

Let the Game Teach

My dad was passionate and intense — but never loud just to be heard.

He believed players needed space to think, read the game, and make their own decisions. Now, as a parent on the sidelines, I try to honor that same belief — even when I really want to shout.

Fuel and Recovery Matter

We didn’t rush from practice to sugar highs.

Meals were simple. Familiar. Supportive. Food was fuel — not a reward.

That perspective shows up in my home now, too.

Respect Comes First

Respect for teammates.

Respect for opponents.

Respect for the field.

Those values mattered then. They still matter now.

Show Up Fully

When my dad watched a game, he watched it.

No phone. No distractions. Just presence.

That’s something I try to give my kids, even when it’s chaotic, muddy, or hot enough to melt the sidelines.

Life Now: Four Boys, One Game

Today, I’m a soccer parent in Texas with four boys — each with a very different relationship to sports.

One plays for fun and friendship.

Two live and breathe the game.

And the youngest just finished his first season last fall — still figuring out what he enjoys and what lights him up.

I’ve learned to let go of expectations and stay curious about who they are — not who the game might turn them into.

If kids lose the joy, they lose the game.

Why Team Tisell Exists

Team Tisell isn’t a coaching brand.

It’s a space for parents who want to:

• support their kids without adding pressure

• understand the emotional side of youth soccer

• simplify food, routines, and game days

• keep perspective when things get competitive

  
  

Everything here is shaped by what I learned growing up beside a coach — and what I’m learning now as a parent.

Final Thought

Soccer teaches a lot — about effort, resilience, teamwork, and grace.

But kids don’t learn those lessons from tactics alone.

They learn them from the environment we help create around the game.

That’s the work I care about now.