🎧 Episode Description:

What happens when a club decides to stop accepting mediocrity? CJ Sutherland, Director of Coaching at DFW United, joins us for a powerful, no-filter conversation about resetting standards, rebuilding culture, and facing the uncomfortable truths about youth soccer leadership. From confronting coach behavior to setting non-negotiables with parents, CJ breaks down what it takes to lead with purpose—and why anything less is unacceptable.

🧠 Key Talking Points:

• How CJ is transforming DFW United from the inside out

• Rebuilding trust and accountability between coaches, players, and parents

• The role adult behavior plays in club culture and player outcomes

• Non-negotiables: what they are and why every club needs them

• Why complacency spreads when leadership is inconsistent

• The difference between coaching effort and coaching results

• Redefining success in youth development

• Addressing fear, blame, and silence in team environments

• The impact of ego—on the sidelines, in the office, and in the stands

• How to protect players while still pushing them

🎯 Tune in to learn:

• Why CJ believes culture is built—or broken—at the top

• What real accountability looks like on and off the field

• How DFW United is working to create a sustainable, competitive identity

• The honest truths clubs must face if they want long-term success

• CJ’s advice for any leader trying to shift a broken system

💬 Quotes – CJ Sutherland:

You can’t build a culture on silence.

Every player wants to be pushed—they just don’t know it yet.

We don’t have to scream. But we do have to demand.

Complacency is the biggest opponent in youth soccer.

Parents can’t be your ally if they don’t know the plan.

If the coaches don’t believe in the standard, the players never will.

You either coach it, or you allow it. There’s no in-between.

The game doesn't care about your feelings—neither should training.

We’re not chasing wins. We’re chasing habits.

If your identity’s tied to a result, you’ll always be chasing confidence.

🔖 Hashtags:

#ChatByThePitch #DFWUnited #YouthSoccerCulture #CoachCJ #PlayerDevelopment #SoccerLeadership #HoldTheStandard #SoccerParents #AccountabilityMatters #CultureOverComfort

📲 Connect with CJ Sutherland

📷 Instagram: @dfwunitedsc

📘 Facebook: DFW United SC

✉️ Email: DFWUnitedsoccer@gmail.com

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