Soccer Dad
A Memoir and a Guide
~ David Murray ~
“Soccer Dad is wise and funny and wonderful in every way. I think every sports parent (not just soccer dads) ought to read it.”
—Jonathan Eig
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of MLK: A Life and Ali: A Life
Soccer Dad (Disruption Books, 2026) is the story of a soccer-ignorant, sports-ambivalent writer who saw his daughter from the kiddie leagues through the travel-sports gauntlet to a coveted Division I scholarship. And then realized his work had only begun.
David Murray’s daughter, Scout, loved soccer from toddlerhood. Her drive and skill pulled the Murray family into the world of youth sports—one as culturally obsessive as it is economically exclusive, where each new achievement presents more challenges.
Youth sports is fun, but it isn’t simple—especially for parents determined to raise a rounded human being.
In Soccer Dad, David tries (and sometimes fails) to keep his perspective on the frenzied soccer sidelines; in post-tournament hotel happy hours; on the road to college “showcases;” and during soul-searching calls and late-night text sessions with Scout as she navigates the intense pressure of elite college sports.
On that journey, David contends with some of the essential questions facing parents of talented children: How do you guide without steering, motivate without pushing, and protect without smothering? And how do you learn from other parents—their good instincts, and their bad?
With humor and wisdom and love, Soccer Dad helps soccer parents, sports parents, all parents—to feel less alone, make more conscious choices, and savor our time on the sidelines of our children’s great adventures.
About The Author
David Murray is the author of several books, including Soccer Dad and An Effort to Understand: Hearing One Another (and Ourselves) in a Nation Cracked in Half.
David is an award-winning journalist whose writing on sports and other subjects has appeared in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Atlantic, and many other publications.
He is also editor and publisher of Vital Speeches of the Day, one of the world’s oldest continuously published magazines, and founder and executive director of the Professional Speechwriters Association. David writes daily on communication issues at Writing-Boots.com, and lives with his wife and daughter in Chicago.
“A vulnerable perspective of advocating for and raising a soccer player with big dreams in a confusing soccer system that does not always meet their needs. David’s reflections and admissions are an important reminder: We must let our children lead the way, decouple ourselves from their playing journey, and seek adults we trust to guide them.”
Skye Eddy
Founder of Soccer Parenting“Murray knew very little about soccer when his young daughter started playing … and he knew even less about travel soccer. In these pages, he aims to educate parents in similar circumstances … A clear-eyed survey of the tradeoffs of elite youth competition.”
Kirkus Reviews
“On its face, Soccer Dad is a father’s story about his daughter’s sparkling soccer career. But this is as much a memoir of a modern parent trying to make sense of his child’s gifts as it is a book about sports. I loved this book. Though it’s (thankfully) devoid of treacle, it swells with heart.”