Ollie Learns to Pass
Ollie loves to dribble the ball all alone, until the team learns a secret.
Ollie was the fastest player on the Blue Comets. He could dribble the ball spinning round twice and never lose it. He loved having the ball at his feet.
But Ollie never passed. Never ever! ‘Pass it here!’ shouted Kai. ‘Over here!’ shouted the others. Ollie just kept running, and running, and running.
Soon, three players from the other side stood in Ollie’s way. Ollie dribbled left. Blocked! He dribbled right. Blocked! The ball was snatched away, and the other team scored.
Ollie sat on the grass, huffing. Coach Beth the bear sat down beside him. ‘Football is a bit like a song,’ said Coach Beth. ‘It sounds best when everyone joins in.’
The next match, Ollie looked up before dribbling. Kai was free, waving both arms! Ollie passed. Kai passed to a friend. The friend passed back.
The ball zipped from foot to foot, and the other team couldn’t catch it! At the very end, Ollie tapped it into the net. GOAL!
Ollie didn’t run off by himself. He ran straight to the team and everyone piled in for a giant hug. ‘We did it!’ said Kai. ‘We all did it,’ Ollie grinned.
The little lesson
Great teams win together, and sharing the ball makes the game more fun.
Let’s talk about it
- Why is passing the ball important?
- How does it feel when someone shares with you?
Finish stories to collect Ollie as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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