Mike Petke Searching For Balance With Work, Family

SANDY, Utah – The latest edition of the Mike Petke Coaches Show, hosted by Brian Dunseth dives into the personal life of the Real Salt Lake head coach and trying to find a balance between his busy work schedule and spending time with his family.

Petke knows that the business as a professional head coach is very time consuming, but is searching for ways to turn the switch off at home is what he admits is a challenge.

It is also unveiled that the RSL coach has a great clothing style, but it isn’t coming from him.

Sacrifices In Sports

Although, very fortunate to work in sports professionally, Petke has made some major sacrifices. He has missed many events throughout his playing career and now as a coach.

“Literally, too many things to talk about,” said Petke on the amount of events missed due to work. “My very best friend from New Jersey got married and I was his best man. I was not at his wedding, so they got a cardboard cutout of me in my Colorado Rapids uniform and one of my friends stood behind the cutout of me and made the best man speech,” he said.

On top of weddings, Petke said that he has missed a lot of family events with his parents and siblings. One event that he will miss in May is his son’s confirmation, because Real Salt Lake will be on the road against Colorado on that day.

“This is the life that we have chosen and this is understood from family and friends,” he added.

Petke thinks that it is impossible to shut his brain off and not think about work around the clock.

“My mind is always on my job,” Petke said. “It’s unfortunate for my immediate family, my wife and kids. I recognize that I have not been a good son or brother. I do think I have been a good husband and father,” he added.

He has had to manage his time accordingly, especially when he gets home from practice and gets a call from owner Dell Loy Hansen or general manager Craig Waibel. The RSL coach has had to learn when to answer and call Waibel back or take the call.

“If you want to be successful in this job, you have to be willing to sacrifice certain things and you have to have people around you who get that,” he said.

Wife Picks Out Clothes?

While the club was in Seattle facing the Sounders, Dunseth received a lot of tweets, asking what kind of shoes that Petke was wearing during the game.

“I could make up something right now, but I don’t have a clue,” Petke said. “Everything I wear, Kim [Mike’s wife] bought it and she has instructed me of what to wear from my shoes, all the way to my shirt,” he added.

Petke was wearing a Nirvana shirt during the coaches show, last week, he was wearing a U.S. Curling shirt.

The Mike Petke Coaches Show can be found on the KSL TV app.