Kids just want to have FUN…

Kids just want to have fun and if they’re not having fun, they may not come back. At the end of the day it’s just a game…a kids game and in years to come when you look back at the results they will mean nothing….. Someone asked me the other day what would I say to a coach starting out? I remember reading...

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Please Don’t Quit

Oct 14, 15 Please Don’t Quit

Posted by in Coaching, Soccer Parents

We have all heard the stories of kids quitting. Research suggests that around 70% of children are dropping out of organised sports by the age of 13 and the stats are even higher for girls. Many other things contribute to kids leaving sport, but the number one reason is it was no longer FUN!! Now fun can be categorised into lots of...

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Touches and then, more quality touches!

Jun 11, 14 Touches and then, more quality touches!

Posted by in Irish Grassroots Football

If I want to be come a better writer I must read more books. If I want to be become a better footballer, I must get more touches of the ball. Well, that’s how it use to work. For many years now we have been comparing every promising young footballer to the talents of Roy Keane but we need to go back as far as 1999 Ray Houghton...

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My daughter likes football!

Apr 08, 14 My daughter likes football!

Posted by in The Coach Diary

I always taught my daughter didn’t like football. Yesterday she surprised me and asked ‘did I want to play 1v1 out the back?’. I answered, sure! As we walked out the back, she turned and said ‘get the goals, I’m not playing without goals.’ A few minutes later I had the goals out and we were ready...

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Kids Play, because it’s FUN!

Feb 27, 14 Kids Play, because it’s FUN!

Posted by in Coach Talk

This is an email that was sent to me by a coach of an u11s team. Here it goes: I have a group on Facebook for my under 11 team where we posted match reports and photos etc. They were beaten at the weekend so I did a little Q & A with them at training on Tuesday. Here’s what I posted in the group. I’d be interested to...

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