The Coach Diary Football Blog

Author: The Coach Diary

  • Effective tips for talking to your coach

    Effective tips for talking to your coach

    Last week I received an email about a parent who wasn’t happy with his coach and asked about how to approach an issue. Well I’m delighted he did because it was a great question to ask and we all encounter a problem with a parent or coach at some stage.

    Talk to the coach

    If your child plays organised sports, there’s a good chance you will need to discuss an issue or problem with a coach. Regardless of the issue, your goal should be to work with the coach to reach a resolution that is best for everyone – your child, the team, the coach and you. Most importantly everyone should be in for the kids benefits.

    How to get your message across

    How you deliver your message will have a significant affect on whether you will be heard and whether your concerns will be addressed. If the issue is serious, don’t be afraid to talk with the coach. After all, you are your child’s only advocate and if you remain silent or let a problem fester too long, the situation may only get worse so finding an amicable resolution quickly, is very important.

    Here are a few tips to help ensure communication with your child’s coach is positive and productive:

    Approach your conversation in a cooperative, respectful and pleasant manner.

    As a parent, you are heavily invested in your child’s well-being, as well as being emotionally invested. But if you let your emotions take control of the discussion, you risk angering the very person – the coach – who can help your child succeed in the sport. So stay level-headed (calm). Understand that the coach must balance the needs of individual players with the collective needs of the team. Coaches have the challenge of hearing and accommodating all their players, not just one (A good coach will treat all the kids the same).

    Avoid talking to the coach right after a game or competition.

    Emotions often run high after games, especially when a team loses. This is not a good time to approach a coach with complaints about playing time or suggestions about game strategy. Unless it’s an emergency, wait a day or two to bring your concerns to the coach. Gather your thoughts, let things settle back to normal. Check your emotions and you just might discover that what was so important at the time is not worth pursuing at the moment.

    If, after a cool-down period, you still feel the need to approach the coach, contact him or her and schedule a time to meet. Make sure the meeting provides enough privacy so everyone can talk freely and enough time so no one feels rushed.

    Remain calm and use an appropriate tone of voice.

    The old adage “It’s not what you say but how you say it” comes into play here. If you approach a coach in an angry or accusatory (suggesting that one has done wrong) fashion, he or she is more inclined to dismiss your concern, and your message will get lost in the delivery. The right tone is a calm, even, conversational tone that fosters a feeling of cooperation and openness.

    State your concerns, listen and keep an open mind.

    State your concern in a straightforward and nonjudgmental manner, sticking to the facts. For example, blurting out, “Jack doesn’t get much playing time, and he thinks you don’t like him,” will only put the coach on the defensive.

    Instead, take a non-accusatory stance: “It seems like Jack is playing less. Is there a problem I should be aware of, how can he get more playing time?” Here, you are inviting dialogue and requesting help, not making accusations. Listen to the coach’s response so you can fully understand the situation and mutually work toward a positive solution. A compromise may be in order, it might also be an opportunity for the child to set some personal goals.

    A lesson in Life

    Sometimes, however, the coach’s decision won’t be what you want. This is a perfect opportunity to teach your child that you sometimes have to accept an authority figure’s final word, even if you disagree with it. (You have the right to take your concerns to another authority figure like the clubs development coach, DOF or committee. But remember that he or she will most likely defer to a coach’s decisions).

    As a parent, it’s up to you to set an example for your child on how to handle confrontation and disagreement with maturity and composure and there could be a life lesson here, that sometimes you just need to work that little bit harder.

    I hope this helps!

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions. Please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com, if you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend.

    Thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

  • St Kevins Football Club – Interview with Alan Caffrey

    St Kevins Football Club – Interview with Alan Caffrey

    I caught up with St. Kevins Boys Academy Coach Alan Caffrey recently and had the pleasure of  taking a tour around their fantastic facilities.

    The Dream

    While it is every young boys dream to become a professional footballer and it represents one of the most popular avenues of success in sport, unfortunately this venture is fraught with many difficulties and pitfalls and while many thousands of young boys choose to follow their dreams, very very few ultimately achieve their goal.

    Most English & Scottish clubs have people employed in Ireland on a scouting system. These scouts observe players playing in their own leagues and at representative and international matches, a player is sometimes invited by these scouts to participate in tournaments for the scouts club.

    A player showing promise is then invited by the scout to his Club for a trial or a series of trials. St Kevins Boys have operated an Academy structure since 1999/2000 in which their most promising players receive added coaching / training so as to help them in their quest for a career in football.

    In 2003 they entered into an Academy partnership with West Bromwich Albion which is still in existence and gaining in strength. The most promising players are assessed regularly by WBA but that does not preclude them from attending trials at other clubs.

    I sat down with Alan and we discussed Irish Grassroots football inside out, here is everything we talked about.

    Football as it should be

    With all this long ball stuff played in youth football, how is he getting his coaches to play out from the back?

    7-10s have to play from the back, regardless if they lose or not. All coaches are encouraged to get there teams to play from the back at all time, so that when teams move into the 11 aside game they are used to playing football the right way. Even if teams are losing games from mistakes by trying to play from the back, we still want are coaches to stick to the policy of total football.

    Are coaches encouraged to do their badges?

    Absolutely all coaches are encouraged to go and do their FAI badges and we also encourage them to go to other course; recently we had over 12 coaches go to the FCBarcelona Clinic in Carton House. Most have gone to the Grassroots in Birmingham, coaches have also gone over to West Brom. There is no point in telling kids to play the Spanish or Barca way and then not go and see how the Spanish coaches are doing it.

    The Players

    We don’t just encourage our coaches to learn, we also want our players to learn and we make all the players shake the coaches hands before and after training and match day. Anytime a player passes a coach in the club or outside, we expect the same. If a visitor arrived like yourself, they would have to go and shake your hand.

    We want out players making eye contact with the adults, we prepare them for England, so when they do go over on a trial, they are used to being around adults, they are confident and know how to introduce themselves etc. Confidence reflects a good attitude. We want all our players playing with a smile, enjoying football, we try to encourage a friendly and professional atmosphere at all time.

    You spend some time in the UK, can you tell me about that?

    I was at West Brom for 4years in the role of Assistant Academy Director from 7s to 11s and looked after the 12s & 15s.

    How did you an Irish man end up at West Brom?

    When I finished playing, I got into coaching at Kevins through Pat Cleary, who is now at Malahide as head coach and is probably one of the best coaches around today. At the time we had a link with Peterborough and through our various trips to Peterborough I met Aidy Boothroyd and we became good friends and when he was appointed as Academy Director at West Brom, he asked me to come and join his coaching staff.

    “I learnt so much from the man both on and off the pitch”

    Only after a month in the job he  joined Leeds United. For me at the time it was a little unsettling as I had just left everything behind in Dublin and now I might be out of a job. Fortunately for me Dan Ashworth who is the Sporting and Technical Director of West Brom took over as Academy Director at the time and he took  me under his wing and it was brilliant,’I learnt so much from the man both on and off the pitch’ He is an amazing man and he has taught me so much and I owe alot to him.

    Discipline

    Discipline is so important for a footballer. St.Kevins have one of the best records for premier teams, we don’t get players sent off and last season we didn’t have single premier player dismissed. If a player is sent off they must come before the committee and explain themselves before they can play again. If they are punished by the league and we believe that they were in the wrong, we will give them extra games suspension.

    “If you don’t have discipline, you can forget about it”, to often I see opposition players being sent off and being clapped as they walk off the pitch, I just don’t get that!

    Coaches and the Game

    The important thing for me is that the coaches are proper role models for the kids; to often we see coaches screaming and shouting at the ref, the players etc. If the kids see the coaches doing it then they are going to copy them.

    How do you feel about the competitive side of the game here, is it too competitive?

    Take West Brom for instance, there young teams, have no league tables, results don’t count etc. Player development is the goal, however when the players get to 18s and then reserves the jump for a lot of players is to big and all of  sudden you have gone from nice non competitive football to football that matters. Its a argument that has it pro’s definitely.

    Change in the Game

    Personally I cant see it ever changing here, but what I would suggest is non competitive football from age 7 to age 11’s and start at 12s, so no leagues, no cups etc.

    Then the 12 Premier is decided not on results but on an academy system like in England, where you are assessed on your facilities, coaching structure and how the club is run. Get an outside governing body to come and view your facilities, structure and then you are rewarded a certificate to play in the Premier.

    That might mean that some of Dublin’s top clubs might not get in, but that will encourage them to get their act together to get to the proper standard. It must be about development. Small sided games should be organised but kids should be just playing football. But I can’t see that change for a long time as people are too set in there ways.

    There are lots of things we can change, for instance having parent and coaches on opposites sides, like a scene from Braveheart, roaring and shouting at each another. All coaches should be on the same side and parents in an area on the other side. We have dugouts on one side of the pitch here and teams still come here and insist on standing at the far side of the pitch, running up and down the line, screaming and shouting at the players, they would rather to that then sit down and watch the game for the benches. For as long as there are no rules in place about parent and coach conduct on the line, this will continue to happen  and we just have to live with it.

    “You can watch our 11s and then go watch our 16s and the play the exact same way. Any player who moves up to an older age team can fit into the same system”. 

    Being prepared

    Is key, to often coaches blame the players for defeats. When some coaches win the coach is great but when the team loses the players are crap. If a coach is screaming and shouting on the line then he is clearly not done is work on the training ground. Great coaches, can just sit back and watch and give minimal instruction on match day.

    We have a technical programme here and the coaches are all responsible for putting it into place and each age group has expectations and goals from passing to dribbling etc. Every coach will be assessed at the end of the season and we go through each age technical programme and make sure that every player has completed everything that is in the programme. Each coach takes accountability for his own teams programe and must make sure every single player has completed their tasks. We all sing from the same hymn sheet – You can watch our 11s and then go watch our 16s and the play the exact same way. Any player who moves up to an older age team can fit into the same system. 

    Success

    Define Success, why has Kevin’s been so successful over the years?

    I think it depends how you measure success, is it to win leagues and cups; I measure success by

    1. Are we producing players for England.
    2. Are producing good decent people, are they doing well in School. 

    If kids are suspended from School then they don’t play, if they don’t do their school work then don’t come here. That’s how we judge it, people will probably say we are successful in the leagues, the cups and they travel all over Europe for tournaments, but we are player censored here; everything is about the player, what we can do for the player, physically, mentally etc.

    I think that’s the bases of a successful club and a lot of hard work is gone into this club being a success from our Managers, Players, Staff at the Club also our board of director and the fund raisers.

    Club has the Power

    There is no player power or parent power here, no parent is managing a son’s teams. We are yet to lose a great player to bad attitude or discipline. But the premier league is a wash with scandal and bad attitude, pick up any paper on a Sunday and read premiership players in more scandal and they get away with it. The young players today are so influenced by these stars and so much so that most will copy alot of what they do. For me discipline is number one here and in life in general.

    “All these scarfs around their necks, white socks over the clubs socks; my attitude to all this is when somebody pays you to wear that, then you can wear it. If you have sponsorship then so be it, but until that day, you don’t wear any of that here”

    Is all the ambition for players to go to England, why don’t we see more players going to Europe?

    I think language barrier might be a factor, the Premiership is what they see every week. We have a young lad here Jack Byrne and for me he is so fitted to the Barcelona style of play. That’s why we play teams from all over Europe, are premier teams will never go into tournaments that they can walk away with.

    Last year our 10’s played Bayern Munich and drew 1-1, we lost to St.Pauli and Bayern Leverkusen beat us. We want that, the players can see that their is a different standard, its not just about being the best in Ireland we want to be able to compete in football terms with teams in Europe. Last year we held a tournament here with our current u13s (See below for Easter tournament details), who are a smashing team and we didn’t win a game. I have people say to me, why don’t you get teams that you can beat? for me its not about that, you gotta show our players their is a different level of football out there, outside of Ireland. England is one level and Europe has many different levels. I want our teams to be getting results against the best of teams in Europe to show that we are doing something right and if we don’t then we know what we have to stride too!

    “Control what you can control, within your club”

    What age to you recommend kids to go abroad?

    Some say 16s, some say 21s. I believe they should get to where the facilities and coaching is better and the earlier the better as they will develop better. I don’t see why kids should stay here and try play leagues of Ireland, the league is dead, no financial backing, clubs are in debt, the facilities are shocking, clubs don’t even have their own training facilities. I recommend they get their junior cert and if they are talented enough they should go. Junior cert to 18s is a good age if they’re good enough. Clubs Educate kids now, so its different and better for the player.

    Arsenal have just signed a lad from here and then they go and sign a player from Barca, so they need to go over as quickly as possible to have a chance. Its not easy for 15 year old to go over to England, they see brand new stadia and lovely facilities on Sky Sports but then they get over there and they’re dragged out of bed early, its dull and wet and they are doing all sorts of jobs. However, if they can get through all of that and they are talented enough, then I don’t see why they can’t make it to the top.

    Ireland’s in Decline

    But thats not to say that we aren’t in decline, I firmly believe that by 2015 we will not have an international squad being picked from Premier league players, its getting less and less. There is not much coming through and the top teams are going global to get players.

    Last year with had 2 players on contracts, this year we have had 15 players go on trails from different age groups; come here on a Saturday and it’s ‘scout city’, we need to make sure it doesn’t go to players heads and parents don’t get caught up in it.

    Spain, Portugal, Brazil, all have a style, they are all on a journey to their destination which is how the national team plays, in Ireland we have a journey but no destination, we have no style, why?

    We go to Ireland games now and the style is what it is but if I had 10 free tickets for any Ireland game I wouldn’t send my players, because there not gonna learn anything. Spain have a belief how football should be played, from young to old and they stick to it.

    If you look at England they have this academy system and they want to play like Spain, so they get foreign managers to try and achieve that; but really the only way this can be achieved is to get an English manager and play the English way from young to old and why do England fall short every time is because they try and switch up how the play every couple of years. They think they play dream football, EPL is not an art its a hussle and bussle and when its slowed done to Barca pace, they struggle to adapt.

    Control what you can..

    Talk to me about Change?

    Dan Ashworth and Aidy Boothroyd always said to me, ‘Control what you can control, within your club’ don’t worry what goes on in Leagues, The FA’s etc.

    Too often rules are forced on clubs and we don’t consult the people at the top. Take the age change rule which is coming in this year, why weren’t the top people from around the country that are involved with clubs not consulted, the likes of Pat Cleary, Noel White, Jimmy Jackson, these people have been in the game for such a long time, these are the people we need to be talking too.

    This is the problem in Ireland, if your not connected to the big leagues like the DDSL etc then you have no say. These people will speak out and say whats wrong with it. These men should be involved with the FAI, with our international teams and no disrespect to the current coaches but these men should be consulted, they are at it a long time and down at grassroots level.

    The rule for 99% of people who play the game week and week out, this rule had no affect; so for the lads that play international football who have around 5 games a year this rule was brought in for them. We will just get on with it but other clubs, smaller clubs will struggle with this rule; trying to adapt from 7v7s to 9v9s into 11v11s etc.

    Also bringing the All Ireland cup to the new age of 11s, which really its u10s and having teams play 9v9s in the league and 11v11s in the cup is madness and I can’t believe someone hasn’t stopped this. On the flip side I don’t envy their job and until younger people are prepared to step in and change that mentality, then the link between the boards and the young kids will always be far removed. The FAI need to do more for with the leagues, get more involved.

    Grassroots

    What changes would you like to see?

    Recently Sky did a programe report on grassroots in the UK and how it needs drastic change, but if the same report was done here in Ireland it would be frightening what they would dig up. That’s why you cant get caught up with it; we just make sure that when the boys come to St Kevin’s FC the coaching is a good standard, the football is a great standard and they have the best facilities to train and prepare.

    Another thing I would like to see is that clubs be allowed sign players for 2 years; 10-12s, 12-14s and have transfer window that they can leave and if they do want to leave then their is a fee of €50 or €100 and that money goes back into football.

    2 years signings would definitely stop players being poached. But, if players want to leave, they will leave; trying to keep players to stay is also wrong. We need better structure in place all the way through. I hear of clubs losing players to GAA, because they have better facilities and structures in place.

    “It’s all about development of players and how you do it, If you don’t have a structure and your not in it for the right reasons, then it will all fall down, its all built on quicksand”, “I tell my players to be the best players for their teams and be the best in the leagues and thats all you can do”.

    How do you keep the big English clubs from taking your players without compensating the Kevins?

    The big clubs can’t come here and bully us, we stand up to that; you do hear of these clubs coming over and ripping Irish clubs off, but we wouldn’t accept that here. My view is if they came in for one of our players and tried to rip us off, then they wouldn’t get another one after that. You need to stand up to them, we work hard in developing are players.

    The investment we put in from, training facilities, pitches, fitness testing 3 times per week, our gym etc. Are players are balanced, these are not ragball rovers players. Mentally, physically these are some of the best players in the country.

    Would you have better structures here compared to some pro cubs in England?

    We model ourselves on an Academy in England the only difference is we don’t have a 2 million budget per year, and our coaches are all volunteers and work very hard to be successful. We invest time and money into our players to get the right results. We still don’t get the same compensation that clubs in England get, we get a fraction of what they get; but until changes are made for the better of Irish Clubs, players that will always be the way.

    At St. Kevin’s we are producing players despite the current structures in place, now imagine if we had good proper systems in place across Ireland, imagine how good we could be. 

    Easter International Tournament

    This Easter weekend (April 22nd-24th) the presence of Irish football legends Liam Brady and Niall Quinn at St Kevins Boys Club 3rd International Invitational Tournament will no doubt attract even larger numbers than before to Shanowen Road over the three days.

    The other teams taking part this year are Brondby IF (Denmark), F C St Pauli (Germany), West Bromwich Albion (U K) and current DDSL Premier League table toppers St Kevins Boys Under 12 Premier team.

    The six teams are divided into two groups – Group A ; St Kevins Boys Club, Sunderland AFC, & Brondby IF. Group B ; Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion, & FC St Pauli.

    Proceedings kick-off on Good Friday April 22nd at 11am when the host club play Brondby IF. For more information go to the St.Kevins Boys FC website http://www.skbfc.com/skb-international-tournament-easter-2010/

    The Coach Diary wishes to thank Alan Caffrey and St.Kevins FC.

    April 18th, 2011

     

  • Support Dont X the Line

    Support Dont X the Line

    I met with Paul Martyn (FAI Volunteer Education Co-Ordinator) and asked him about DXTL?

    Paul explained, “It is the underage players we are trying to target with the campaign. The Don’t X the Line campaign is trying to encourage the players to enjoy the game and not worry about winning matches”. He added. “The programme is not only aimed at the players but spectators, parents, coaches and managers to behave while attending games.

    We aim to nourish and encourage the fun and enthusiasm our young players bring to the game.”

    Dont x The Line

    The DXTL has been running since 2009 now and the FAI have now asked all clubs to get on board and support the campaign.

    The five aims of the campaign are:

    • To eradicate aggressive and abusive behaviour from players and spectators
    • To promote zero tolerance of defamatory comments or language, be it racial or discriminatory, towards referees, fellow players and other supporters
    • To promote an environment for sportsmanship and fair play in underage football
    • To provide education to adults and young people on the importance of respect and tolerance in football
    • To encourage safe participation for players and spectators

    It is hoped the campaign will take off and other leagues around the country will adopt it. Already leagues in Monaghan, Cavan, North Dublin and Kerry are implementing it. Only last week Arklow United got on board and Paul mentioned he doesn’t just ask coaches to attend the talk put to bring all the kids, parents and anyone involved with the club and to his astonishment over 300 coaches, kids and parents attended. Click on link –  Arklow United

    Paul travels around Ireland implementing and spreading the word about DXTL, he runs workshops for clubs and for teams interested in getting involved.

    NECSL launched the Don’t X The Line campaign in the Meath & District League grounds in Navan. The Under 7 league runs for twenty four weeks under the guidance of Mags Sheridan from the NECSL.

    Mags is the driving force behind the league and indeed it’s smoothness of running is down to her supreme organisational skills.

    28 Teams playing Every Saturday in one venue

    There are twenty eight teams playing every Saturday morning on the all weather facility in Navan. All teams play two games each and the emphasis is on FUN. There is a match card that each Manager fills out after each game but the one thing not on the card is the score of the game. Mags says “We are trying to keep it non competitive and fun for the young players”. Paul stresses it is the underage players we are trying to target the campaign at, we need to get them young for this to work.

    Mal Lee was the creator of DXTL in Liverpool back in 2004, Mal, says,

    “I was involved in grassroots football for well over 20 years; throughout those years I have witnessed first hand aggression, verbal abuse, racist comments, bullying, and now the smoking of illegal drugs on the touchlines of some Junior Leagues”.

    ” Not just on Merseyside, but leagues throughout the Country, I have witnessed children crying because their parents are involved in fighting with the opponent parents, referees abandoning games and walking away from them, never to return to the game because of threats and abusive comments directed at them”.

    Committee members have stepped down due to aggressive parents, and sometimes managers. Campaigns like Don’t X The Line must be continued to be supported by the decent people who support the sport for all the right reasons.

    “Together we must protect our children and referees, and bring the sportsmanship and fair play back into grassroots football”.

    If you or your clubs want more information on the DXTL campaign you can email Paul Martyn at paul.martyn@fai.ie. The DXTL packs are also available for sale through Paul, this packs are subsidised by the FAI.

    From next Wednesday Paul will be travelling around Ireland with the Europa league trophy, for more information on this go to the FAI website.

    ====

    I always like to hear your opinions. Please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. Thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

  • Our customers are not getting the service they deserve – Part 1

    Our customers are not getting the service they deserve – Part 1

    Customer comes first!

    In sports the kids are the customers and the adults & administrators should meet their customers’ needs. Having elite teams at age 7,8,9 is not good customer service because we are only catering for the so called best at that time. As we look around the leagues polices today, so much of what the adults are doing truly does not serve the wants and needs of their customers – all the children involved! So, time to wake up administrators, committees, boards all these people in so called high places, who with one meeting can change the way we develop  kids in Ireland for the future. I admire you for the voluntary work you do, but really all that work is not for the better of development of the kids at play and it could so easily be!

    Our leagues need to reform

    The first place that reform needs to happen is at the administration level and as coaches we need to know, Who is developing and overseeing the program for children and why do we still have competitive league down at the youngest ages?

    Leagues need to have more then parents, adults and dinosaurs running the game; the board for one should consist of experts about children, such as physical Educations teachers, pediatricians, psychologists and child development specialists (Coaches), not a bunch of old men that you might see down at a bowels club. Reform is needed and fast, coach power and people who really have the kids best interest at heart can push those who could give a damn out of the game for good (You have done great, but its time to let younger more experienced and trained specialist over see the future decision of the children’s game). PE teachers, psychologists understand the need of children, how children learn at different levels and in different ways, and the wide range of physical attribute and skills within each age group.

    Mission Statement

    I think the first order of business for any league is write a clear mission statement, a mission statement give all adults involved a reference point that set the tone and goals of the a league system. If your current league doesn’t have a mission statement already – it’s amazing how many don’t – then this is your chance to start with one.

    I’m a parent, “I know whats right….”

    Everyone seems to think that, “Well, I’m a parent of a kid. I know Kids” But parents have bot been kids for a long time. They’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a kid. Most parents and administrators are not trained and experienced in all aspects of development of all kinds of children. Now we see the dangers in having parents alone create and administer the systems in our game. People involved tend to look at whats already in place, whats works in the adults game and too often they create systems and rules modeled on the professional game. They seem to forget that those systems were developed for older age groups and not for the small sided game.

    I’m by no means saying that parents should not be involved in the process. They should be actively involved and in fact without them organised football would not exist, but they should seek the guidance of the experts.

    Quote.. “A good league measures its success by how it treats its least talented players”. In other words: If you’re involved in a club, ask yourself if your least talented player wants to come back the following year? Don’t cater to the few at the expense of many”.

    The way we succeed is to commit ourselves to meeting the age-appropriate needs of all players. It means we acknowledge that five-year-olds are not miniature eight-year-olds, and that eight-year-olds are not miniature twelve-year-olds. It means we never forget that children are not miniature adults.

    Where we have gone totally against what kids need and want

    • Putting 10 years on a adults pitch.
    • For 9s & 10s to be playing 11v11 is totally wrong and totally unacceptable.
    • To be playing 9v9 one week and 11v11 the next will not help with development nor does it help us the coaches.
    • Having competitive league for 7-11 years olds to thats really u7s to u12s(remember the age change is coming into effect this year)
    • Moving from 7v7 to 9v9 to 11v11 over 4years is to confusing and again has very little benefit to the kids. Also most club dont have the resources to have 3 different types of pitches. The 7v7 needs to be rolled out with structure and again must have the kids interests in mind.
    • Smaller number get kids more touches of the ball, which in turns leads to becoming better footballers. 4v4 for ages 6s, 5v5 for age 7s and 7v7 for 8s to 12s gives kids much more touches, more movement, more running and more goals.

    Kids want to have fun, they want to play, they want to be moving not standing at the far side of a field freezing waiting for the ball that may not even get to them.  If their lucky they may even touch that ball more then once. Kids learn best by doing not standing around watching.

    So to all the leagues out there that still run with adult rules, adult structures, its time for change, the coaches want it and most of all the kids want it!!!

  • Portuguese Teams closer to the Aviva

    Portuguese Teams closer to the Aviva

    3 Portuguese teams closer to the Final at the Aviva in May. There will definitely be 1 in the Final now with Benfica facing Braga in one of the semi’s and Porto v Villa Real in the other; amazing for any nation to have 3 top teams in the Europa league last 4.

    Hoping for an all Portuguese final….Forca Portugal!

  • Goal of the Program

    Goal of the Program

    Does the program exist to make money, to win championships or to develop players?

    They will all say the third but this is not true of very many. For players at the younger ages, you can best determine this in looking at the team’s training setup. Are players being taught fundamental skills and how to play the game, or is all the focus on beating the opposition. There are shortcuts to winning at the younger level, usually involving size, speed and strength. There’s no crime to having big and fast players of course, and these elements are important to winning at any level, but the question to ask yourself  “would our playing style work if we were matched against a team as physically mature as ourselves?”

    What is the club’s approach to team vs. player development?

    Some say if a team would be totally affected by one player moving up to another age level, then it’s time to move that player. If you find that hard to accept, you may want to consider your own approach to the youth game, is it about developing players or about winning matches now.

    There’s no question that there’s some relationship between winning and development. I’m sure a coach could use “development” as an excuse for not being competitive. But you don’t as a parent want to confuse “competitive” with “winning everything.”  Ultimately as competitors we will want to start winning more and more. I believe that once you hit the u14s, then you can start being a little more competitive ( a little). Some coaches tell me it should be more like U16 and I’m not without sympathy for that approach and it also defends whether your working a amateur or professional academy. Its clear training approaches and emphases for U14 players should be different than those at U17, and there often remains a question for some “just what are we developing these players for?”

    That may be another question for another post that is actually already in the works (I think), but whatever gray exists for those upper teen years, I feel pretty confident about ages 7 to10 and 11 to 14 and what we should be focusing on. Parents can do much worse than follow the guidelines on the previous post.  Click link for.. No Loyalty In youth Football anymore?…After all, is just a game! https://www.thecoachdiary.com/?p=1497

  • No Loyalty In youth Football anymore?…After all, is just a game!

    No Loyalty In youth Football anymore?…After all, is just a game!

    … and kids game at that. Lately I have been hearing all this transfer talk, players moving here, player moving there. I mean is there no loyalty to the coach after all the hard work he/she has done for your child. I can sometimes understand professional players moving for the big money but young kids moving from one local team to another! Sometimes I don’t think parents realise how much effort can go into putting on a sessions, how much time coaches put into developing kids. The grass is not always green down the road.

    The Time and Effort put in

    If coaches were to add up all the hours they put into their football team you might be shocked to hear when they tell you they have reached over 300 hours per annum; from going to training, to the training session itself, to getting back into the car and heading towards home. You might be doing this 2-3 times per week and then you have match day also.

    Parents moving the kid on

    So it shocks me to hear of players who after years of getting proper good coaching can just up and leave to go to a team just down the road. Well, its not the child that had decided to up and leave it usually the parent who thinks he will be better off with the team that are wining more then his current team. The fact of the matter is that kids, just want to play football and they don’t really care where they play, its the pushy parents who think they will be better of with a winning team as apposed to a club that develops for the better of the player and the team.

    There must be a valid reason

    Upping a child from a team which he might have been at for 2-3 years is not always the solution and some parents need to realise that this can be the detrimental to the child. There must be good reason to move your child from his current team to another team. It is very important that a child is getting good honest coaching but they must also be enjoying themselves at their club and if they are then whats all this talk about moving him.

    Another factor is that different teams train at different times and this may not suit your own work schedule, so be very sure before you move that the new coaches times fit in with your work life schedule. Another thing I would suggest it to go and watch the new team train  and see if the coach is doing all the right things and for the benefit of the kids. The may be winning games for all the wrong reason and you could find your son playing one week and left out for the next 2-3 weeks. So do your homework and again it must be for a valid reason not just a parents decision.

    Parents can get it wrong too

    I think the biggest error among parents trying to get their kids into the “best” teams is that they automatically start looking to match play, leagues won and that kind of thing. Competitive football is full of parents pulling their kids from a team and moving year to year because of results – even as young as U8 and U9. It’s a side-effect of the the current competitive systems at such young ages that the only way for mum and dad to determine if Robbie is developing is to see if his team is winning matches or not.

    Now clearly you can see young age-group teams who show a lot of talent, but it’s also clear that a good number of parents with limited background in the game resort to a knee-jerk of whether Robbie’s team won the last game as a gauge of whether they’re doing the right thing. I’ve just seen too many teams who win everything at a young age and then are nowhere to be found when they are in the years that REALLY affect their future opportunities in the game.

    So if your child team is improving and the coach clearly knows what he/she is doing then why make the big move and if the answer is trophies over development then your child is soon be another statistic of someone who fell out of love with the game and become another stat.

    What can be better

    Don’t even think about the winning at the early ages because if a kid is getting the right coaching for the level he or she is at then thats good enough for now – instead look to:

    Qualifications of Coaches, this can help..

    1. Badges and other education – What have they learned and are they interested in learning more, will they be doing their badges to improve their level of coaching.

    2. Background – more valuable than badges, is what they have done in the game. They don’t have to have been a top player, but you will want someone who has a broad background in the game and who basically eats, sleeps and breathes it (in some cases you will need to check out their stories) and really has the kids interests at heart.

    3. Enthusiasm – there are a lot of jaded coaches out there who probably need to walk away from the game for all the benefit of the kids if not themselves. The system is tough, coaches are voluntary and it tends to take a lot out of you. Find out how much the coach enjoys and wants to be out there, this wont be hard to find out!

    4. Intangibles – as a parent you are perhaps more qualified to judge this last one- does the coach’s personality fit with your kid, is he a good communicator, are you comfortable with his character, etc. Be careful not to use this as an excuse to become a meddling parent, and of course you also run the risk of letting overprotective tendencies to take hold there, that’ll ultimately be your decision. Any good coach is going to expect you to step aside and let them do their job so you want to be comfortable going in.

    I don’t pretend that this is the comprehensive guide on the matter because, ultimately parents know what is best for their children (at least that’s the responsibility we’ve been given).