The Coach Diary Football Blog

Category: Irish Grassroots Football

  • Touches and then, more quality touches!

    Touches and then, more quality touches!

    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 and 1996 Ronnie Whelan to find Irish players with great talent (technical) that were able to compete at the highest level. Under the current climate, as we look to the future it is highly unlikely that we will ever see players of this calibre playing for Ireland again.

    My view on last nights game (Ireland v Portugal 1-5)….

    I think we did ok on occasions and tried to at least play from the back. Ireland had a weakened team but Portugal also have 4-5 starters on the bench. Portugal’s passing in tight passes compared to ours was exceptional and this is the part of the game that we are light years behind in. The biggest problem is education, it’s culture, it’s mentality but most of it’s how many people really and truly care.

    Educating the parents (who are mostly the coaches) and the ‘coaches’ who do develop by doing their coaching badges. The current coaching pathway teaches you nothing about the athlete. They don’t focus on the player coach relationship, teaching the player to play over winning, which it the most important area for the young player. Most of the FAI tutors have been the same tutors for many years. The content of the course may have changed but the delivery is still very much the same. In Spain and Portugal the tutors are also working with the best Academies in that area. So, not only are they current they are working with various age groups within those professional academies. They understand the child and whats required at different age groups in a professional environment and the focus is on coaching the player to play. They also have a philosophy, which every coach buys into too. These same tutors are able to pass this information onto the rookie coach just starting out, which is hugely valuable to the grassroots coach and the game.

    No point in comparing!

    We aren’t and won’t ever get that level of tutoring (no disrespect to these tutors), so it’s up to each individual coach to find his own way after he completes a course and everyone is doing something completely different. Soccer in Ireland is a recreational sport so we will only ever get a recreational standard.  The question is,…. Are we expecting too much? The biggest concern is players aren’t touching the ball enough and when they do it’s organised coaching, so they consistently have adults telling them what to do and where to go. We teach them what we see but the player does not see what you see!!

    988365_595997677104474_1080675562_nMajority of kids are getting on average 150 touches of a ball per week (if even), based on 2x1hr training session and 1 hour match. This is not enough to develop players like they can in Europe. How many times do we see kids playing football on their own, how many carry a ball with them at all times, how many small sided recreational football pitches do we have around Ireland for kids to just play on their own. If you throw a stone in some of these countries it will land on a football pitch. If we throw a stone in Ireland it lands on a green with a sign saying, “No football allowed”, we aren’t providing enough spaces for kids to play and maybe that’s why they don’t play.

    “Another issue we face is coach burn out. The volunteer coach can only do so much. We can’t keep asking coaches to give up all their spare time and give nothing back in return. If we really want to challenge in the football world we need professional coaches. Unfortunately the game of football and the coach is not taken seriously enough in this country” – Me

    Last weekend I spoke to two coaches from Sligo and Mayo who are also involved with ETP. They have kids who only play ten games a year and might go 2-3 months without a game. Most of these kids will end up leaving the game to GAA sports because they can provide a challenge every weekend and soccer can’t. Irish players are going backwards, they are far less intelligent on the pitch to how they were 15-20 years ago and why??? They don’t get enough touches of the ball and they are getting less and less as the years go back not to mention that they are being coached on positional sense and tactics instead of ball retention, control and delivery.

    Play Like Spain

    “Let’s play like Spain, two touch football” people forget that to play like Spain you have to be playing like that from at 7. If we only encourage our players at a young age to only take two touches then they will never be able to go 1v1 in a game. Iberian kids are encouraged to go 1v1 at a very young age, they are encouraged to dribble and take risks. There is a lot more to the way Spain and Portugal play and it starts at a very young age. They also play Futsal from age 6 to 12 and can continue all they way up to professional senior Futsal if they prefer. Futsal is the most technical game in the world (the closet thing to street football) and all the best players have started with this game. The Irish mentality of “get rid of it or pass, pass, pass” needs to change. Which won’t happen anytime soon but we won’t stop trying.

    “We need to change the attitude of the people who think getting kids playing 11v11 as quick as possible makes sense. Most of these people are involved with the Grassroots governing body the SFAI, who’s combined age reaches tens of thousands. That’s how far removed they are from the needs and wants of a 9 year old kid” 

    We have far too many parents coaching kids (and without them we wouldn’t a game) and not enough qualified coaches with the right philosophy. We need to decide what we want, do we want to be a footballing nation challenging at the biggest and best tournaments in the world or would we rather just make up the numbers??

    Ultimately, the environment must be Safe, Fun and kids need to be challenged whilst learning something every-time they train. They must be getting better every week but how many really are? Can we change a society that loves to win at all cost to one that focuses on improving the athlete? With the focus on Playing over Winning. I know I’ve been here before because every-time we are on the end of a big defeat, everyone comes out ranting and raving on what needs to be done but nothing ever gets done. 14 years ago we were able to compete with the best European teams, now we are 14 years behind them and still waiting  for a plan. Let’s hope one comes soon!!!

    A few ideas that could get kids on the ball more:

    We know that smaller number, smaller pitches = to more touches, more goals and more fun.

    • National Plan where everyone is doing the same thing.
    • u8s to u12s should be playing Futsal or least weekend blitzes where they get at least 1.5 hours of football not 3 hours of travel time to play 30 minutes of football.
    • December to March should be Futsal for everyone.
    • League to start futsal sections.
    • Roll out Futsal in Schools across Ireland.
    • No league or cups until u13
    • No national cups until u14s
    • Tournaments and Blitzes for all ages up to u12s
    • 5v5 to u9s (Size 3 light football)
    • 7v7 to u11s (Size 4 light football 250gram, with an option to continue 7v7 to u12s in parts of the country that don’t have the same level of participation)
    • 8v8 or 9v9 to u13s (size5 light 350gram balls)
    • 11v11 at u14s (with the option to play 9v9 for lower level teams) (Size 5 410gram footballs)

    Marketing the game: 

    Just looking to how the GAA promote in schools could be a solution.

    • LOI players to visit local clubs.
    • Maybe even take a PE session.
    • Bring the trophies and prizes into schools.
    • Allocate local clubs certain schools to target, that way clubs aren’t fighting for the same schools.
    • For instance in D15 we have over 26 junior schools, all have been targeted by the GAA but many have never had an FAI personal enter the school. FAI headquarters are in D15.
    • When was the last time an Irish international player went to a local school to promote the game?
    • The only way to get kids interested is to get them interested at a young age.

    At the end of the day, whether we like to believe it or not we are a recreational football nation with a professional international team. It’s what we do down at worms eye view that will ultimately be the basis of what we produce at the top.

    Please share your views below.

    -End

    Worth a read Pete McDonnell Blog and his views on last night’s game.

    I always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say, 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. As always, thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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  • Lusk United Improving Coach Education

    Lusk United Improving Coach Education

    In order to improve we must be prepared develop. In order to improve the standard of player we are producing, we must improve the standard of coach.

    The biggest issue we have in Ireland is we have very few qualified coaches working with kids and many of the ones that are qualified are not current and what I mean by current is they attained their badges many many years ago and never attend workshops to continually develop. A child 10 years ago is very different to a child today. How we coached 3 years ago is completely different to how we should coach today. We must be prepared to learn from others, good or bad, but we must continue to develop our coaching skills & philosophy. There is no better gift than getting educated. Making sure our coaches do the required courses to improve can have long lasting benefits on the kids that play.

    Lusk United are introducing a scheme that will set a side funds for coach education. An easy but effective idea that will improve coach education at the club.

    “In order to improve the standard of player we are producing, we must improve the standard of coaching” – tcd

    Press Release Starts here>

    Lusk United AFC

    With a new coach education initiative in place, Lusk United aims to improve the standard of coaching at the club and subsequently improve the players and give them a better footballing experience.

    Lusk United AFC has been at the heart of the community since it was founded in 1969. In November 2013 a brand new facility was opened that boasts a clubhouse with a bar and a full size floodlit pitch. The club now has approx. 300 players across 19 teams; 3 senior teams including an over 35’s, a girl’s only academy, and a kid’s academy, catering for 4-7 year olds. The club is actively involved in coaching within the local primary schools, as well as holding various FAI soccer camps for children, FAI workshops, and general community workshops for parents. The club recently implemented a new coach education initiative, which would see all memberships increase by €10. The use of the funding gained from the increase in fees will be set aside specifically and solely for coach education.

    “Having a qualification doesn’t make you a great coach but it shows that the coach is determined to continue their education and has met certain standards of assessment at the very least”- Royal Spanish Football Federation

    The club has 19 teams with 300 players in total.

    • Net annual gain: 300 x 10 = €3,000.
    • €3,000 will go towards the funding of FAI coaching courses on an annual basis.

    An example of what could be achieved with this money:

    • 6 x 4v4 Small Sided Games Workshops at €25 each (€150),
    • 6 x 7v7 Small Sided Games Workshops at €25 each (€150),
    • 5 x Strength & Conditioning Workshopsat €25 each (€125),
    • 8 x Kickstart 1 Coaches at €45 per course (€360),
    • 6 x Kickstart 2 Coaches at €75 per course (€450),
    • 2 x Youth Certificate Coaches at €300 per course (€600),
    • 1 x UEFA B Coach at €1,250 per course (€1,250).

    luck_Street_Skills_2It’s worth noting that in Feb 2013 after a survey of all managers and coaches (34) at the club only 35% had a Kick Start Level 1 or higher with only one coach with a Youth Certificate level of coaching.

    In the space of one year after a concerted effort to get coaches to attend coaching courses and with the club paying 50% of the cost of coach education courses the club now has 44 coaches & managers with 77% having attained their Kick Start 1 or higher.  While there’s still more work to be done, the new coaching initiative (will fully fund coaching courses) will go a long way to achieving a standard where all coaches will have a minimum of a KickStart 1 before getting involved with a team at the club and see more coaches attain Youth Certificate and UEFA B level courses.

    While there are a million and one things to be done at sports clubs we should all remember that the focus should be on the players and ensuring their time spent playing football can be looked back on with great fondness. Our goal as coaches should be to help them develop into well rounded young men and women and fulfill their potential whatever that may be, and the better the standard of our coaches, the greater the chance of that happening.

    Thanks to Ciaran Russell and Niall McGuirk for this sending in this piece. The FAI Coaching Festival 2014 starts Wednesday 2nd to Monday 21st July at the AUL see more here> FAI COACHING FESTIVAL

    Follow Lusk on twitter @LuskUtd 

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say, 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. As always, thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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  • Respect

    Respect

    Just back from a trip of a life-time. The Champions League final in Lisbon, after getting an invite from UEFA media partners, I won’t go into it other than to say, it was a glorious experience.

    One thing that really got to me about the game was the lack of respect the players and coaching staff showed toward each other and the referee. I’m not going to go into to much detail, but when players start to celebrate a victory before the game has ended, shows a lack of respect and class.

    The professional game is the entertainment business and the players are paid to perform and entertain but they can still show class and respect. The development Zone is the grassroots game and it is here we can teach the players about values including respect. If they don’t make it to the top at least they will have learnt about being respectful.

    Ronaldo’s show boating at 3-1 was disrespectful and showed once again that he lacks class. He was conducting himself in a fashion that is simply a display of arrogance, behaving in an egotistic sort of a way.

    The spirit of the game has changed in recent years with the influx of the million pound wages and the governing bodies are tolerating cheating, players being disrespectful towards the officials and opponents. All these types of belittling the opponent etc show a lack of respect.

    As youth coaches we need to try and change this. We should be teaching our athletes to go out and work hard, play hard, and compete hard in sports and in life without having to attract attention to how we perform. There is nothing wrong with jubilation, but excessive is disrespectful, especially during the game.

    The game wasn’t even over the other night and the Real players were continuing to celebrate whilst the game was still on. This showed a complete lack of class and respect. The great John Wooden said to his players during a time out

    “Now, remember when this game is over to behave in an appropriate manner. Do not make fools of yourself. Let the alumni and student body do that if they choose. Don’t you do it!”

    He went on to say..

    “your reaction to victory or defeat is an important part of how you play the game. I wanted my players to display style and class in either situation –  to lose with grace, to win with humility.”

    It’s very important to keep things in perspective. Not doing this will harm your peace of mind and affect your ability to prepare and perform. This is possibly why Ronaldo had such a bad game. During the warm he was showboating, he was being disrespectful to the opponent to showing off to the fans. He did not prepare himself well, he prepared in the wrong fashion and it showed in the game. At the end it showed that he and some of his team mates lacked class and respect towards the opponent even when the game was out of sight.

    Neither I, nor anyone else is more or less entitled to be here.   Neither I, nor anyone else is better or worse.   Neither my way, nor anyone else’s way is better or worse.  Neither I, nor anyone else is more or less able.   There is no judgment.  We are equal. To respect is to recognise, accept, and honour that idea.  To respect is to honour each of our right to BE. – Unknown

    Conclude

    It’s important as coaches that we teach youngsters to be considerate of others. This doesn’t mean you can’t work hard, we know that hard work will bring desirable results. Being respectful towards the opponent (COACH & PLAYER) and being alert to consequences of your actions, this is just as important. You must practice what you preach. Every decision you make, will affect others, make sure you pick the right one.

    So the next time you see a player showing respect, why not applaud him or her for it. We are quick to ridicule and show our anger but rarely do we show our appreciation towards a player that shows a bit of class (RESPECT). Children learn by imitating adults. Studies have continued to show that this has not changed in recent years. Children have brains like plane paper.

    We can say that it is true that children learn best by observing the behaviour of adults and they try to copy it. It is the adults who should watch their behaviour and try becoming a good influence and example for the children. As coaches we can affect a positive or negative change working with children, the effort will be the same. Teaching them about Respect should be an important value to always consider.

    How about you? What does respect mean to you? What were your own defining moments that helped shape that meaning?

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say, 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. As always, thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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  • SFAI Finals 17th & 18th May, 2014

    SFAI Finals 17th & 18th May, 2014

    SFAI finals on this weekend and nothing about it on their website. No information about any of the finalists, the clubs, the history. Nothing about the fixtures, the times, the location, not one thing! How can the Football Association of Ireland allow these people run the schoolboy game. I know there are some great people working within the SFAI but as an organisation they rarely do anything with commitment. Ironically they will be quick enough to get their blazers on and walk around Jackson Park this weekend as if they have achieved something.

    Do we really have to continue to accept this abysmal standard of organisation? Really, feel for all the finalist, they aren’t taken serious enough and deserve a lot more respect for the work they do and being finalists in the All-Ireland Cup competitions. Let’s not take away from the fact that this weekend is a very big one for Schoolboy Football in Ireland and congratulations to all the finalists.

    Scottish Cup Finals

    All week I have been watching highlights from the finals in Scotland. Each final has it’s own build up, with player and coaching staff interviews, they took in the history of the clubs and how much it means to each team to be in a final. All the finals were played in Stadiums. A full football final experience for all the kids involved. For some of these kids this might be the first and last final they ever play, so why not make it a memorable experience for all, why not give them the best possible experience?? We could be and should be doing a lot more for these finals and it wouldn’t take very much to make them feel special.

    I also don’t want to take away from the great job Wayside Celtic do organising the entire finals by themselves. They have never let the kids down and in no way is this post disrespecting them, I just feel the kids deserve better. I’d like to thank (Wayside) them for clarifying fixtures for this coming weekend:

    SFAI Cups 2014

    SATURDAY

    u12s – Corduff FC (NDSL) v St Josephs boys FC (DDSL) : Time: 11am

    u13s – St Kevins Boys (DDSL) v Crumlin United (DDSL) : Time 1pm

    u15s – Belvedere FC (DDSL) v St.Kevins (DDSL) : Time 3pm

    SUNDAY

    u14s – Mervue United A.F.C (GalwayDL) v St. Francis (DDSL) : Time 2pm

    u16s – St. Kevins Boys (DDSL) v St Brendans Park FC (KerryDL) : Time 4pm

    Some Key Things To Remember For Every Game

    Make sure your child/players enjoy the finals, playing with a smile is one way of making sure of that! This could be the first and last time, so make it a good experience. Last week at the league cup finals many adults were encroaching (even with linesmen) on the pitches thus preventing the ball going down that side on many occasions. Refs should be more in control of the game and prevent this from happening. These coaches were also continually giving instruction on what to do, which was confusing for the players. We know this prevents the child from leaning the game their way and also stops them from thinking in the moment. By doing this you also take control of their decisions and their game. Encourage and Praise. Don’t pass on what you think they should do, because what they see and what you see is a completely different picture.

    “Youth Sports build characters and traits like Self confidence, Resilience, Teamwork, Mental Toughness, SelfControl and Respect for others. Playing sports provides an incredible infrastructure for teaching character to the nations kids but only if coaches and parents recognise and seize these teachable moments. Coaches should focus on the process whilst teaching life’s lesson through sport. Parents should focus on teaching life skills and leave the competing to the players & coaches, this in turn would create a much more positive environment for everyone involved”

    Try this sometime: The six-second rule is so called because 6 seconds is the time it takes to capture the flight or fight response (ie: avoid the emotional hijacking). When someone has said or done something that triggers your hot button (gets you angry), take a deep breath and count 1..2..3..4..5..6 seconds before you respond. You will find that what you were about to say no longer has any meaning. It works!!!

    Best of luck to all involved!

    -End

    I always like to hear your views. 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

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  • Stop Making Excuses and Get To Work!

    Stop Making Excuses and Get To Work!

    Mental toughness is one of the most important characteristics you can coach but in order to able to do it you must be prepared to allow your players play with freedom and play with knowing that even mistakes are ok. If a player is able to make a mistake and get over it in the next second that is a characteristic of mental toughness.

    I here so many coaches complaining about opposition teams, “we didn’t beat them because they have all the best players, they train 3 times a week and they have a bigger catchment area and they shout the loudest on match day which intimidates the referees to give them all the decisions”. For a time I fell into this idea; but then I started (when I moved clubs) to look at other ways of getting the best out of a team. The things that were in my control and in the players control. I started to focus on three key areas of the game, ball mastery, possession games (Attack, transition and Defence) and mindset. I focused on repetition and doing things over and over again and faster and faster each time we trained. I focused on giving my players as much self belief as possible. I started to focus on the positives and never speak about the negatives. They don’t need to hear negatives, what they need is me believing in them, no matter what. (Read Soccer Brain by Dan Abrahams)

    “You can never build enough self-belief”

    Discipline

    I soon realised that teams aren’t beating the best teams because of those things, they are beating them because they were more disciplined in their execution – the best coaches are better at getting their kids to play the way they want – some are better teachers/coaches, some are better managers and some just have a lot of great players. What I did learn from this was discipline is in my control and in order to get better, the teams discipline needed to change, we need to start to think and train like the best players. They might beat us because of talent but it should never be because of the things we can control – attitude, discipline, selflessness, team culture, mental toughness, preparation, commitment, respect etc. In time you will start to beat the so called best teams, you just need to work hard and then work harder. A Lesson… stop making excuses and get to work!

    “A great coach see failure as an education tool. A great player see failure as a stepping stone to greatness” – Dan Abrahams

    You must prepare and train in the same way you plan to play the game. This is the best way to prepare and learn. When players train how they play the game becomes easy. If you don’t work hard in training then you won’t work hard in the game. It’s an attitude, it’s a habit, it’s about creating and developing winners.  Mental toughness is not just a “game day” concept, nor is it a “have it or not” mentality. The mind is a muscle; you can enhance your mental toughness the more you work on it. At training is where it starts.

    Sport Psychologist Dan Abrahams wrote in one of his recents posts:

    Never Give Up

    Commit yourself to the process of learning, developing and improving. Never stop. Never ever stop. The soccer player who gets over-emotional because she’s been left out of the team tends to give up by default. She stops focusing as effectively in training because she is overly concerned with her starting position in the team. She loses confidence because her self-belief is built on quicksand – on being in the team! A player with great football psychology is one who loves to learn, develop and improve above playing the game. Mastery takes care of outcomes. Mastery of skills takes care of performance in the mid to long term. Mastery takes care of your place in the team, the winning of trophies and your career trajectory.

    The player who focuses on mastery – on learning, developing and improving – will, by and large, win no matter what!

    Here are a few questions players can ask themselves to assess their own level of mental toughness. As Coaches we can ask ourselves these questions also. Questions are suggested by Dr. Rob Bell who is a certified sport psychology consultant with The Association of Applied Sport Psychology. 

    *TCD comments

    1. How strong is my passion for the game? 

    If you are mentally tough, you are totally passionate about the game. It is difficult at times to really enjoy the tough practices and workouts, but passion for the sport always drives your commitment toward improving and strengthening your resolve.

    2. Do I believe in myself? 

    When you believe in your coaches, your teammates and yourself, you develop a level of trust. At some point, when you encounter adversity, doubt may enter your mind, but having confidence in yourself will help you overcome it. Also, during pressure moments, you will be confident enough to want the game on the line. *(As a coach, even if i make a change and it doesn’t work out or the player error causes a goal. I say to myself “it just didn’t work out” that was the decision I made based on the game or based on the rule that every kid plays. Things it life don’t always work out. Move on)

    3. Can I let go of mistakes easily? 

    Mental toughness means not letting mistakes bother you. Sure, you will get upset when you mess up, but re-focusing and re-grouping before the next play is an essential element of mental toughness. *(When someone makes a mistake, we learn from it and move on immediately. You will need mental toughness to forget about it.)

    4. Do I make my teammates better? 

    If you are mentally tough, you will make your teammates better. This requires you to be a good teammate, even when you are not playing your best. Your attitude and behavior rub off on your teammates. You need to assess how to make others better. * (You won’t always play well and things won’t always go your way. In fact very seldom does the same player consistently perform but that’s why it’s so important to have team players. One thing is for sure you can always control your effort. Working hard, doing your best and being positive it something you can always control. You are the one who knows if you gave it your best.) 

    5. Do I make good decisions off the field? 

    Mental toughness means staying disciplined in your off-the-field decisions. John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, said that mental toughness is about our “character as a person,” not just our ability to make plays.

    Conclusion

    The most important thing in sport is the journey. The coach has control over the journey. What I love most about coaching is the coaching, the preparation for the game. The final outcome is the players opportunity to show you what they have learnt. When that game is over we are back on the path, back on the journey. I’m not eager to reach the goal so soon because I know journey will take a long time. Hard work is what counts in everything we do, just like in life.

    Mental toughness can be developed in all areas of our lives. However, it means rigorously addressing the above questions and committing to improve. Perfection may never be obtained, but we can work and then work hard towards trying to get there. With this attitude you can never lose.

    -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

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  • Usher To Rise Again..

    Usher To Rise Again..

    I caught up with Anthony Carroll this week who is Club Development Director at Usher Celtic and we spoke about the re-building of Usher Celtic and his 5 year plan.

    TCD: Tell me about the new stricture being put in place?

    AC: This new structure will allow the club to a) grow and b) maintain the successful growth. The structure will be implemented by a project plan that is phased from year 1 to year 5.

    By implementing this, everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet.

    TCD: What’s the long term plan? 

    AC: The long term plan is to create Dublin’s most successful Inner City Club with a target of 1000 players by year 5. One of the great failings of most (if not all clubs) is the lack of a visible and agreed framework and plan. The structure specifically addresses 6 key success areas:

    1. Club’s Mission/Goals & Philosophy – What are the core values of the club and reasons for it’s existence.
    2. Coach & Player Development Model – How are the club going to effectively develop the coaches and players.
    3. Staff – Leaders/Team members – Who are the the club’s key people and members to successfully implement and manage the plan.
    4. Facilities – What are the short and long term facilities required to effectively implement the above.
    5. Admin/Support & Marketing – What processes and systems will be in place to help the club promote and market’s, as well as support the team members and all the key functions..
    6. Club’s Finance & Funding – How much money is required to grow and maintain the success of the club.

    I believe the above captures all the key criteria for managing and growing a successful grassroots/junior club. Furthermore, each factor flows onto the next.

    TCD: Talk to me about how all this is going to work?

    AC: One of the first things we have done is agree the core objectives of the club, along with the core values and philosophy we will use to reach these objectives. And the key to this is that EVERYONE agrees and buys into it, no matter who they are and this of course MUST include new recruits. If they dont, then they wont be involved. This is a fundamental flaw in grassroots football club and the whole community, whereby so many have different agendas and philosophies. By implementing this, everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet.

    Then I have recommended we put in a leadership team – board of directors/owners/etc.. One important role I created was a Club Development Director, not just a Director of Football. I have not come across one club yet, who has recruited such a person. This person is crucial to the overall success of any club as he/she will help develop ALL aspects of the club – from teams/coaches/funding/marketing and more…

    I made sure to properly set up the club as a non-profit social enterprise, as this has much greater benefits long term, especially when it comes to accessing support and local funding. Not to mention, it adds credibility as the revenue and profits are pumped back into the club to continue to meet it’s core objectives.

     TCD: What will Usher coaching philosophy be? 

    AC: Regarding the Coaching and Development Model – I have proposed to create 3 key sections in the club to help implement an effective coaching and development model.

    1. Recreational Section
    2. Development Section
    3. Elite

    The main reason for the above is to make sure every player enjoys his/her football at the appropriate level for their abilities and skills. Our aim is to NEVER refuse a player.

    Recreational will be for players who simply want to just play and who have little or no interest in becoming elite footballers. These players and teams will play locally within Dublin City without any attachment to a league per say.

    Development players will play within development teams whereby they show a good level of interest and ability, they will be associated to league

    Elite players will play at a level whereby they will receive the best coaching etc to give them the best opportunity to create a professional career in football. These will be associated to league but also receive ‘extra’ coaching hours per week.

    That is all for the time being, but at least this gives a good snapshot of what has been implemented. i’ll finish by saying Usher Celtic is focussed on promoting a healthy lifestyle and life skills through football.

    Usher Celtic History

    Formed in 1943 to date

    • First successes occurred in 1960’s when senior teams won junior division titles (lower league)
    • Mick Hayes joined club during this time and was instrumental in its successes between1964 and 1990.
    • First schoolboy team registered in late 60’s with DDSL
    • Club shared ColdCut grounds up to 1980’s when it then moved to Islandbridge.
    • Most successful era was the 1980’s – 1st Team won successful league titles gaining promotion in each. From 1983-86 right up to Premier Division.
    • Biggest achievement was winning 1988 FAI Junior Cup. Was semi finalist in 1986 and Finalist in 1987.
    • Won Junior Shield in 1984.
    • Club had numerous schoolboy successes with league winners in DDSL from u8-12’s between 2000 and present.
    • Currently have 4 schoolboys teams but plans are afoot to add further 2 teams next season. Additional plans are being put in place to have one team in each age group within 3 years.

    Current Board of Directors

    Tony O’Rourke (Club Secretary & Chairman)

    Tony Buckley (Honorary President)

    Paul Conroy (Treasurer & Senior Football Secretary)

    Anthony Carroll (Director of Football & Club Development Officer)

    Dermot Dalton (Coach Education & Small Sided Games Director)

    Coaches

    • We have 10 coaches actively involved in the club at present.

    Future Position

    • We will be recruiting a Coach Coordinator, Marketing Assistant and Administrators

    -End

    TCD would like to thanks Anthony and we wish Usher Celtic the very best for what looks like an exciting future for the club.

    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

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  • Don’t ruin your season over a very basic decision….

    Don’t ruin your season over a very basic decision….

    It’s called the business time of the year as many teams are fighting relegation, or on the brinks of a first league championship or for some it’s a cup semi or even a cup final. Many coaches/managers can’t put their entire season and coach reputation on the line by not being true to their beliefs, players and responsibilities. Let’s not forget, I’m taking about kids football here.

    What are you on about, you might ask? Earlier today I received a call from a lady who’s friends son plays for an SSG side. Yesterday they played their semi final cup game but for 3 of the players who had got the team this to this point, it was heartbreak when they arrived at the ground. Dropped and for one reason only, to win the game.

    They soon found out why when 3 players showed up from the clubs’s year below team. This might seem trivial enough to some but to anyone who has played the game will know that being dropped for an important game (not having a part to play) like a cup semi, can be a life long disappointment for any child. For sure the kids who were dropped won’t forget this game and they certainly won’t forget the coach who dropped them. After all, kids just want to play.

    ‘Most kids would rather play on a losing team than sit on the bench of a winning one. That doesn’t mean that kids don’t value winning, just that they prefer playing’

    For every player each game is as important as the next one but cup games bring with them a tradition, they bring a slightly different feeling compared to other fixtures. Every child dreams of playing in a cup final, every parents dreams of watching their child perform in one.

    For many coaches these games can bring with them unrecognised pressure. The pressure not to lose, not to be deemed as a failure and this is were so many become self obsessed. They think it’s about them, they thinks it’s about this one game; but it’s never about them, it’s always about the kids.

    It’s these types of moments that will separate the best from the rest and I’m not talking about tactics. What I’m taking about is being fair to each and every player in your squad. Being fair to the players who have shown up to training week after week. Being fair to the players who have done their best for the team. Being fair to the players who have stuck by each other in the good times and the bad times, but most of all, – being a coach with integrity, with honesty, with loyalty and respect for his players.

    ‘A good coach supports, rewards, teaches, and makes it fun’

    Children understand that their might be better players than them on the team. However they won’t accept you being unfair to them and they certainly won’t forget. After all, the role of a coach is to reward hard work, discipline and commitment. When a player does everything that is required, works on his/her weaknesses and never cut corners. That is supposed to count isn’t it?

    Shouldn’t a child’s playing time and a starting position come down to hard work, commitment to the team and showing up for training?  For all the wrong reasons Children will remember the coach who tells them one thing about what he expects but then when you meet those expectations, he goes ahead and does the opposite of what he’s told you. You show up for training, do your best, perform well  and then when it comes down to game time, you find yourself sitting on the bench or even worse, you find kids from the age below brought in to take your place in order to win the game.  For sure this is the one thing that the kids will remember from a coach. It might be the one thing that removes them from the game for ever. Come June, everyone will have forgotten about the cup final but they won’t forget how you made them feel. Not being true to your word and being dishonest and/or disloyal is what you will be remembered for.

    “Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

    To any coach who doesn’t want to fall into this category and be branded for life. Don’t get caught up in the winning of a single game. Be true to yourself, be true to your players (team), give them the opportunity to experience the chance of playing in such important games. Although you may never get to another final, the players will remember how fair you were and not how you won it. For sure, they will never forget these moments and they will certainly never forget how you made them feel.

    To the players, if you truly love your game, then try not to let any coach’s unfair decisions get to you. Absolutely, this is easier said than done.  It can be very upsetting and frustrating to have to “play” or “not play” for this kind of coach. The trick however is to try not let any adult steal your joy and love for the game (I know I don’t always get it right but I will always apologise if i get it wrong). Just like in adult life you won’t always have to work with that person, so just like your coach, you won’t always have to play him/her and not all coaches are unfair, many are a great inspiration to hundreds of kids.  Keep doing your best and focus on performance, you can control that. One thing you can do is keep work hard in training regardless if you like the coach or not. Don’t let any coach stop you from working hard!

    -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

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