The Coach Diary Football Blog

Category: Irish Grassroots Football

Nick Levett – What about … the real wins
The life skills gained through the pursuit of ‘success’ are the real wins we should think about in grassroots football, not league tables and cups…

Nick Levett is the English FA National Development Manager for Youth Football, an U10’s Coach and author of the blog Youth Football Development Nick’s Blog.

Recently Nick posted a series of “What about” tweets via his account @nlevett

As a coach involved in the development of youth soccer at grassroots level in Ireland, I liked the fact that his tweets highlighted brilliantly the measures and moments that should truly be celebrated from within the game.

Nick Tweeted:
- “Try not to limit seeing progress as just the league table, it’s by far not the only indicator of success & winning in grassroots football…
- …What about the kid that packs their own bag, cleans their own boots and takes more responsibility for themselves off the pitch?
- …What about the kid that listens better to the views of other people from different backgrounds and communities and respects their opinions
- …What about the kid that develops leadership skills by you giving up some ‘power’ and letting others lead the warm up or team talk?
- …What about the kid that develops increased self-confidence and self-esteem by having a wider circle of friends that like him being around?
- …What about the kid that develops better teamwork skills by playing in a team and can transfer ‘working with others’ into the classroom?
- …What about the kid that can run a little better because you give him/her some handy hints about using their arms in a more productive way? Oh and…
- …What about the kid that gets a little better at passing, or dribbling, or heading, or shooting, due to the practices and games they play in?
Just some the things, that are about winning in grassroots football. The league table is one indicator & certainly not high on the list of priorities! Ask any kid why he plays football and winning the league will hardly even get a mention.

“Grassroots football is not about the amount of trophies you win. It is about the difference you make to young people”. – Nick Levett.

Football for me is much more than just a game. There are so many ‘wins’ to be had outside of those relating to results alone. Some of the words that mean a lot to me are highlighted above but you’ll probably find your own wins too.

‘Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time’

By Nick Levett, FA National Development Manager for Youth Football

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February 21, 2013
Coerver Coaching Workshops
Coerver Coaching Ireland are starting 2 day workshop for coaches of all levels.

The NDSL Academy will host the first one in May on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th.

Along with Austin Speight from Coerver coaching, Gareth Hayden will be looking after the SAQ session and Tom Bates doing the Sports Psychology and Elite Performance part. Personally I think this is great value at €75.00.

NDSL COERVER COACHING – Weekend May 18/19 2013
- 2 Day Event
- NDSL Coolock – 10-4 PM Each Day.
- Coerver Coaching sessions – Austin Speight
- SAQ / Strength and Conditioning sessions – Gareth Hayden
- Sports Psychology – Tom Bates- WBA
- Elite performance coach- Tom Bates – WBA
- Cost for 2 days just €75.00
Note: Places are limited so early booking is advised. All coaches attending must be pre booked, no walk ons on the day.

For more information call: Coerver Office – 042 936 6910 – NDSL – 087 951 3624

Other dates for the Diary are:

Coerver Diploma

Cork and Waterford dates TBC

Limerick April 20/21

Belfast May 25/26

Dublin Aug 17/18
- Includes all course literature
- 5 set Coerver dvd
- Diploma Certificate
- Cost €229.00
To book for the Diploma call Coerver office 042 936 6910 or email- austin.speight@coerver.ie

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February 13, 2013
The Future of Youth Development in Irish Football
On Monday March 25th, 2013 in block F at Blanchardstown IT, I will be hosting a talk about the direction of youth football in Ireland.

The 4/5 main speakers will be talking about what they think is the future of Youth Development in Ireland and how we can learn from abroad.

Sponsored By Jako Sports – Leading the way in sportswear in Ireland

Mitch Whitty

Mitch is the current NDSL Technical Director and has been in this position since 2010. Mitch was also the former FAI Emerging Talent Head Coach for the Dublin area. Mitch is one of the most forward thinking coaches working in Ireland and is highly regarded amongst his pers. He also works in a fulltime capacity with Dublin City Council as a Sports Development Officer and in 2000 became the first ever football in the Community officer with DCC, a role he had until 2006. Mitch was also a:
- Former Director of Coaching Shamrock Rovers FC.
- 2001 – 06 freelanced with Chelsea FC as their International Academy Head Coach. Worked with 5 International Teams in that period.
- He holds an Irish and UK UEFA A License badge.
- Runs the coaches club at the NDSL Academy
With 20 years coaching experiences at various levels, from Community Grassroots to Elite Development. Mitch has managed and coached in the League of Ireland, at Professional Academies, community clubs and with International Teams.

Austin Speight

Coached all over World for many national associations and professional clubs delivering coach education programs.He had a Professional club career in England from schoolboy to first team level and he worked with many young players who are now playing in Premier league and Internationally. He is currently the director of Coerver coaching.
- Footballer at Stockport County, RAA La Louviere Belgium
- Retired with injury at 25 and began coaching career.
‘Coerver Coaching is the best technical skills teaching method I have come across; even after 25 years it continues to evolve and excite’ Gerard Houllier

Coached at:
- West Ham (92-95)
- Stockport County (95-98)
- Manchester City (98-99)
- Blackburn Rovers (99-07)
- Sponsored by Adidas (94-present)
- Tutor English FA (02-Present)
- Coaching Consultant to Uefa (09-present)
- Director Coerver Coaching (07-present)
web: Coerver Coaching

Dermot Dalton

Dermot is a full time Youth Development Specialist and Coach Mentor dedicated to promoting the Horst Wein Optimal Youth Football Development Model, which is player-centred, age-appropriate and games-oriented whilst also emphasizing Game Intelligence – Football that starts in the head and finishes with the feet!
- General Manager and Youth Development Specialist at The Beautiful Game
- Youth Development Specialist at Bohemian FC
- 7 years coaching experience at Portmarnock AFC and Malahide United FC
- Fully trained in the Horst Wein Youth Football Development Model and the
- Game Intelligence Approach to Coaching
‘Young players need a game of their own to play, not the adult 11-a-side game or even 7v7 at the wrong age. Being forced into the wrong competition games for their age-group creates many problems for young players’. Horst Wein

web: Beautiful Game

Michael Lynam

After spending over twenty-five years working with children and young adults in the juvenile justice system Michael completed a M.Sc. in Child Protection & Welfare in Trinity College Dublin in 2001.

In 2002 he was appointed National Children’s Officer and Designated Person for Child Protection with the FAI and during his time there produced the Code of Ethics & Good Practice for Children’s soccer and best practice guidelines for both coaches and parents. He also worked closely with the underage representative teams developing best practice Health & Safety policies for travelling squads

Michael also developed support and welfare services to elite players both here and in the UK and is currently in the process of establishing a best practice/child protection consultancy, support service which he intends launching in the near future.

Michael has also coached at schoolboy level with St Malachy’s F.C. in the DDSL with successes in both the Pepsi and FAI youth cups. He also attended one of the first residential coaching courses conducted in Ireland by Billy Young and Noel O’Reilly in Butlins in the early 70s.

Print PDF about event here Future of Youth Development in Irish Football

Another Speaker profile will be updated shortly.

Stand by: Pat Walker, Seamus Kelly

Sponsor

We will also have some great prices to give away on the night, so make sure you get there early.

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February 9, 2013
How Does a Good Coach Communicate?
Communication can be defined as ‘The Receiving and Giving of Information between Two or More People.’ We receive information primarily with our eyes and ears. We give information mainly verbally, with our actions or in writing.

As a football coach here is a test I would like you to try. How much of the time time with you players do you spend receiving information from the players and how much time giving information to the players. Pick the answer that is closest to your coaching communication style.

When I am communicating with my players I spend
1. Less than 25% of the time receiving information.
2. Between 25% and 50% receiving information.
3. Receiving and Giving Information 50% each.
4. Between 50% and 75% receiving information,
5. 75% or more of time receiving information.
If you are closer to number 1 you favour giving information over receiving it and if you are between 3 and 5 you value taking in information.

As a coach is it possible to give correct information to the players if we have not taken in information from them? Stephen Covey in his bestselling book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ says:

‘It is important to understand before we seek to be understood. To me it is critical the coach understands the information he is getting from his players before he draws conclusions and makes his coaching points or decisions’.

So how does a coach take in that information?

As stated earlier he uses his eyes and his ears to receive information. The use of the eyes to receive information in coaching terms is known as observation. The coach must observe his players. This is best done in silence with the coach maybe standing a little bit away from the play and concentrating on the parts of the game or training he wants to observe. Observation works best when the coach has decided before hand which areas to concentrate on e.g. attacking play, defending etc. That may require more flexibility during a match as it develops.

Are Irish coaches good at observation?

I believe it is the weakest area and the one that needs most work. I hear coaches who fail their Youths Badge regularly complain that they did not get a fair deal. Without them telling me I ask ‘Did you fail on observation?’ A lot of them did. Do you know what, the FAI tutors were right. I watch the sessions and I would fail them on observation also.

They are so keen to get in a make a coaching point and shout Stop Stand Still that they forget to observe what is happening in front of them. So without the right information how can you make the right coaching intervention?

The second way to get information from the Players is with your ears. So how do we do this in Coaching Context? I have used the Guided Discover Method of Coaching for the last five years. Guided Discovery dates back to Socrates but is little used. I and Aaron Callaghan, the Bohemians Manager have worked together on it over the years and I know others are advocates of the approach. It is the approach we are introducing in the Kildare Academy.

Guided Discovery

allows players learn by linking the training activities and tasks with questions asked by the coach who seeks to gain information from the players. This information will help the coach understand
- The level of understanding the players have of the task.
- Solutions to football problems the players may have themselves.
- The level of fun the players are having.
- The pace of progression required.
To get the information the coach needs to observe and then ask questions. The questions can be simple with young players ‘When should you pass?’ to more complex questions. as they progress ‘When should you mark tight or when do you mark space? The coach then really needs to listen attentively to the players answers. I have observed many situations where the coach asks the question but then answers himself. That tells the coach nothing about the players’ progress just reinforces the information he already has.

So for Guided Discover to work:
1. Observe the practice.
2. Stop the practice at the point that you want information.
3. Ask the question or questions.
4. Listen to the answers attentively.
5. Then make your coaching point quickly and demonstrate or preferably get the players to demonstrate.
Once we have received all the information we require as Coaches it is now time to deal with giving of information.How do we give information as coaches?

It is mainly verbally or by our actions with very little in writing. With our actions we can send a message by dropping a player for instance. The main tool however for delivering information as a coach is verbally. The components of Verbal communication are Words, Tone and Body Language. It is the part of coaching we are all most familiar with.

The coach shouting instruction for the side line. The coach bursting a gut to get the players attention so he can shout at him. Now a lot of coaches will defend this by saying I am shouting valuable information. So here is an interesting piece of research.
- 7% of communication is transmitted through words
- 38% of communication is transmitted through tone
- 55% of communication is transmitted through Body Language
Now you must remember that that research deals with adults who are communicating in a normal verbal manner not players running around a field trying to concentrate on a practice or a game. So even if the coach is using positive words but has to shout the tone may come across as negative. If the coach is standing on the side-line with a cross face and arms folded it really doesn’t matter what words he is using the player will know the coach is unhappy. Think of how this might affect young players. So it is clear the speeches and long talks no matter how well thought out will have little positive effect.

In my opinion I believe a good coach communicator is one who
- Observes all the time
- Listens a lot.
- Asks considered questions.
- Gives information in short bursts using demonstration more than words.
- Never shouts.
This post was written by Mike Geoghegan

Academy Director Kildare Underage League and Head Coach Naas AFC.

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January 17, 2013
DB Sports Tours Champions Cup 2012

Really looking forward to the DB Sports Tours Champions Cup this Saturday. I was at it last year when two teams contested a final at u15s age group. This year they have increased it to 5 age groups. I don’t believe there has ever been a competition pitting the best of the South with the best of the North; this will be a truly great day for Irish Youth Soccer.

The Article below is courtesy of the Irish Daily Star.

DB SPORTS TOURS CHAMPIONS CUP 2012: BIGGER AND BETTER

IRELAND’S top schoolboy teams will kick-off the New Year in style when they take on their northern counterparts in an expanded DB Sports Tours Champions Cup schedule next month.

Five SFAI national cup winners, ranging from Under-12 to U16s, will each face the Northern Ireland Boys Football Association’s Champions in their respective age groups on an action-packed day on January 5.

Dundalk’s Oriel Park will host the newly-expanded competition, which was began with a two-legged single contest last last year.

Following an exciting clash at Tolka Park in December 2011, NIBFA top dogs St Oliver Plunketts saw off Shelbourne at Seaview in January to take the innaugeral title at U-15 level.

As tournament organizers DB Sports Tours decided to expand the competition across the age groups for the second year and fans are set to benefit with five fantastic games in a row on the first Saturday in January.

“We recently signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the NIBFA, so cross-border clashes between the south and north’s best look like becoming a regular occurrence”.

Reigning U-11 (left) and U-13 SFAI champions St Kevin’s Boys are committed to a club trip across the water to English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion so Crumlin United and Cherry Orchard take their places respectively.

Crumlin’s excellent U-12s fill in for Kevin’s against Glentoran FC in the day’s opening encounter, before St Francis face Plunketts in the U-13 clash.

Francis won last year’s DB Sports Tours Manchester Easter Cup – beating hosts Manchester City in the final.

The Orchard’s U-14s narrowly missed out on U-13 DDSL Premier Division success last season and will hope to make up for it against Plunketts.

The U-15 contest is a highly-anticipated one, with Templeogue United’s league and national champions facing Crusaders FC, before Plunketts have a third team involved on the day against Malahide United in the U-16 final.

CHAMPIONS CUP SCHEDULE – JANUARY 5, ORIEL PARK

U12′s (2001′s) Crumlin United v Glentoran FC, 11:00AM KO – 20 mins e/w

U13′s (2000′s) ST.Francis FC v ST.Oliver Plunketts 12:00 – 25 mins e/w

U14′s (1999′s) Cherry Orchard v ST.Oliver Plunketts 1:00 – 25 mins e/w

U15′s (1998′s) Templeogue Utd v Crusaders FC – 2:00 – 30 mins e/w

U16′s (1997′s) Malahide Utd v ST.Oliver Plunketts 3:00 – 30 mins e/w

*Text courtesy of the Irish Daily Star’s Target supplement*

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January 3, 2013
The Future of Youth Development in Irish Football: Lessons from Home and Abroad
I’m off to London on Thursday to attend a debate about the Future of Irish Football. It will be held at Birkbeck College, University of London.

There is an excellent panel of experts assembled and this promises to be an excellent discussion that will appeal to anyone with an interest in Irish football or youth development in general.

A Roundtable Discussion

Lankaster Lecture Theatre (University College London – UCL)
Medawar Building
Malet Place (off Torrington Place)
London WCI

Thursday 6th December 2012 at 6pm (For directions click here)

This event will operate under “Chatham House Rules” – no external reporting without the permission of the speakers

Synopsis

Ireland has long enjoyed a very successful record of producing talented young football players many of whom have gone on to enjoy successful playing careers in English football. Perhaps the high point was during the 1997-1998 period. Under the managership of Brian Kerr, the Republic of Ireland won the bronze medal in the 1997 World Youth Championship. In 1998 the national team won the UEFA European U16 and U18 championships. The squad included players who went on to be household names including: Richard Dunne, Robbie Keane, John O’Shea, and Damien Duff.

This success demonstrated that, despite Ireland’s small population size, it was possibly for a well-organised and coached Irish team to compete at the highest level.

However, whilst the recent wonderful result by the Republic of Ireland U-21 team against Italy demonstrated again Ireland’s capacity to produce great playing talent, the challenge remains as to how this process can be made more consistent and sustainable over time. This is a challenge that Ireland shares with other countries; witness the English Premier League’s substantial investment in youth development through its Elite Player Performance Plan; and the English FA’s investment in the National Football Centre at Burton on Trent. Football remains what it has always been, an intensively competitive sport. A successful youth development programme remains an absolutely fundamental foundation if Irish teams are to stay competitive in the future.

This Roundtable Discussion brings together three very experienced figures from the world of football development to debate how the organisation of Irish youth football development might be taken forward. A key focus of the discussion is a comparison between the best practice currently in existence in Ireland, with that in England and in Scandinavia.

Amongst the key questions to be addressed:
- How can Ireland overcome the resource constraints presented by the current macro-economic crisis?
- Is there a more efficient way to organise the structure of youth football development in Ireland?
- Does the established pathway of Irish players to English football in particular blind Irish talent to the wider possibilities of career development in other European countries?
The Roundtable Panel

Chairman – Peter Clarke

Peter Clarke graduated from the Birkbeck MSc in Sport Management and the Business of Football programme in 2011 with a Distinction. From Dublin, Peter works in the finance industry and has lived in London since 1999. He also holds a MA in Economics from University College Dublin and is a professionally qualified investment analyst. His research interest at Birkbeck was financial instability in professional football. Peter has been a supporter of both the League of Ireland and the Irish national team since the late 1970s and until he moved to London he played in the Leinster Senior League.

Pat Walker

Pat Walker is a UEFA Pro Diploma level A coach, and graduate of the 2 year Sport Psychology Application education programme at Örebro University in Sweden. He was the first professional to represent his native town Carlow in an Irish national team (U-21.) He was a professional footballer with Gillingham FC in England for 7 years. Following a short spell with Leicester City, he enjoyed a successful playing career in Swedish elite football, first with BK Häcken and then with GIF Sundsvall. Since the early 1990’s he has managed Elite clubs in both Sweden and Norway. High points were promotion to the Premier Leagues in both countries with Örebro and Sandefjord. Through his long experience in Scandinavian football he is in strong position to offer an informed critique of the approach to youth and football development both in Ireland and the UK.

Niall Harrison

Niall Harrison is National Coordinator, the Emerging Talent Programme, at the Football Association of Ireland, and has held this post since 2006. He is also Head Coach of the Under 15 Republic of Ireland boys’ team. He holds a UEFA A coaching license. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University in the United States. He played in the League of Ireland with Sligo Rovers, and represented the Republic of Ireland at U18 level in 1982 when the now well-known Irish football media analyst, Eamon Dunphy, was the manager.

Seamus Kelly

Dr. Seamus Kelly is a former professional soccer player in the UK (with Cardiff City) and in the League of Ireland. Seamus is currently lecturing at UCD and Dublin Institute of Technology. His research examines aspects of management in professional soccer and he has consulted with numerous Irish & UK sports organisations on its application. Seamus has played for the Irish Universities, Irish Beach Soccer & Irish National League teams and has one Irish ‘B’ cap. Seamus also has goalkeeping coaching experience with Shamrock Rovers, Drogheda United and Shelbourne.

Selected Publications
- Kelly, S. (2011). A Best Practice Model of Player Recruitment and Assessment in Professional Soccer. Presentation at the European Association for Sport Management Congress. Madrid, Sept 2011.
- Kelly, S. (2011). The Role of Coaching Qualifications in Professional Football in the UK and Ireland. Presentation at the 10th Annual International Conference on Sports. Athens, June 2011.
- Kelly, S. (2009). The recruitment of Professional Soccer Players in the UK and Ireland. Presentation at the European Association for Sport Management Congress. Amsterdam, Sept 2009.
- Kelly, S. (2008). Understanding the Role of the Football Manager in Britain and Ireland: A Weberian Approach. European Sport Management Quarterly. 8 (4), 399-419
- Kelly, S. & Waddington, I. (2006). Abuse, Intimidation and Violence as Aspects of Managerial Control in Professional Soccer in Britain and Ireland. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 41 (2), 147-164.
For further details on the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre Seminar Series contact:

Sean Hamil
Department of Management
Birkbeck College
Malet Street
London
WC1E 7HX

Tel: 020-7631 6763
Email: s.hamil@bbk.ac.uk

Sean Hamil CV
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_{1. Premierleague.com (22nd October 2012). About Youth Development. Premierleague.com. Downloaded on 30th November 2012, from: http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/youth/about-youth-development.html; and, Premierleague.com (27th July 2012). First Clubs Complete EPPP Academy Audit. Premierleague.com. Downloaded on 30th November 2012, from: http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/first-clubs-complete-eppp-academy-audit.html}
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_{2. Thefa.com. The Future Game. Thefa.com.  Downloaded on 30th November 2012, from:http://www.thefa.com/st-georges-park/discover/coaching/the-future-game.}
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_{3. FAI.ie. Emerging Talent. FAI.ie. Downloaded on 30th November 2012, from: http://www.fai.ie/player-development/emerging-talent.html}
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Content taken from: http://www.sportbusinesscentre.com/news/2012-12-03

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December 3, 2012
Campaign for Positive Sports Coaching
Football Coach Mike Geoghegan wrote this article about promoting positive sports coaching. This is something I have a keen interest in and I know most of you, will also. I hope to get Mike to write some more for the blog.

What type of coach are you?

It’s being a hard week in work; your boss has really gotten under your skin. On the way out the door your wife asks you to carry a bag of coal in from her car. ‘Damn, I’m already late. Come on son get in the car now’. You rush to the meeting point for your team’s under 10 game. There are nine kids and about seven parents waiting for you. ‘Tough night last night’ your assistant Phil shouts at you. You swear under your breath but smile. Then it starts. ‘Sorry Mick I can’t go today, can you take Steven for me then the same for Rashid and Brian. You think ‘Some parents just don’t care about their kids not like me.’ Then off to the match in a small convoy.

You arrive at the park at 10.15 with fifteen minutes to kick off. Of course the pitch is the other side of the park. ‘Come on lads get a move on, I won’t tell you twice.’ Your voice even sounds loud to yourself. You run across the park with the jersey bag over your shoulder. You make it with ten minutes to spare and give a quick team talk.

’ Remember last week we put in no effort. You are good players but you can lazy, you need to try a lot harder or you will be beaten again. Now these are no good so go out and beat them’

Ten minutes in, two down. Your son loses the ball in midfield. ‘Shane you roar, how often have I told you not to dribble in midfield, Pass It. ‘Rashid misses an easy chance. ‘Rashid, Rashid the goal, hit the goal.’ The ref is coming towards you. What does he want? ‘Would you mind stepping back off the pitch.’’ I wasn’t on the pitch.’ ‘Yes you were and have being since the start.’ ‘Sorry, yeah ok.’ You step back off feeling hard done by. ‘I wasn’t on the pitch was I Phil.’

‘God, Brian is brutal today Phil says in reply. ‘Yeah your right.’ ‘Brian come off and take a rest. ‘Paul go on and see can you do better.’ It’s two one when Rashid scores. Well done Rashid I knew you could do better. Shane then tries a pass through midfield which is cut out and they score. ‘For God sake Shane I told you not to pass through midfield, down the sides down the sides. ‘Shane looks hurt but if only he would listen he could be a good player. ‘Shane head up you’re a lot better than this come on.’

Half time whistle and your team is three one down. You sit then down and you and Phil stand over them looking down at the. ‘Have your drinks and say nothing. ‘Look lads you’ve done nothing we worked on in training, remember our passing out wide, remember our shooting. There is no point us teaching you things if you are going to ignore them. Now get on the ball and no more silly mistakes. Shane you’re the captain, you need to do a lot better’’

Second half no one wants the ball, no wide passing, no shots now five one and you have stopped shouting and stand with your hands on your hips. ‘There number six is huge, couldn’t be under 10 looks at least eleven and the number three is not far behind him. ‘Phil says in your ear. ‘Always the same down here ‘you reply wishing the game was over. The ref finally blows it up. Ok see you Tuesday on the astro.’ Back in the car with Shane.

‘What time did you go to bed at last night?’ ‘Half eight.’ ‘Huh you did not’ ‘I did.’ ‘Well it didn’t look like it’ ‘I did my best’ ‘Yeah.’

You catch you refection in the rear view mirror and see your own cross face. You look at your son in the mirror staring out the window looking miserable. You get home. Mary asks you ‘How did it go? ‘Terrible’ you say. ‘How did you play? She asks Shane. ‘Terrible’ he replies. Shane goes up stairs.

‘Why do you coach she asks if you don’t enjoy it.’ ‘I do enjoy it.’ ‘Doesn’t look like it to me she says and goes into the kitchen. You sit in the lounge. And ask yourself the same questions. ‘Did I enjoy it?’ No. ‘Did the kids enjoy it? No. So why are we all doing it?

You look into the mirror how have you come from being the Dad who wanted to help out, to watch his son play to the Coach who shouts gets angry at nothing has no patience. You have become the accidental Coach Bully. Sound familiar.

Bullying of all sorts is a big issue at the moment.

We mainly concentrate on child to child bullying including cyber bullying. What about Coach bullying. We see it all the time. I know bullying is a strong word and will cause offence and defensiveness. Of course most coaches do not set out to bully and are well meaning adults. It is however easy to become the accidental bully. There is so much stress and pressure in modern life. We all want our kids to do well. So when there is a match and it all boils down to forty, sixty or ninety minutes, sometimes we can get caught up in it and the other stresses in our lives can come through. Then we have the raised voices at kids and at refs and at opposing coaches. The problem with accidental bullying is it causes as much harm as intentional and more if it comes from a person the child trusts.

We see it every week.

Coaches standing on the pitch shouting at young players. Coaches using very negative phrases and harsh tones to little kids. Coaches giving half time and full time lectures to kids who cannot understand the message. The accidental bullying is not physical but can have a huge effect on the kids’ self-esteem and enjoyment of their sport. Coaches have probably the third most important adult relationship with kids after parents and teachers. Coaches have a duty of care and must remember that a single loose negative remark can be carried through life. Kids by the age of eighteen have heard 50,000 positive remarks about themselves and 250,000 negative one. We are losing a lot of kids to the game at around 13 or 14 years of age. Some say it is because kids have so many distractions, other say it is peer pressure. I suggest they give up the game because they no longer enjoy it and will no longer go just because their parents want them to. No one wants to be shouted at and feel they are disappointing someone week in week out. Let’s as coaches help tip the scale in favour of positivity and get the kids to have fun whether they are winning or not.

Coaches have a duty of care and must remember that a single loose negative remark can be carried through life. Kids by the age of eighteen have heard 50,000 positive remarks about themselves and 250,000 negative one.

Here are some of my ten hints to help you become a positive coach for younger players.
- Leave your work and home issues behind you.
- When stressed breathe slowly and deeply.
- Get to training and matches with time to spare
- Don’t make statements, ask questions.
- Smile.
- Praise the players.
- Enjoy the matches.
- Ignore the results.
- Confine your coaching to the midweek sessions.
- Do your coaching courses.
Become the Coach Guide and Friend not the Coach Bully.

Article by Mike Geoghegan: Academy Director Kildare and District Underage League and Head Coach Naas AFC

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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November 26, 2012