I'm thinking about getting into some coaching once I get back to Sydney (bairns or something to start with) and would appreciate any advice. Someone recommended that first of all I put in a spell of reffing to get to know the rules thoroughly - and therefore how best to exploit them? Waddya think ?

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

Answers

serious enquiry like

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

Reffed and coached up to 5 years back, personally I feel the two are seperate entities , start with the kids , *assuming Oz is the same as here regarding working with children , ensure to protect yourself get everything cleared by the authorities or join a boy`s club that has thses things in place. Local school`s, libraries , youth/soccer clubs will have books/videos etc regarding working with children and for example I have sent in the last year 4 male and 1 female to Aberdeen FC to gain their A,B,C badges , which apart from coaching includes first aid and legislation . I am sure in Sidney that the AAFA will have a rep who will give you guidance, one thing Loony the days of getting a few kids together to have a kick about have long gone, its all about having the right equipment, the right facilities etc, how is your ability to fundraise , you will need it. Your confidence will grow as you coach the age groups , and then probably senior amateur.

My best experiences were coaching from scratch over a 6 week period 16 Iban children from the Kuching/Lundu area of Sarawak ,16 kids in their bare feet, who initially swarmed after the ball like a plague of locusts. At the end of the 6 weeks I put on a display with the kids of newly learned `Soccer Skills` , this lasted for 20 mins breaking into 4 groups of 4 and then a 8 a side match, Not understanding my delicate Geordie burr I controlled the whole display by whistle blasts, they were fantastic ,I was so proud of them I treated myself to a few Tiger beers that night and penned a letter to NUFC about the qualities of a ten year old called Nicholas , a superb natural gifted player, a product not of Hackney Marshes but the ulu of Sarawak , no reply, nothing changed eh, 35 years ago but if you are reading this Nicholas remember that big daft Geordie eh! Summarise Loony, do one or tother, anyone you choose give it all

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

I know of a 4-a-side football team in Sydney that really needs sorting out...

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2001

I've done a little bit with Under 10's. I'm not qualified or owt but have been coached enough over the years by good coaches and bad to have a sense of what works and that is let em have the ball.....

Give them a basic sense of formation on a small pitch (5 or 8 a side) and let them play.

Also to help them develop just some simple pass and move exercises.

Great fun...

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

Did you not teach them just to hoof the ball up the field to the big kid, Roly?

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

LT,

Did some coaching of U-10's in the US when my lad was learning to play. The biggest challenge was stopping them all chasing the ball, or the other exteme whereby they stay rigidly in one allotted place.

The kids were a delight to work with: their parents were a royal pain in the ass.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

Cliff you get :O)

But we used to have some fun.... at the end of every session we used to get them practising how to celebrate a goal.... so we used to get them to imagine a huge terrace of people, get them to put the ball in the net and then to run off to the "imaginary" crowd doing knee slides, belly flops, etc, etc....

We used to get some really bemused looks from parents who'd come to pick their kids up and anyone else passing by...

The kids loved it....

football = enjoy, enjoy, enjoy

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

Loony, I know this Career Counsellor you should speak to!

I have done both. I had to get an Officials badge as part of my Phys Ed degree, so I became a Ref!

Through schooling I coached kids and then later did coaching badges to end up coaching an amateur team in the top div here.

My advice is the same as buffs' do one or t'other. Get your qualifications then start. Coaching is harder as you need different approaches for each age group, this mainly revolves around their development, and how you get the point you want to make. The other major difference is that the older the players are the harder it is to change the skilling. Still this will all become as clear as mud the longer you do it.

Most people think it is more rewarding to watch a youngster develop through the skill you show them. Me nothing beats the League team winning the League or Cup.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

Sound advice thanks lads. Though somehow I reckon Cliff's monkeyish methods would be a lot less hassle ;O))

gus - I didn't realise you'd been a coach as well as a pork pie of a goalie !!

Definitely one or two things I haven't yet got my head around, like insurance and know-it-all parents. Food for thought so ta again

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

I do a little bit coaching with my cousin's under 9 team with my brother. We have to get them to learn the basics first though with youngsters, stuff like marking and how to kick a ball properly.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

Loony, a lot of things changed over 6 years ago , up till then it was pretty loose,I`v attended/run numerous 5 a side gala`s over the years, seen and heard the spectacle of the parents on the lines screaming at their own kids, the look of bewilderment on these kids faces was so off-putting , before receiving a ball they would instantly have a look up to the line to await advice/criticism from a demented mother or father, Thankfully all thats changed for the better , vetted and badged coaches, little leagues run (6-10) that if the score reaches 5-0 it reverts back to 0-0, less emphasis on medal / cup winners, more emphasis on correct size pitches/goals for the age groups. The 6 and under always attract the crowds and these tots are attempting to build up the play with passing movements and holding their positions. All great fun as you bring the kids thro,10`s and under, 14`s and under, and our very good 16 and under team. However I am attempting to sort out a dispute with ourselves and the local Highland League outfit who have a teacher in the local Academy ,tells them the "stars" , signs them on `S` forms , 6 of them happen to be kids we have had since very young, The semi-pro outfit have a youth policy for the simple reason they do not like paying out money for experienced players, they trawl for young players , more quantity so they can go to the Lottery and say , hey look at the kids we are bringing on qualify for funding. I want the bigger clubs to recognise how much effort and time , how much it costs to get the kids to that standard, I have nothing against a kid `bettering` himself and would encourage it , all I ask is the so called bigger clubs remember who provides the material for them , its a problem up here.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001

I used to ref our Year 7 school house matches. It wasn't easy because I didn't have any linesmen and the little bastards kept running too fast! I used lines and detention instead of red and yellow cards by the way.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001