Grassroots Soccer Coaching

If your club is out here releasing young kids ... you're part of the problem. Get over yourself and find a new line of work. This shouldn't really be controversial but we still have too many clubs and coaches cutting young kids. Mike & Jon look at the reasons why and what the long term problems are of this practice and why it needs to stop ASAP  

Yeliz a Coach, Player and School Teacher talks candidly and at length with me about a whole host of ideas and topics related around Gender groupings. Something I am always looking to get more ideas about and find out what a female coaches perspective is on gender groups. We talk about different ways of grouping, different ages and stages for gender based groups, how we can be more flexible to more players needs, the upsides and downsides of different approaches and also how we may approach each group differently and how we might want to treat them exactly the same.

My latest podcast with Brian Peggs from Saffron Waldon Community FC in Essex England was recorded a while back and was another impromptu Zoom call that we decided to record at the last second and Im glad I did! Brian is one of the leaders and coaches at Saffron Walden which has a large girls contingent. They have some really unique ways of doing things, the clubs approach is refreshing, Brians ideas and knowledge he has gained from 12 years of coaching and a lifetime in the game were shared openly, A great chat worth the listen.

Fantastic episode with Rod Underwood. I got to discuss Rods thoughts on grassroots soccer and his experiences coaching grassroots all the way up to coaching in the professional game and with National teams. Very interesting to hear what stays the same and whats changes as you progress through the levels of Soccer and what Rod feels is still so important fundamentally for young players. We also managed to get some discussion on cows and Caribbean cuisine for good measure. Rod has coached with Portland Timbers (MLS) and head coaching roles with Cleveland City (USL), North East Stars (Jamaica), Mount Aureol (Sierra Leone), Montego Bay FC (Jamaica) where he led his team to CONCACAF Championship qualification, and most recently with Stumptown AC (NISA) in Charlotte

Great Chat With Joel the Director Of Youth Sports The Film A Documentary In Development I Didn't Have A Clue Who I Was Going To Be Chatting With Prior To Starting This One And Was Not Expecting An Italian Coach Now Living In Vegas !!!! We Covered A Wide  Do You Dream About Coaching Sessions? Why Coaches Don't Like Giving Younger Players More Autonomy Starting A Girls Team And How Its Different Do Non USA Coaches Share More Info? Will Things Change After Covid?

A real eye opener for me in this chat from a great coach who is always sharing and helping the football coach community on Twitter. Pete is involved in coaching both Blind and Deaf National teams in Australia and we discuss his learning curve and the challenges he has had to adapt to with coaching these players. We also dive into how Grassroots Soccer operates in Australia and what highlight some of the good initiatives and discuss some fo the changes that could be made to improve grassroots for young players.

A fantastic chat with fellow podcaster Ibra Toure for the Coaching Puzzle. In this episode I quiz and learn all about what Soccer in Ivory Coast is like from Grassroots to Pro Soccer. Ibra shared his experiences growing up in Ivory Coast playing soccer as a young boy and then his transition to the USA at age 13. We also delve into the difference between coaching boys and girls and Ibra shares some of his observations and advice on how to coach girls more effectively.

Hector Cano former military man and current Ysleta High School Lady Indians Head Coach and Host of the 50/50 podcast shares his experiences and knowledge on a broad spectrum of topics from coaching grassroots, taking the National Youth Licence all the way to coaching High School & College. 3.00 Where Is El Paso? 4.30 The National Youth License 19.00 Street Soccer & Free Play 31.00 Why Don't Some Make High School Teams 40.20 What Causes The Physical Style Of Play In High School & College 107.00 Are We Developing Enough Players 1.17 Coming Down To Young Players Level

In this episode I get to chat to Mutanda about Rising Point which is a soccer program he started back in Seattle to serve his community. It's a soccer program unlike what we are typically used to seeing and Mutanda has applied a unique approach to building and running this program. Mutanda breaks down how it got started, how he has collaborated with partners and what his vision for a different type of soccer program/club could be.

Been looking forward to picking Michael's brain for a while now, and this chat did't disappoint. In our 2 hour 10minute brief chat we examined a multitude of Grassroots topics and Michael breaks down his entire Grassroots model he has employed at the clubs he has led. So many ideas that you can learn from and implement at your club or team, Michael is one of the few people I have net so far that has a detailed plan and system that has proven to work in developing the skills and knowledge of young players. Don't miss this one

Had to have Dave back on the podcast after his brief appearance on episode 2 I felt there was some unfinished business! Dave gives us an in-depth look at the structure of grassroots football in Ireland, he explains how clubs work, cost structure and fees. We also delve into the structure of Soccer in the USA and Canada and I get Daves take on our structure and some of the major differences. We broach the subjects of Early selection, tryouts, bests with best and get Daves feeling on how we as coaches should be doing things at the younger ages in Grassroots football.

Johnny Ioannou and I have a good discussion about some of the differences in Youth and Grassroots Soccer in his current location of Chicago and where he grew up in London, England. We examine some of the many problems and challenges we both encounter in coaching Grassroots Soccer, what we struggle with and what advice we would give younger coach versions of ourselves. Johnny shares his philosophy and coaching methods with respect to the Grassroots players he has under his programs.

Rob gives us some insight into the structure of Youth Soccer in Oxford, England from Grassroots to Pro Academy Level. Rob also shares some of his favourite 1v1 Activities for Grassroots players and goes into detail about how he coaches the activities his preparation for his sessions. Rob gives us several variations and progressions on his 1v1 activities and breaks down all of his coaching points. This is a 1v1 Grassroots tutorial and will give you tons of ideas and something you can take away and implement with your players in your next session

Very interesting conversation with Cory Reinard a Grassroots coach and Behaviour Specialist/ Therapist. A lot of our discussion was focused around player behaviours at the younger ages and what we as coaches should expect. Cory shares his expertise and many strategies on how to deal and interact with young players in a wide variety of situations both good and bad. Some excellent insights on what you as a grassroots coach should expect, what you should know about younger ages in order to be more effective in coaching them. Excellent discussion much to learn and take away from this episode

A great chat with Stephanie around the topic of when are young players ready, or when are they not ready to make the jump from an in house program to a travel or more competitive team program?

Topics Discussed In This Chat Include Starting A New Club The Challenges When Winning At Young Ages Is The Focus What Does The Term Recreational Mean Is It Still Competitive? The Coaching Hierarchy Why Do Some Coaches Work With Certain Ages? Running A Club In The Pandemic Introducing the USA Youth Soccer Model To An Irishman Ideas On How High School Coaches Can Do Outreach And Work With Local Grassroots Clubs - 5 Ideas How To Help

Topics Covered In This Episode OF Grassroots Soccer Coaching Podcast Include: Recreational Programs & Travel Programs Do They Work Being Separated? Phase Of Youth Soccer Development How Do We Manage The Stages? Structural Issues With Clubs & Leagues Letting Kids Make Mistakes & Communicating This With Parents