Many coaches wonder about the best way to allocate playing time within their team. But when deciding whether to give kids equal playing time in youth soccer, there is no blanket rule. Factors like the environment we’re coaching in, the individual needs of our players, and what we’re trying to achieve as a team will all impact our approach. To establish the best course of action for our team, we should consider the various impacts of how we allocate playing time, as well as how…
youth sport
Winners and Warriors? What is the difference and how can you help your players adopt a growth mindset and a focus on process and performance over outcome? TEDx Speaker & Founder of Raising Excellence, Reed Maltbie shares his ideas around intrinsic motivation and the dangers of being outcome-driven. A few years back I was walking through the parking lot at a tournament my club was hosting. It was Sunday, late in the afternoon, which meant all the games being played were for trophies. I had…
Coaching youth sport is complex, challenging and rewarding. In this Masterclass Discussion we speak to Founder of Changing the Game Project and youth coaching expert, John O’Sullivan. PDP Editor, Dave Wright hosts John for an in depth discussion which dives into a range of topics including women’s football, John’s work in the youth coaching space, specialisation, organisational culture and creating learning environments for young people. John is a leader in driving change in youth sport, a long time PDP contributor and has some fantastic ideas…
What are some of the key considerations for coaching youth soccer players? The teenage years in particular are a crucial time for our players’ development as both soccer players and people. As their coaches, we can play a decisive role in that process. Between the ages of 12 and 18, youth players will experience significant physical, psychological, and emotional growth. Social dynamics and the pressures placed upon them will change. And they’ll make repeated leaps between different game formats, transitioning from small-sided games to 11v11….
In this Masterclass Discussion, PDP Editor, Dave Wright is joined by Gordon MacLelland, the Founder of Working with Parents in Sport. Gordon and Dave dive into a discussion which includes practical advice for parents on how to support their children in sport, how clubs can better engage with parents, how to manage the car ride home and much more. Gordon has vast coaching and teaching experience and this discussion is essential viewing for coaches and clubs looking to better understand parental influence in youth sport….
Problem-solving is crucial in player development. In this article, Founder of Changing the Game Project, John O’Sullivan shares an excellent article on the importance of guiding children towards solutions and creating autonomy in learning environments. Imagine you went to your child’s algebra class and got to be a fly on the wall. Imagine the teacher was being assessed on your child’s test results in two days. Now imagine that instead of teaching your child how to problem solve, and the concepts behind doing algebra problems,…
In this article, Founder of Working With Parents in Sport, Gordon MacLelland shares a challenging article on the dangers of adults hijacking the youth sport experience, and how parents can ensure their children own the experience. Whose game is it anyway? In many ways a simple question to answer, but one that despite what we may say as parents and sometimes as coaches, is not always backed up by the behaviours that we display on a regular basis. In the cold light of day we…
Birmingham City FC are a founding partner club of PDP and in May 2019, they put on an event called the Learning Tribes Conference 2019. In this round table video discussion, Dave Wright & Dan Wright review the event with three of the team from Birmingham City FC. BCFC Lead Youth Development Phase Coach, Mike Dodds was tasked with putting on an event for coaches by the team at BCFC Academy. Inspired by Co-Founder of the Magic Academy and top rugby coach, Russell Earnshaw, Mike…
J. Bartholomew, N. Ntoumanis, and C. Ntoumanis The Big Idea Let’s begin this research review with an illustration. In sports, there is a difference between players who are merely involved and players who are fully committed. (You will have to play along here.) There is an old American illustration pointing out this difference, the difference between being involved and being committed. Think of a ham and eggs breakfast. You will notice a real difference between the contributions of the two barn animals. The chicken is…
PDP contributor, Erik Imler discusses the importance of young players celebrating their success. Coaching my U11B team this weekend, we faced quite a good team. The opponent had one of those difference makers in their team. Besides his technical ability and confidence on the ball under pressure, he brought something different to yesterday’s dance (game)….the joy of celebration! The difference between him and the rest of the players I saw during the day (upwards of 100+) was the flair and joy he displayed when scoring…
One of the saddest things I had to do as a Director of Coaching for numerous soccer clubs was conduct exit interviews, meetings with players whom had decided to leave the club. Children quit sports for a litany of reasons, and my job was always to see what we could learn, so we could improve the experience for other children. When I got these players alone, and asked them “what was your least favorite moment in sports?” I often got a very similar and sad…