“Creating a positive sporting environment”. These are the words (or words to that effect) that we have all read on social media posts, in books or heard on podcasts – delivered with eloquence by our favourite coaches, culture experts and mindset and leadership gurus.
There is a reason why it is one of the most written/talked about subjects not only in sport but business as well. People become a product of their environment. In a football context, players become a product of their environment and so those of us with the responsibility of creating the foundations for this can have an impact on our players for the rest of their lives – positively or negatively. Thankfully, environments aren’t permanent, and adjustments can be made if needed to realign focus and re-establish a positive atmosphere.
There are many factors that contribute to a great environment but there are four that we will delve into are as follows:
- The right people
- Safety and security
- Appropriate challenge
- Enjoyment
A great football environment is the by-product of leadership. Having been involved in various football teams as a player and coach for 20+ years, in my experience, having the right group of people involved is a determining factor between success and failure. Positive environments are nearly impossible to create if those involved do not share the same philosophy, vision and passion for what is being created. This includes staff, players and even parents in youth football. Those at the top must be able to communicate effectively and responsibly so that common goals are clear and purposeful and something that everyone can agree on.
It is vital that players feel safe and secure within their football setting. From my experience as a player, the better the relationship I had with my coaches – the better I performed and the more I trusted and took on board critical feedback. Thankfully today, coaching is less about vilifying players and embarrassing them amongst their peers. Focusing on reducing the ‘fear of failure’ gives our players the confidence to keep trying and take risks outside their comfort zone. Errors should be addressed and corrected of course, or learning will not take place and improvements won’t be seen. When footballers take responsibility for their learning, a sense of empowerment and courage is created. Having the right people in this setting will cancel out a blame game culture and failures won’t be viewed as having a lack of ability (see ’s attribution theory). Players at any stage in their journey want to feel welcomed, supported and valued within their team. As coaches it is therefore paramount that boundaries are set from the beginning to earn respect of the players but that we are approachable and able to create familiarity and trust when a situation should require it.
When football environments are great, often the challenges set within sessions are as well. Appropriate challenge and managing difference might mean different things to different coaches. But the best environments that I have been involved in have included success, adversity and the opportunity to take risks. As a coach within youth football, players, although they enjoy winning, can be motivated by playing against older age groups or even playing top teams. Situations in which their talents are pitted against those in a different bracket can result in higher self-efficacy and performance. As a player, I always enjoyed cup games as there was always the potential of being drawn against one of the ‘big teams’ and even more exciting – cause an upset. Challenges set within training don’t have to be tactical or technical. It is so important to develop the psychological and social aspects of the player. Sport is an incredible tool to develop the individual holistically and a whole chapter is dedicated to this in James Kerr’s famous book – Legacy. As coaches, we have a platform to develop a host of characteristics and values in our players that they can take with them throughout life. A privilege and responsibility we can’t take lightly. Coach our players to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and place emphasis on creativity, character, dedication and honesty. When our players find themselves in pressured situations – they’ll find their own solutions.
How do we keep our players coming back to training?
One of the challenging aspects of coaching is keeping players motivated. Players need to feel a sense of fulfilment in what they do and working in performance and development settings there is one aspect of the experience that is imperative – enjoyment. The most studied positive emotion in youth and elite sport. No matter what level we are at, enjoyment must be at the forefront. Think about why players play or why we coach? It’s because we love the game. We know from our own experiences that when we enjoy something often achievement is possible. Making enjoyment a priority will help in reaching potential and so when we think of our footballing environments and the players in front of us, we must not lose sight of why they are standing in front of us in the first place.
How do you create a great environment? I would love to hear. Comment below.