[00:00:09,280] [Jamie:] Hello and welcome to CoachCast by England Football Learning, the coaching podcast that brings you insight from people across the game. Today we're chatting to Chris Lowe, an FA Physical Education Officer for the West Midlands to discover his journey so far, his advice for teachers and how he transfers his PE messages to the grassroots game. Well Hello Chris, welcome to CoachCash, welcome to the studio, it's great to have you here.
[00:00:33,480] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah, hello, yeah it's great to be here.
[00:00:35,140] [Louise:] Yeah, it is really good to have you on. So let's make a start by finding out a little bit more about your role. Can you explain to the listeners what it is that you do?
[00:00:43,780] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah, so I'm part of the FAPE team. Our aim is to deliver a dynamic learning experience, hopefully providing world-class coach and teacher development to support the delivery of PE, physical activity in school sport and we also work in the coach development team as well.
[00:00:59,860] [Jamie:] Brilliant. Right, well as this is a coaching podcast Chris, listeners could be on the way to training when they're tuning into this so we feel like it could be a good idea to give them some great advice straight away.
[00:01:11,986] [Louise:] Yep, so we're calling this your Arrival Activity, so on message.
[00:01:16,360] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah, love that. We give you 30 seconds and we're going to ask you to give us as many top coaching tips as you can in those 30 seconds. Is that okay?
[00:01:23,940] [Chris Lowe:] It is, yeah.
[00:01:24,780] [Louise:] Time starts now. [Chris Lowe:] Okay, I'd love to make it fun, engaging, an environment which is inclusive. That first five minutes of every training session, aim to connect with your players, get to know them, how the day has gone, how it's gone at school, because there could be something there that could impact on your session. Try to get set up nice and early. Always start the sessions with some one versus ones, two versus twos, get the players moving as quick as we can. Like I say, connect with them, connect with your other coaches, explain the session and try and make it as fun and engaging and inclusive as you can. 34 seconds.
[00:02:02,860] [Jamie:] Yeah, plenty in there. I like that sitting up proper, took on that challenge really well. I enjoyed that. Well, let's *** on with the show, shall we? In this first segment, we're going to be kind of finding out all about you, Chris, and we usually start that off by asking about what was your first experience of football like?
[00:02:20,660] [Chris Lowe:] Like most people it was on the street with my friends you know after school and at weekends we used to play football on a street next to my dad's bowling green. So got lots of opportunities to play football, learn my individual skills would probably annoyed the neighbours and the local businesses with the ball going over but it was just that fun experience of playing football with your friends on the street corner and learning about the game and then I played at school, got involved with the school team at primary school that led to the selection sort of for the town team and then found myself into a grassroots environment with many of the town team boys at the time and it was a really good experience, really good environment, some great parents and role models, some really good teammates and we sort of grew up as a team and I really sort of enjoyed it and loved it.
[00:03:08,920] [Jamie:] Would you say they had quite a good experience growing up then of football?
[00:03:12,020] [Chris Lowe:] Yes I certainly did, had some great teachers at primary school who might not have been the most knowledgeable about football but they created a lovely environment for us to grow and prosper firstly as children but then as players as well. They also improved us as leaders so we have various roles at primary school about organising kits and training and everything else. We were quite clever by the teachers that they got the pupils to do lots but it was good for us to develop in that respect. And the grassroots team, passionate volunteers who create a lovely environment where we had fixes every weekend, we had good training and we felt well supported and we felt safe so it allowed us to carry it on and you know many of us carried on playing for a long time.
[00:03:52,659] [Louise:] So I suppose that was your beginning starts of like learning and loving the game. How long do you think it's been that you've been involved in football?
[00:03:59,760] [Chris Lowe:] You're asking my age now aren't you?
[00:04:02,479] [Louise:] A very subtle way of asking that now.
[00:04:04,240] [Chris Lowe:] I started playing probably well like most people about the five six seven age really and then carried on through primary school secondary school into university and then came home and I was playing you so your amateur football on a Saturday and then began my career as a PE teacher so it was only really when I had an injury to my cruciate ligament that I probably stopped playing but then after a few years and you forget about the threats of injuries and everything else you're playing five a side so yeah I've been playing sort of 20-25 years, something like that.
[00:04:35,680] [Louise:] It's always been like threaded through your life.
[00:04:37,740] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah, my dad was passionate about sport first and foremost, but he loved football and it was just something naturally in the area that I came from that PE, sport, football and cricket and the seasons of those two over you know sort of in different seasons of the year played lots of lots of it.
[00:04:53,900] [Jamie:] Yeah great. If we go to the start of your coaching journey then when did your interest in coaching actually start and how did you get involved?
[00:05:01,800] [Chris Lowe:] I can always remember having chats with my my late grandma about wanting to be a PE teacher even when I was at primary school which is quite bizarre because you didn't really have a specific PE teacher in the primary school so I always wanted to be a PE teacher so you know I don't know where I got those messages from but it was just something that was really really passionate about You know, like I mentioned earlier my primary school teacher gave me lots of sort of leadership aspects of it So it was it was probably from that where it was built in. My mum was quite nurturing as well so I think I had that sort of that teacher in me where I always wanted to see the best in people and It's when I went to secondary school and again I've lots of amazing role models as teachers at secondary school and it was when I was sort of 16-17 where you've got one eye on future careers that they did a summer sports school so I got offered sort of an assistant sort of coach role in that and that was my first real sort of coaching experience and then like anybody with one eye I'm becoming a PE teacher I started to build up my coaching qualifications not just in football but across a number of sports with one eye on becoming a PE teacher further down the line.
[00:06:05,000] [Jamie:] What was it about PE that encapsulated you at such a young age to already make a decision that you would be interested to become a PE teacher yourself?
[00:06:13,320] [Chris Lowe:] I think it's from my parents in terms of role models. I was quite nurturing and saw the benefits of sport and the power of PE that you know that it can develop somebody holistically and you know in terms of the FA4 Corner models across those and it's just that power of PE that it can really change lives and I think everybody's aware of the the power of PE and health and well-being and the impact it can have on people's lives. So I just wanted to be part of that process really and I'm quite fortunate in my life that I've been given lots of opportunities and experiences which have really impacted on my life. So it's just really a case of giving back to the kids in your schools when I was a teacher for 16 years and now being part of the FAP unit for five years it's about giving opportunities and pathways that I got to other people.
[00:06:57,560] [Jamie:] What was your first experience of coaching and then being a PE teacher actually like? [Chris Lowe:] It was at this summer school on a field in Blackburn, coaching sort of primary school aged, done a little bit of planning, because obviously being a PE teacher, you're quite organised and a bit OCD and everything else. And I plan one thing, but obviously children have got a wonderful ability for it to go in different directions shall we say. So yeah it was a little bit chaos but you know as I've come to realise a little bit of chaos in the PE and football and sporting world is good but I can certainly remember the experience but you know they enjoyed it and didn't put me off I turned up the next day but it always taught me to have a plan A, a plan B and a plan C really so that's always stood me in good stead throughout my career.
[00:07:39,880] [Jamie:] What would be your top tips for someone who's facing that situation themselves, the very first PE lesson that they're about to deliver, what advice would you give to that person?
[00:07:48,740] [Chris Lowe:] I think it's all about the players or the children's needs and wants in front of you and to make it age and stage appropriate. I think early on in your career planning is really important, like I say I learnt that you've got to have a plan A, a plan B and a plan C and I think especially early on in the career you the more that you plan I think it can have an impact on you know the quality of your delivery and then your ability to deal with changing situations shall we say.
[00:08:16,120] [Louise:] So what would you say that the key attributes and skills that you would need to make a good and transformational coach?
[00:08:23,000] [Chris Lowe:] I think a good transformational coach for me creates a positive, fun, safe, inclusive learning environment where there's some quality relationships between the players, players and coaches, players, coaches and parents and really sort of empowers the team, their individuals to be able to sort of unleash their own individual potential really for the players. You know, as a coach, I'm always looking to support and also stretch players because every player in front of you will have different needs and wants and be at different ages, different stages. So how we plan to differentiate for their learning, but also make it a really fun environment where the time that you have got is really maximised with the players.
[00:09:07,860] [Jamie:] You mentioned some of the teachers that you had kind of gave you that player ownership so to speak. Would you say that they were transformational for you when you were younger because you clearly, they inspired you towards a love of PE for instance?
[00:09:21,600] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah, you know I was really blessed to have a lot of inspirational role models growing up, both in school and in grassroots sport. They created an environment which was safe, There was a lot of fairness, a lot of respect, a lot of trust. They showed and demonstrated integrity throughout. There was a high degree of professionalism. When an environment is created like that and you feel part of it and there's clear planning and they make it about you, you know, the team and the players in front of you. Once that relationship is built, then you buy into it as a player, even when you're really young. And if you've got that transformational coach, you're encouraged and motivated to give something back. And like I say, I've had lots of role models who've been those transformational coach over the years.
[00:10:05,760] [Jamie:] If we're looking at PE then, how do you keep kids engaged when maybe not everybody might be enjoying the activity as such, like with football coaching you've probably got a lot of kids who are going there because they it's out of school activity they really love and enjoy football but when you're in a school setting they might not be that entire buy-in there by the kids. How do you get everybody inside and you mentioned creating a good environment just earlier is it that or is the anything else any other top tips that you could give our listeners?
[00:10:36,820] [Chris Lowe:] I think like you say, you've got to make it fun, you've got to make it engaging and inclusive. All the children in all the classes that I've taught, both in curriculum and out of curriculum, will have different needs and wants and they'll be at different stages of the development and love for sport. If you make it about that and you've got a good strong curriculum which is mapped, if it links in with school values, if it links in with holistic development of children and physical literacy, then you're more likely to have people who and students who've got that lifelong love of sport. So you know I think I think the mapping of a curriculum is really important and responding to the needs and wants of the children in front of you.
[00:11:15,220] [Jamie:] So you talked a little bit about your first kind of teaching role, do you want to talk us about what came after that in your journey?
[00:11:24,620] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah so I started as a PE teacher I think it was in 2001 at my first school in Lancashire. It was a wonderful environment to be a PE teacher. There was a really strong extracurricular provision. It was a really good PE team, strong curriculum and like I say it was all about the children and providing them with opportunities and experiences for them to grow both as people and also as sports people as well. So it was a really good environment to be in. I was there for eight years, various roles in and around the PE department and across the school which then enabled me to move to another school in Lancashire to become head of department and then I moved on to Director of Sport where both roles sort of allowed me to sort of lead on the PE curriculum and lead the PE department and then also with a wider role across the school and across communities and networks again to provide opportunities in a sporting infrastructure and work with different partners to help bring that together really.
[00:12:22,040] [Jamie:] And what led you then come into the FA and join in the PE unit?
[00:12:26,660] [Chris Lowe:] I think it was just a wonderful opportunity. I was really happy at the school I was at but I'd always wanted to work in an environment like the Football Association so you know I could have been that PE teacher right till retirement but I just thought I'd take a chance really and it was a wonderful opportunity to impact PE, working with other partners and making impacts across regions and areas and nationwide really so yeah it was just the opportunity.
[00:12:52,640] [Jamie:] So you gave us a little bit of an insight a little snippet before your top tips at the start of the show about your role but if you're looking at the role you have today can you tell us a bit more insight about it and how you're helping people in your area deliver physical education?
[00:13:07,760] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah so in terms of the PE team we've got five priority areas. We work with the Barclays Girls Football School Partnerships, we're involved with face-to-face teacher CPD, We also do some work with the super hubs up and down across the country and we look at creating resources in terms of the girls football school partnership space. We work with clubs up and down the country in terms of the club community organisations. We do lots of coach CPD and we do staff CPD and we also offer the the teacher CPD in relation to our online offer and also face-to-face where we we go out we deliver four modules up and down the country really. We also go into universities, we work with both teacher trainees and also teachers themselves, again creating resources and also doing the face-to-face delivery and also the offer of the online. And then as well as that, the day-to-day we work with County FAs on course development and then the wider sort of FA remit as well.
[00:14:11,580] [Louise:] So when you're working with teachers what kind of things are the key considerations that you try and get across to them that they should be thinking about when they're delivering PE?
[00:14:20,740] [Chris Lowe:] [Chris Lowe:] I think both the online courses and the face-to-face, I think the the major aims of them is to increase confidence in the delivery of the engaging inclusive high quality PE and to get them to transfer the good practice and the good teaching and learning that goes on in the classroom into the PE space. But it's really to give them the confidence because I think a lot of the teachers who are starting the journey don't have that confidence and experience in the PE space. So that's the first priority for me.
[00:14:52,040] [Jamie:] So how important is it, in your opinion, that kids have access to and a great experience of PE?
[00:14:59,020] [Chris Lowe:] I think it's absolutely crucial. You know, you're obviously talking to a PE and sport convert who sees the power of sport and the opportunity to create a lifelong change in people really. It can bring so much to them. You know the returns of the the four corner model in F.A.S.P. It really does have the power to change lives. And children need good experiences in their school lives really to inspire them to have that lifelong love of sport, for them to leave school and look to join clubs and sport, you know, outside of the school life. And, you know, it can see major differences and opportunities and experience in their lives and you know it's about making better people as well as making better sports people.
[00:15:38,740] [Jamie:] You mentioned the FAE 4 Corner model there and how important that can be. How can PE help kids develop in all of the areas if you can give us some examples?
[00:15:49,120] [Chris Lowe:] I think in the online offer and our face-to-face, the first module that we talk about and hopefully open the teachers eyes is to develop that basic knowledge and understanding application of PE being more about than just physical and technical and tactical you know it's about across the different learning domains and that four-corner model and like I say it's about developing people like lots of teachers can can engage in the national curriculum but they can also apply it to the school values you know so aspects like creating children who are really resilient and good team players and good communication you know that's that's really important and if you can embed that into your curriculum and also your lessons I think it'd be really good for the children.
[00:16:32,120] [Jamie:] So you've mentioned it just a little bit back, but do you want to go into detail about how, if someone's wanting to get involved in PE, what modules or courses are there for them to take? Yeah, we've got a fantastic offer for teachers where it's both online and available face to face through our various partners. There are four modules, the first module I just talked about previously is that holistic development, looking to develop more than just that physical, technical, tactical development of children, trying to improve them holistically and make them better people and how PE can be used to embed that learning across all four corners. The second module is Learning Through Games and it's where we look to give teachers that knowledge, understanding and how they can apply learning through games to hopefully create that environment which is really fun and engaging and how we can use games sort of with a clear purpose really linked to the aims and objectives of the national PE curriculum and how it can be used just to form clear sort of lesson structures. You know, and we all love learning through games. Kids love learning games. You know, games will look different, you know, and we're not talking traditional seven versus seven or 11 versus 11. We're, you know, we're just learning through basic games that a lot of us will have played at primary school. Our third module is high quality teaching and learning. So it's giving teachers that confidence and experience of how they can manage difference in PE lessons. We introduce and talk about the step principle and how that can be applied in PE lessons, how they can embed assessment for learning strategies and also how they can create that positive learning environment where we can maximise the learning time. And then our fourth module is mapping a PE curriculum, So how can teachers again apply the PE National Curriculum, how they can link it in with their school values and we look at physical literacy the fundamentals of movement and then how can teachers have the confidence to map a curriculum to consistently deliver high quality PE across their school with their own children's needs and wants and different stages of learning in mind.
[00:18:38,520] [Louise:] Sounds like a really great program for teachers who may not feel particularly confident in any of those spaces at the moment but how would someone go about getting involved in?
[00:18:47,480] [Chris Lowe:] Well they can do the online offer and they can sign up online and they can do it in their own time so that's something that the PE team are really proud of and it's fantastic that they do that. But then also we've got the face-to-face offer and we work with various organizations to put these courses on and you can also look, look online of when these courses are going ahead face-to-face because they're, they're really powerful when they can see the activities and discuss and connect with people and I think you know like I said earlier the main aim for me is giving teachers the confidence, the experience to be able to do that and I think both the online and the face-to-face offer we have really does that.
[00:19:27,080] [Louise:] Yeah, brilliant. And you mentioned before the Girls' School football partnership. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
[00:19:33,480] [Chris Lowe:] Yeah so like you say we're involved as part of the PE team in the FA Girls Football School partnership. It's supported by Barclays and we work in collaboration with the Youth Sport Trust. It's across five areas really about more girls being physically active, looking at improving their well-being. We want to embed girls football into secondary schools and sort of grow the women's and girls football workforce. We want to make the game more inclusive and also work with existing football partners to bring all that together really. As part of the PE team we offer the face-to-face teacher CPD which we've already talked about. We do lots of work with super hubs up and down the country. We're involved in the Game On program which is an online area where we look to develop staff and then we're looking to develop resources as well which help us in delivery but it's also online so that's really how we're involved.
[00:20:21,900] [Jamie:] So Chris just before we move on to the next segment of the show, as well as working for the FA you also coach a grassroots team as well. How long have you been volunteering at grassroots level?
[00:20:34,200] [Chris Lowe:] I think like most people I got involved when my son started playing. Prior to that I was involved in school teams and regional teams as a teacher but then yeah took on the role in grassroots. I've been doing that for, I think this is my eighth season, being involved in grassroots football in terms of looking after my son's team, or helping with my son's team.
[00:20:54,571] [Jamie:] How do you find that, by the way, with your son being in the team?
[00:20:58,440] [Chris Lowe:] I really enjoy it. I do it with two other dads in the team, and we all bring skills and attributes to the club itself. I think it can be challenging having your own son in the team and I'm sure it's challenging for children in teams where they've got parents as well but ultimately we're there to create an environment where it can be fun, it can be engaging and we're creating sort of the experiences that we talked about earlier for the players.
[00:21:22,020] [Jamie:] What transferable skills are there between, in both directions as well, between coaching and being a PE teacher?
[00:21:29,240] [Chris Lowe:] I always try and approach everything I do with having a lens of making it fun and engaging. I always like to plan the sessions and have clear sort of objectives on what we want to get out of sessions in the next hour but also in the next eight weeks and then the next season. I think first and foremost it's got to be safe for the children but then when we turn up on a training night it's about connecting with the players, finding out how they are, how the day's been at school and then putting on a session which is aligned with what their needs and wants are in terms of individuals but also about the team itself and the match at the weekend and about reflecting on the previous match days and how you can align that with what you plan at training.
[00:22:10,580] [Louise:] Okay so we're going to move on to the community chat now which is where we take questions from the England football community and we'll put them to you and see if you can answer and give us any insight from your point of view. One thing that kind of comes up often is how you can actually get all your messages and values across in the amount of time that you've got with people. So obviously from a teaching point of view you often have a lot more time with your students but from your grassroots coaching point of view have you got any insight you could give us on that?
[00:22:43,480] [Chris Lowe:] The last two seasons we've actually done a team building day and then this year we did a team building weekend which was a really good opportunity for us all get together and socialize off the pitch but it's also a good opportunity to instill your team values, your expectations, your standards and also what you expect both as players, what they should expect from one another, and also for the coaches to get to know new players, to welcome new players. So that's a really good opportunity, you know, and if grassroots clubs can't do it for a weekend, we were really fortunate this year that we could organise it, but we did a team building afternoon and it's like I say it's a nice opportunity for the players and we used we used a white board we use various various activities from a teaching background get the players to take ownership of the values the standards what they should expect from one another. So we put it on a whiteboard. We then shared that with parents via a parents WhatsApp group and that, right, this is what the players want from each other this year. It's not just the coaches, you know, dictating how the players should behave. So they take ownership of it. And if at any point players sort of fall below those standards and expectations it's their values so that's something that is is really powerful at training and on a match day as well so I do recommend that grassroots coaches some sort of team building and values and standards to some extent. Also we map out over the season, you know the the ex-teacher in me maps it out over half terms, you know this is what we're gonna be working on, you know I've at various times I've had whiteboards at the side of the pitch and say right got the players off one by one what do you think we really need to work on as a team, you know, and the right and the white board, what they want the team to work on or what they need to work on as individuals. And then that maps out their learning and your training for a six, seven, eight week block. And then your coaches can look to add to that. And then you've got a curriculum map almost where your grassroots can work towards. I think that really helps. And also it aligns with messages as well in terms of you can connect with parents before and after training, before and after games and say listen we've been working on scanning in training. This is what scanning is. Send some links out to the resources from the FA, and the parents can look at that, and they can add to the message. And also, you know, those conversations in cars on the way to training, on the way home from games, it can really sort of align with the messages that you've got at training and it really does help maximise because if coaches are like myself we have a one hour on a Monday and then we've got match day so it's really maximising that time, Taking advantage of learning opportunities like WhatsApp groups and the digital offer through the FA, just to really embed what you're looking to work at with your players.
[00:25:25,640] [Louise:] Yeah that sounds really a useful way of kind of approaching it and kind of getting that buy-in and the ownership from all the players. Yeah like you say it helps with buy-in, the parents can also be a big help in reaffirming your messages and supporting your messages and also it can help their conversations with their son or daughter and help align creating that environment and creating an environment where your players can grow and prosper both as individuals and also as players.
[00:25:52,260] [Jamie:] Right well Chris it is coming up to the end of the show but our regular listeners will know this is the time for the grand finale it is Swift session time.
[00:26:02,826] [Louise:] You really built that up there Jamie.
[00:26:04,969] [Jamie:] I did, I did, I really liked this bit. I hope I can live up to it.
[00:26:07,812] [Louise:] Yeah. Okay the Swift session is where we ask you to give us a session idea in 30 seconds So we have a bit of timer music and your time starts now.
[00:26:22,120] [Chris Lowe:] Okay, this is six ball decision time. We want our players to love scoring also stopping goals. Two teams, your pitch is marked with two goals, six foot balls around the pitch. One team attacks with a ball to start. Every time a ball goes out, another ball begins until all six have gone. The players choose which ball to bring in. Once all six attacks have been done, the other team have their six attacks. During play, either team can score. Great returns across all four corners, but it's especially great for transition, decision making and playing in different areas of the pitch.
[00:26:53,400] [Jamie:] Excellent in there, fantastic. 29.5 seconds. Absolutely fantastic, I love your delivery there, just straight in, so much information but so much to take out of that session. It was a good one. Yeah well thank you very much for your time today Chris really appreciate you coming into the studio and coming to chat with us and giving us a bit of an insight into your world and obviously the world of PE for the listeners as well so hopefully you've enjoyed it.
[00:27:16,476] [Chris Lowe:] Thank you, no I really enjoyed it.
[00:27:18,080] [Louise:] It's been great to have you on.
[00:27:20,183] [Jamie:] Well a really insightful chat there with Chris Louise, what would be your key point from that discussion?
[00:27:26,413] [Louise:] I think something that cropped up quite a lot throughout the chat was like the importance of planning and it even kind of came in at the end a little bit on the community chat when he was talking about different ways that you can plan in to kind of develop your team and kind of build that ethos so I think yeah I think that's probably a really key attribute I would say that something people should think about.
[00:27:46,780] [Jamie:] Yeah, planning is a good one and it's something that came across to me as well. But the other point that I picked up was making PE fun, engaging and inclusive for all. And I know that doesn't necessarily just have to be about PE, about coaching in general. Like if you're making the environment fun, safe, inclusive and engaging people are going to keep coming back and again enjoy themselves and that's what it's all about at the end of the day so that's a point that I feel is worth reflecting on. Right well that is all we have time for today but don't forget to check out the episode description for all the links to our platforms. There you will be able to click through to the England Football Community. This is where you can post your coaching questions for us to discuss on the podcast or just simply to connect with loads of wonderful coaches.