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[Jamie]
Hello and welcome to Coachcast by England Football Learning, the coaching podcast that brings you insight from people across the game. As always, I'm Jamie and I'm with Louise and today we're joined by Stacey Miles, an FA coach development officer, who's returning to Coachcast to talk about how coaches can have a positive impact on their players. Well, hi Stacey, welcome back to the show. How are you?
[Stacey]
Hi Jamie, hi Louise. Yeah, great to be back. Doing really well, thank you. How are you guys?
[Louise]
Really good, thank you. Yeah, pretty good, thanks. Yeah, it's really nice to have you back on again. And just for those who haven't heard from you before, can you just give us a recap on what it is that you do at the FA?
[Stacey]
Yeah, so I'm a regional coach development officer supporting coaches, specifically also in the grassroots space. So supporting coaches, my area is the West Midlands, so Gloucestershire, up to Staffordshire and Shropshire and all the counties in between, supporting coaches, whether it be through coach education qualifications or whether it's out within coach development group. I also focus on working and supporting female coaches, so we get out into the local areas and each county FA now has a female coach development group, so out supporting and hopefully progressing with these female coaches that we're supporting. Fantastic.
[Jamie]
Brilliant. Yeah. Thanks for that recap for anybody that didn't catch your episode a couple of, well, I think a year ago now, Stacey. It's been that long since we've managed to get you back on. But just before we jump into the main part of the show, as this is a coaching podcast, and you know as well, that coaches could be on the way to training right now while tuning into this. So we always like to start the episode with some good advice at the top of the show.
[Louise]
Yep, so as usual we call this an arrival activity to help warm you up and get you in in the flow. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna give you 30 seconds and we're gonna ask you to give us as many top coaching tips in those 30 seconds. Are you up for the challenge?
[Stacey]
Well, we'll certainly give it a go.
[Louise]
Yeah, for sure. Can't wait to hear it from you. OK, so when the music starts, you can begin.
[Stacey]
Right, so top coaching tips, I'd say building relationships with players and staff, getting to know your players. Who are those people? What are their motivations? What's their interest as well, not just within sport. Asking how they are, giving a smile when they arrive to training. Also within coaching, having a high ball rolling time, goals within practices, I'd say transitional reward and winning the ball back, specific praise to individuals and don't forget to...
[Louise]
Do you want to finish that one off?
[Stacey]
Don't forget to make sure that your body language is of warmth and a place where people would want to be.
[Louise]
That's a good one, I'm glad we got that one in because that's a really nice one.
[Stacey]
I don't know if the others came across, it was a race!
[Jamie]
It’s a little bit of pressure with the music and everything, but you did very well there, Stacey. So thanks for that. And as I said, Stacey, you last joined us a year ago. I think it was back in January, 2023. So it's been quite a while since we had last had you on. So What have you been up to in the time since you were last on the show?
[Stacey]
Well, I've been really busy, I guess, supporting coaches across the area that I work within, across that West Midlands. We've set up and established now a really successful female coaches network and coaches group across the West Midlands. So with, like I said before, each county FA have now got a group and it's quite an established group. We also have a WhatsApp group for each county FA and we run events throughout the season. So we've had some special guests that have come on to our, I guess similar to like this, where you do like podcasts and webinars and invite these guests on to have some discussions and share like some high-profile coaches so we've had like Melanie Ray who's the Sunderland manager in the Women's Championship so we had her on discussing all things coaching. Also been supporting coaches out on the pitch, so supporting them within their UEFA C, supporting with UEFA B coaches as well out on the grass and just yeah, talking all things football, best job in the world right?
[Louise]
Yeah, perfect. Do you think you've over that time and since we last spoke to you, do you think there's any learnings that you'd like to share with people that you've kind of, things that you've thought of differently or things that have changed in your way of thinking over that time?
[Stacey]
Probably just like the amount that you can learn from all different people in all different contexts. I've really enjoyed getting involved with the Way4See content around the FA core skills and core moves and for those that haven't yet seen or accessed any of that, it's all through the England Football Learning YouTube channels, also on the website and all throughout the social media platforms as well. So our fantastic FA and insights and analysis team provide us with some really great detail aligned into our England team, so women's and senior men's, and then we can think about how we can adapt that. I know really great around the FA core skills and core moves and I've just been applying them within a grassroots coaching context which has been awesome.
[Jamie]
Yeah brilliant, they really do some fantastic work for us, they really do. What have you got potentially coming up in the near future Stacey?
[Stacey]
We've just been in the planning process this summer of our really exciting coach development offer. So within the grassroots space and within and working in partnership with the county FAs running these coach development groups. So please keep an eye on out and contact your local county FAA regarding what CPD opportunities there are for you and also what coach development workshops that might ever be of interest to you. I know in March we're currently planning for our International Women's Day and Month events which is really going to be really exciting for those female coaches. So yeah, please reach out to County of Faze and hopefully we'll see you out at a local CPD workshop.
[Jamie]
Brilliant, yeah, definitely keep an eye out for all those fantastic events and CPD opportunities there. Now, Stacey, you've joined us today to chat about coaching impact. So to start, we kind of want to find out what impact do you think coaches can actually have on their players?
[Stacey]
I think they could have a massive impact. I think sport is not just a driver of obviously the sport that we love and football but actually it's a massive driver and just life skills and people skills and whether that and just general enjoyment in life. Life can be challenging and through everyone different I guess roller coasters at points in their life and sport is something that hopefully people should be enjoying and want to be involved in, whether they're coaching, refereeing, whether they're playing themselves. So I think coaches have a massive responsibility and also a real privilege to actually be able to support people during their lives and provide them hopefully with a really positive life experience.
[Louise]
With a bit of reflection on your own experience, are there any coaches or teachers that you can recall fondly because of the impact that they had on you at all?
[Stacey]
Chris Welburn, I've also thought about Steve Maker, Pete Amos, Ted Dale and Sarah Lawler Edwards are ones that really straightaway spring to mind. There are lots more people that have mentored me, have supported me and continue to do so and without them I think I probably wouldn't be where I am today but also wouldn't be where I'm gonna be heading and these people I think like why they've been important to me and like the impact they've had on me is like you know when you're going through I guess some challenging times but also when you're on like coaching qualifications sometimes you might have that self-doubt or you might people call it imposter syndrome and I don't know you might not be going so well but actually it's about how these people make you feel so they know they always supported me and boosted me up with confidence and if it was quite clear that I was maybe finding something difficult or struggling and they'd know how to I guess address that with me so they built a really positive rapport and relationship with me to know like as I've got older I've definitely found I've become more sensitive just as a human being and I think like I think it's now gone five years ago since I was going through my UA for A licence qualification. And obviously it was quite difficult in many different ways as you like developing. But I know that Ted Dale in particular, like, I remember he used to come and travel to support me at coaching sessions. And I used to think, my goodness, he's traveled a long way. And that was not very good state, but actually he never once made me feel like that. And it was like how he, I guess we talked through the session and we came up with some, like, I guess, focus areas for the next one. And he just gave me that confidence to go, actually, yeah, you're being a lot harsher on yourself than what you need to be. But actually, like, gave me the confidence to go, oh, I don't want to stop doing this. I need to just focus on the next step. You can't get everything in one go. And the other people just supported me with not just coaching elements as well, so just life skills. I'm really privileged that Chris Wildburn is a colleague. I work with him. What an opportunity. And he continuously mentors me still today without just giving himself a mentoring, I guess, title. So yeah, just mentoring, just in general life skills, and just personal growth. But I think, and there's so many more people, and people this year that I've reached out to mentor me, I've really considered and I thought about, you know, like who's in my network, but also what people can I add to my network that's gonna really like push me on in different development areas? So I've had a lot of mentors within coaching, but now within the coach development space, who are those people that now are actively supporting me and mentoring me within that. So I've definitely got some names that I'm considering reaching out to, but also people that are currently supporting, such as the team that I work in are amazing. And Each person gives me different general support for that.
[Louise]
Yeah, I guess it's really important to just recognise that learning and growth isn't just about qualifications or things like that. It's about learning from other people and kind of the advice and the feedback that they can give you and just help you grow as a person. So it sounds like you've been on a real journey and you really appreciate all the people that are part of that journey as well.
[Stacey]
Yeah, no, definitely. I mean, it might sound quite dramatic, but there are many times where I've been out on that pitch and I thought, oh, I don't know if I can do this. I'm not doing very well. Or like, especially when you align to qualifications, you've got this high expectations of yourself to become or reach competency. And especially when you're maybe nearer the beginning of that course, for me, it was like sometimes like the jump from level two to A for B I found quite challenging along with the 11v11 stuff. But then by having the mentor of Pete Amos who like really just broke it down for me just made it so much clearer. So yeah I guess aligning to qualifications but then just everyday like life skills so then you know supporting me with my confidence that I can go and stand on a stage and talk and present to a lot of people. This week we delivered a live webinar to a thousand people that was on there and without the support of people and guiding you and support, you probably aren't putting yourself in the positions to do those things. So I like to think that I am trying to be a mentor to others as well, based around the experiences that people have given me. But yeah, we're all on the learning journey and it's just, I just think like life, you just need to be really kind to others and you never know. They probably don't know their full potential, most people, but you've got to bring it out in them and make them believe and see it and feel it. So yeah, I mean, sorry if I've not named other people. It's quite on the spot, these things. I'm a bit of a thinker otherwise. So, but yeah, those people definitely spring to mind and I'm sure there are like so many others that will know that they don't need to be mentioned on a call that have had a huge impact on me.
[Jamie]
Yeah, that's really nice. Nice to hear as well that you've had people who's given such a positive impact to your own journey and kind of bringing it to a player's perspective in that sense. Like how can coaches aim then to have that impact but on their own players?
[Stacey]
Well, I think it's about knowing people, isn't it? I think human beings, we're so complex but it's also so wonderful, we're all so individual, we all need different things and also those things change at times. So for example I alluded to already around you know when I probably 10 years ago when I was in coaching or as a player, I probably needed feedback different to how I need it now. So things can change and also as coaches we need to be aware of that. So I guess to support players the best I think and with any business you need to know who the people are, like what are their interests, what motivates them, how do they like feedback, like when is it that's the best time to give feedback, what other things are going on in their life that probably might impact you within that training session or that term or block term, so GCSEs as an example that can to all three of us GCSEs if we were going through it ourselves, might be very different how we feel about it, based on us as humans, based on us as, I guess, learners and all those things. So even just as that prime example, it's like, we're just, rather than assuming, right, they're just going for the GCSEs, it's a bit of a stressful time, but actually impacts people differently so thinking about then their considerations and training just by for example especially at the young age we want to put players all in different positions which is brilliant but then if they get to like a youth development phase or senior football but they haven't had coaches that have put them in different positions that then could be quite a stressful situation for them because they might not have been or experienced that so obviously we definitely recommend playing in different positions whether in youth but if they haven't experienced that all their playing age might be you know you might have a team and there might be five people in there but they've all been playing football for different various experiences and their playing age so do we know all of this great insight which can really be invaluable for us as coaches to then have such a huge impact on them. I think for me you've got to know who the people are in front of you to then be able to support that and then yeah I guess like working with them and gaining that feedback and trust yeah you can definitely have such an impact on people, but it's definitely, I think like the phrase person first before player, I think it's a brilliant phrase, but I do think it's, I'll be really honest, I think it's quite a fashionable phrase to say, you hear it really often, But I think the real power in it is like, do you actively show and demonstrate that within what you do every day, every week? Is it a consistent behaviour and theme? Rather than just saying it, are we actually actively applying it to make it not just a fast-moving phase but actually a lived experience that we're doing. And I know from my own experiences, for example, there's definitely times where I've probably been better at that, thinking about the person first than the player, but it's something that I consistently try and do now where I can. But yeah, get to know your players would be the short
[Jamie]
of that. There's lots of really good things there that you've said that coaches kind of just need to get a bit of an awareness of. Just wondering if you had any maybe quick top tips to help coaches, you know, because that's quite a lot of stuff to find out about a person. Do you have any top tips to help coaches who are maybe new to a team? Because it's going to be quite hard for them to really put the person first if they're not knowledgeable or really understand the players in front of them.
[Stacey]
Good things take time so you won't get to know everyone instantly straight away. So you could create some player profiles that the players go away and fill out. It could be like obviously depending on age, could be their parents and guardians support them with that. But you could ask questions within that that you think would be relevant. So what other interests do you have? What's your best subjects at school? It could be what's your favorite football team? It could be what position, football positions you enjoy playing the most? What other positions have you played in the team before? It could be, yeah, just a variety of questions that guide and support you. It could be what do you think your super strengths are, three top super strengths, what's one area this season you'd like to get even better at. So straight away a little player profile can then give you an idea into who these people are when they come to your training session and then you can, as they arrive, throughout the weeks once you get to know them more, you can start having conversations with them. So if you know they like, for example, Nottingham Forest, Jamie, your team, right? Yeah? If they like Nottingham Forest, You might then, I don't know, at the weekend if you've seen the football schools or you've seen, I don't know, Morgan Gives White's just into the England senior team, right? So you might have a conversation about that because you know that it aligns to some of their interests potentially. So yeah, just as just one example there. You could also then throughout the season start creating some like individual development plans. So if you think of the FA4 corners, not saying that they all work in isolation, but they all link together to create that person. So like what is that person like socially with the group? What leadership qualities do they have or do they not have? What kind of things can we support them with? Physically, where are they at? Can they move well? What support might we need to give them? Technically and tactically, where are they at in terms of playing positions, things you're asking them to do with and without the ball. And then I think a really key one is then the psychological aspect. So what are they like when things are a little bit more difficult? What's their resilience like? And then if you created this player profile at the beginning of the season, then you start creating these like individual development plans throughout the season with like almost becomes like a profile then of the player you've then got some really like a good starting block to go from so there's a couple of ideas of something to do at the beginning and then also like having conversations with people Obviously once you've built a relationship with someone you can get more details and trust and things like that but having conversations with the whole group is like what kind of things have you enjoyed at training and just like trying to get them to I guess yeah build that connection first so then hopefully it can support you with that season around, yeah, supporting that and having an impact on players. Shows them that you care, right, if you involve them. That's what I think.
[Louise]
Yeah, absolutely. Kind of on the same lines as that, but from an enjoyment and development perspective, how important is it to create the right environment for your team? And do you have any advice that you'd want to share around this?
[Stacey]
Yeah, no, I definitely believe in creating the right environment. I think it's paramount. I've always said this. I think that the best environments aren't always by the best. So you think about all the clubs in the world and all of the best facilities etc. But for me the very best coaching isn't always the place where there's always the best provision is the best people. So I think people create that provision of like the environment that's there so to try and get the most out of players. If you have both you have the provision and the best people right that's awesome but actually people create those things so they think about what's maybe missing. But actually you would rather take your young child or you'd recommend a place where a coach is creating a really fun place for them to be in a safe space rather than just thinking because it's a badge or it's somewhere that's in the media that you think that's the right place for them. But sometimes it's finding the right place for them. So I think how do they create that environment is we've spoke a lot about individuals. So how do we cater what we're doing for individual players? Also how do we cater for the group? So if you're training once a week, what does that session look like? Is it what you want it to look like or is it what you want, what the players want it to look like? So catering for the group and then just ensuring that it's that safe, enjoyable place for them to be. And I think creating the right environment it does definitely take time but there's a real art to bringing that to life.
[Jamie]
Part of the environment creation or at least this has an impact on it anyway is kind of coaches own behaviour So how essential is it for coaches to realise how their behaviour can actually have an impact, both positively and potentially negatively, on their players?
[Stacey]
It's massive, isn't it? I think if we were to ask, I'm pretty sure, and don't quote me on the stat of this, but if we were to ask 100% of coaches what kind of coach they'd want to be I'm pretty sure most of them would say positive and get the most out of their players and people wouldn't say oh they'd want to be recalled right as someone who was negative or not a positive experience or person to be around That's what I would like to hope 100% of people would say. But actually sometimes, for different various reasons, remember, we've already spoke a lot, haven't we, about like players having a lot going on in their lives, but coaches do too. And sometimes we have to be able to manage like our own emotions, many things and there's so many amazing, honestly, football would be lost without the amazing volunteers. Like it's full of brilliant volunteering coaches that in that daily, next to that transition, they've had loads of life things going on, work, family, animals, loads of things to care for in their duty of care. So I guess it's things to consider of like your emotions leading into practice as well and how we can best manage that those emotions or feelings or the stress we might be feeling from external things and trying to take that into account. So I think it's massive like something to consider I guess that I've seen and discussed quite frequently and things that I'm definitely working on as well is like What does our body language say without us actually saying anything? So a prime example of that would be in training I say, well not me personally, but a coach would say, oh yeah, really want you to make mistakes, like it's all about learning, no problem if you make mistakes. But then we get across to match day and then this player has made a mistake say it's for example they want them to be able to build out from the back under pressure but then all of a sudden straight away our centre back loses the ball from the number nine he's pressed and won it and then a coach then reaction might be their arms get crossed or they put the hands in their pocket or they make a noise or they put their arms out or they might say something or they might just go on their phone and straightaway come in some of them reactions are saying more to the player already about this mistakes and actually probably what they would want but their reaction and their I guess self-awareness of it they might not be aware but the players definitely see it the players definitely see it so if what you're saying is in training does it replicate to a game but also what does our body language say about us without actually saying anything because that can sometimes be the most powerful thing it's like for example at training as well if a player turned up and you have like obviously you're not looking really warm, you're not smiling and happy, then that's gonna have a bit of an impact, isn't it? On the, they talk about, isn't it like a bad apple? So it then makes it go on to the other apples, et cetera. So actually like happiness spreads, can't be happy the whole time. We've already alluded to that people have a lot going on in their life but actually just for that training session or that time can we just at least consider what our body and our language is saying before it goes out. So that's I guess the one to consider for for all coaches and something that I have never got 100% right absolutely myself. There's just some things to consider and then I guess another consideration of it is like also how you can positively impact on your coaching behaviours. So within your practice if you know a player maybe not have as much self-confidence at the moment, how can you actually plan within your practice? Or even if you haven't got, say you have not got as much time to consider that in the planning, but you in your head have remembered that Stacey needs a bit more, she's lost a bit of confidence at the minute. During that training I make sure that I do a little drive-by whilst the game's going on and give her some positive feedback, some specific. So I guess two examples there of how you like just within our interactions and our interventions can also be I guess really positive for players but also they could also, the other aspect of it, a detrimental effect potentially, but we just need a bit of self-awareness to support us with that because, like I said right at the beginning of this question, which, sorry, it does seem like a long time ago, but we did speak, didn't we, about it being around, like, yeah, the players and what they kind of need out of it and like the impact of like what we do for them.
[Jamie]
Yeah, there's some really, really important points that you've made in there, Stacey. I just want to just kind of bring back to the front in terms of that just that consistency of behaviour is really key but also yeah that awareness of body language like yeah is such a big way to actually communicate that is maybe quite hard to actually be be aware of but I mean I when you're talking I was kind of going back to my experiences and thinking one of the best coaches I had as a kid he was a doctor and he was always smiling you know he always made sure that he was happy and yeah had a real impact on me because no matter what might've been going on in his life, he never came to the pitch with any stress or anything. He kept that well-hidden if there was anything like that, if there was anything stressful in his life. But he was just always smiling, he was always positive and that had a real impact on me. And he was also very much somebody that embraces mistakes and he never applied any pressure, which helped because I wasn't a very good footballer. So I made quite a lot of mistakes. So that really helped me just kind of chill out. So yeah, they're just trying to say like, yeah, that's just kind of made me think back to that experience. And he was a really good coach for that and had a positive impact on me because of that. So yeah, a real great way to make a positive impact is that consistency. And then yeah, your body language and how you're actually behaving in front of your players.
[Louise]
If we were to try and get an insight into your coaching approach Stacey, what do you do at training to increase the chances of you positively impacting your players?
[Stacey]
Well it's definitely things that I've experienced and learnt from others which is I think really important to say that you like you can pick up so much great things from others. I know, Jamie, you just spoke about, you know, coaches that don't do it as their full-time profession, but actually the skills that they might get from another job, you can apply into this for sure. So what kind of approach do I take? I try and make sure as much as I can. I definitely welcome them with a smile. So smiling is so contagious, right? So even if you're smiling like, you know, as your players arrive naturally, they at some point might smile back. Otherwise it gets really awkward anyway. But yeah, it's just quite a, smiling is definitely contagious. I like to ask them questions and not always football so a prime example of this if I know that a player's just recently got a pet dog like I might ask how the dog's doing like Have they took the dogs for a walk or have they taught them any tricks to do like sit, give a paw etc? I'd just like to ask other things like how's school been today or if I know other things going on in their life. Not just always football related and I know working with some players they knew that I'm a Liverpool fan right, so first team I got to see live in the live game so they'd always if Liverpool hadn't done very well that weekend they definitely in that time of walking to the pitch or when they arrived to pitch let me know about that. So yeah, it's a little conversations around that. I'd give them a nice fist bump as well. Those that wanted to do that, I think that was good. It creates a nice little morale with the players. And then I just try and make sure like there's like a really fun element like training like a warm-up game which is like social but a bit competitive element to it but like really social because I think like whoever you're coaching that day there's been like what eight hours normally if you're working in graduates and minimum of eight hours of things going on in life whether you followed instructions whether you've had stressful things at work so I think like that's fun social element is really key and then how I like within that then I get the games going and I like to be quite player led at times where possible so then that then I might have further conversations with certain players or just make sure that there's a lot of laughing going on and it's just a fun place to be so yeah I definitely do that And then what else would I do? If you were to say of my coaching approach, I would say I definitely really like to consider the individual players that are there. So I've got like individual development player plans. And then like for each individual session, I will have like some individual outcomes or players specifically that I might want to make sure that I one talk to more that I might have recognised might not have spoken to if you're training more than once a week or the week Before for example or might need a boost of confidence So I might have planned specifically for certain players that week So that would be how I'd like also have a coaching impact. And then like I personally love small sided games with like constraints and challenges within that. So I think my coaching impact also and like my coaching approach would be very lots of ball rolling time, providing that's what the players say they enjoy, which is a lot of my groups I've worked with have small sided games. And then within that, you can manage with the parallel practice of game to game to game. You can still do loads of drive by coaching then as well. So yeah I'd say those things are kind of my coaching approach, just some ideas I guess in what if I was to deliver a session tonight of group of players that's hopefully some of the things you might see.
[Louise]
When you say drive by coaching does that mean kind of just as you're walking by just being able to give instructions to people or kind of give feedback or whatever?
[Stacey]
Yeah exactly that, so instead of just stopping the group the whole time, just another I guess coaching intervention that you can do is yeah just like call them to the side of the pitch. Sometimes I have like a whiteboard and like if teams have scored points, say Jamie scored the goal, Jamie will come to the whiteboard and put a point on whilst he's off, there's loads of under load and under load situations going on, which is really good for developing skill for players right and dealing with different scenarios but whilst that's happening that's a chance for me then to also whilst he's off the pitch quickly might give an individual challenge or I might yeah ask him a question or just enhance the learning but also yeah within the practice could just go across to the player and have a quick conversation or a tip rather than stopping the whole group. So I think it's about recognising as well that's not always the only way it's just another way but actually if a player doesn't like you talking to them in front of the whole group because they might be nervous, then actually that might be more suitable for them anyway.
[Louise]
Yeah, great. So following up on that, what do you do on match day to have a positive impact? Is there anything slightly different that you would do there?
[Stacey]
I would say like trying to have similar, like we spoke about already, like your body language is really key. So like are things the same of how you behave for match day and training? Because I think that you definitely should be aligning some of the similar behaviours and actions that you would want from your players for yourself as well. So I think for me, like my coaching approach to a match day would be like ensuring there's time where I give players a voice and being part of and involved with it, whether that's like part of the warm-up, they lead part of the warm-up, or whether it's part of the, you know, when you get in a huddle and have a conversation and a motivational talk half time including them. We always say it don't we where we get teams always in for example together as a group and then coaches sometimes talk for quite long but actually how can we involve players within that as well so you might go right in your units you might get your goalkeeper and the defenders together, I don't know, for one minute have a quick conversation around what's going well, what challenges are the opposition giving you at the minute and then they could then feed that back as a group So you might get more voices and more inclusion rather than always doing your whole group stuff always, always together. I think about, try and think about my body language. Now, when I say think about it, it's a consideration of self-awareness. It's not something that I think you can always perfect all the time, but it's something you're considering. So something, you know, I could think many times in matches before, but I think now I'm hopefully a bit more in control and a bit more, I guess, on top of that. So, yeah, just think about my body language. A key one for me is like, you know, when they come off at halftime, it's like, you know, I spoke about before about what does your body say? So like, I try and make sure I'm smiling regardless of the result, because to me that result, I don't know, this is obviously working a new football from my experiences, but yeah, It's not like the most important thing. The most important thing is that we're having a great time. We've just gone through a global pandemic where we couldn't play any football. So let's just make sure it's a great time and we get to do it, right? I try to make sure from a coaching approach for match day, not too much overload of, I guess what I'm trying to say so can I have that like pre-prepared maybe written down or on a laminate when the wet and windy weather right out on the pitch so having that written down then that can guide my conversations at halftime or whilst I'm trying to maybe give some advice on the pitch, etc? Because I think sometimes, otherwise, you just see the whole game and you're not structured. And those messages are clear from the training the week that you've hopefully prepared a bit for the week or some challenges. Involve those that are game changers. So it could be called subs, but I like to think of them as game changers. Can they be involved in providing some of that feedback aligned to some of your themes? And like, whilst they're playing, try not to say too much. I think we get really focused, don't we, on like, right, we've got this game plan, we've got individual challenges. Sometimes the game in itself it provides enough challenge so like try not to overload them too much with things so then I think when my voice is said or when I'm saying something I think I'm definitely heard more as well. Yeah trying to become, I'd like my for example my job is to support players but my job isn't to make all the decisions for the players. So I want them to be able to try and learn through those experiences. They'll probably know themselves if they've made a mistake, we don't need to remind them of that. We then just support if it's a consistent thing how we might then try and support them. And then one thing I love to do is when I do the warm-up and they do like a possession practice. I like to whilst they're doing the possession type practice like keeping the ball or I always do it where it's they've got to get from an end to an end so it becomes like with opposition and Yeah, I guess directional practice. I always try and within that make sure I speak to every individual player It's like a bit like a drive-by game call them over just for a second and then or like a fly by coach and I might pull him over for a second and then just have a conversation about I don't know something that's been great that week or from the game before that just makes him feel great right so then we're going in to that game feeling really positive So it might be a little reminder of a challenge that we've worked on, but then also boost them up. Like, I'm really looking forward to seeing you try in this this week. Can't wait to see you have a go at that. And also using their names, right? Sounds really obvious, but it's something like, if I said, right, Jamie gave you a real positive, or Louise, you know it's actually about you as well so yeah trying to yeah I always think that that that little quick conversation and a reminder is really powerful creates that good relationship but it also hopefully makes them feel really good going into that match. So yeah, that's just a little tip that I try and do, but, and then obviously at the end of the match, regardless of score, just making sure that I, what I've always tried to do is greet the players as they're coming off with a smile and a fist pump again and then I try and give them a bit of their time to have like I don't know a breather just thoughts and then might get them into units again or might keep it as a group but just a bit of time just to and then just some yeah some positive reminders about what we've actually been going for and focusing on rather than always considering the result. The result is important in some aspects when you go later on in the youth development phase right or the senior football but we can discuss about the result but in different ways. So it could be like, oh what challenges did the opposition pose for us today? So it could be worded like that rather than saying, well they scored six against us. Then we could say, okay next time they pose that challenge, what could we do as a team? Well we tried to do some at half time or during the game but what other solutions could we have? So straight away the conversation there is a bit more solutions based rather than just posing and also that conversation going away we want it to be really positive to go oh we're going to like work on that together and just yeah get them to be positive. Might be nice. One other thing I've done is as they finish the match at the end like they might have to be paired with a teammate or for example it might be someone from the unit that they work in so if they're midfield three get together and tell them one positive thing that they've done in that match today and then I tell you what, hear and praise from your mates right, I don't know if it gets better than that and that's something that'll stick with them so yeah sorry just quite a lot of different ideas in there but align into like coaching approach for match day.
[Louise]
Really good ideas and even as you're imagining those things playing out like how you would feel about how myself I'd feel about those I think you can see the difference and how it how it would make people feel and kind of how they feel appreciated and part of something. So yeah, really good tips.
[Jamie]
Yeah, very much so. And we've talked a lot about the tips that you can do to have positive or attempt to have a positive impact on your players. But do you kind of have any advice to help coaches kind of develop the awareness to recognise and assess the impact that their decisions are actually having on individuals? So how can coaches actually understand if they are having a positive impact basically?
[Stacey]
Well the magic of coaching right yeah so I think for coaches we always reflect don't we immediately go in oh that wasn't very good that session I could have adapted it doing this. And we always think about the Xs and the Os in terms of there was too many people on that team or the space wasn't big enough etc but actually how often do we reflect on not just the football stuff so yeah this shape area size might not have worked etc but actually what about our interventions so every time we stop it or our drive-by coachings or our interactions how many of them do we reflect on and then within that reflection process it could be your thoughts for example where you go oh well I intervene then what was the impact So then it's a follow-up isn't it of after that did they then apply what I'd asked them to try and do for example? Did they not maybe understand? Did I talk about it too long? Did I for example if I was working with you Louise did I show you the whiteboard because I know from my IDP that I've made and my player profile you prefer to see it visually or did I just straight away forget about that and just go into I don't know telling you Louise for example. So I think it's a really key one is to reflect on our interventions and interactions as well not just those football based ones. Who else could be involved in that right you think? We could also ask other coaches, so how did you think I did or what was your thoughts? But being quite specific on those interactions and interventions rather than just the football based stuff. And then you could also depend on the age of your players. You could ask the players to reflect on like how you are, like if they were to describe you as a coach, would it match what you would describe you as a coach? Like depending on the age of the players, you could ask them, couldn't you? Off that interaction, what was I asking you to do so it could be a bit of a Q&A process as well or how do you best want me to show you or demonstrate to you find an information like that and then you could also depend on where you work through self-reflection like some analysis or data to check on that as well. So if you're able to, obviously you've got to cover from safeguarding, which is most important, that you can film yourself. Is your behaviours and actions what you think they are? And also your communication. So I'm sure sometimes coaches might say I don't think I said loads whilst the game is going on and then they watch it back and they go oh my goodness I don't think I was quiet or the other way where they go I think I gave really clear insight and then you listen back and you go oh well actually I don't really think I said much. They've done the heat map before haven't they Jamie and Louise where you give information during a match but it's often very much the closest players to you of who you're giving information to so I think maybe by watching yourself back getting insights from other people and then you could also like if you're going really detailed about your interactions and interactions it's like the analysis to check on that so if you've asked a player to do something to then when you've watched the game back or the session back has then your reflection on that like when you've gone and intervened and tried to help them have they then been able to apply that further and then you can watch yourself how long you take etc so yeah just some I guess some reflections or maybe I guess my top tip for that would be like how we review that, not just the football, but also your interactions and interventions and who else could support you with that reflection.
[Jamie]
So you've had so many great advice throughout this show, Stacey. Can you kind of maybe share an example where maybe you've significantly influenced players' development or the teams in a positive way, maybe using some of the examples that you've shared with us today?
[Stacey]
One that springs to mind is like supporting an individual player. So I remember I had to deliver in a school and she was really shy, not very confident and hadn't really... Like her only experience of football was her dad, I think she said, like the 11 v 11 on the team where, you know, at times it can come across a little bit aggressive, right? So for her, she didn't really want to get involved in that. So made a really conscious effort of the games that we played, not just for her, but for others in the group, were like some really fun activities that like wasn't always football related. They were doing football and sport, but actually it related to just like fundamental movement skills and they had like player choice so it wasn't always like dribbling around it was actually she could choose to hold the ball for this part of the game so I think about the step principle, space, task, equipment and people and how I could then adapt the practice for her and then within the practices I always remember this young player really specifically I'd make sure that I do that drive by coaching so I'd go along and boost her confidence and I made a really conscious effort not just her but there was for others as well of like how I could best support them And it was just amazing because at the end of the six weeks, so this was working within the school, within the FA Skills Programme, which was our 5 to 11 programme, and at the end of the six weeks she'd built so much more confidence through sport, not through just what I was doing, but just with sport and her love for sport and how that was helping her grow as converts. It had a significant improvement in her all-round school as well in terms of how she was in the lessons answering questions. And I know when we got near the end of the six weeks she was answering some of the questions and she did a couple of demonstrations to the group in front of them with like obviously she said she was comfortable to do that about like dribbling it was and she actually asked to join the school council so for me it was just like how sport can not just like you know is that player gonna go on and play for England most likely not I don't know where obviously she may but she might not more likely than not but actually like her life skills and it was actually the parent that wrote into the school about it. So yeah, I thought that was really like the amount because I did do a lot of planning into the individual aspect of that so yeah I think that would be my one that you never forget the power of sport and that's what I want people on the call to remember today that you won't make you won't produce all these players that play for senior football but we are supporting young citizens of the country and just helping them in life so yeah I'll never forget that. And then a team one of that I'll never forget is I had a team we were working in the girls talent pathway so we were going up against another team which were brilliant as well and I only had ten players for an 11v11 game it was so when we arrived I had to then in the car consider it was only found out that we only had 10 And I had to really consider how we were going to do this, aligned to our principles of play, et cetera. So I had to consider, based on the players that we had accessible then, because it was in the winter months, how we were going to, I guess, approach the game. Because we'd obviously had a plan, but it's had to change now because some players couldn't come. So I had to consider the best playing formation for that day, aligning to the players I had. And then which I decided to go for, I think it was obviously the goalkeeper at back four. And then we had a diamond in midfield and one up front. So it aligned OK for what we were doing. I realized the pitch was quite small as well. So that was OK. And my forward attacking player was super, super quick, right? So we'd always have a chance, I believed in it. But I had to make sure how I address the situation we had just 10 but how I made sure that my behaviours and my voice and everything I was like we can still do this like I had to make sure it's the first time probably I've ever acted yet where I've had to go, no matter what, I believe in you all that we can go on and do this. Then when we got out to the pitch, obviously it's natural, nice conversations you have with coaches agreeing or would you like one of our players or, but we were really happy at that point just to have a go with our turn and just wanted to give them a challenge. It's not about the result at all, it's about how they felt during it. So I'd never put them in a position where we would lose loads of goals and I'd make them feel that. But actually we ended up winning the game with our 10. And I tell you what, I've never, I will never forget how the girls felt and worked for each other, but it was about my impact a little bit of like, preparing with the, like how I was going to approach that, was really key. So yeah, and then obviously within that, I had to also consider as a coach well if we do concede some goals how we're going to address this and those kind of things. So it's a lot going on rather than just your normal 11-11 match. But yeah I had to have a really positive impact on whatever the school was going to be, but how I was going to best get the children that day. I'll tell you what, I think it was one of the best games that they probably will ever play in, just based off the spirit of each other. For me, it was a really hard one in terms of adapting based on the players that we had available, but we still kept to the same principles of what we wanted but had to adapt that way. So yeah, so I guess I influenced them, not through anything, I'm not a tactical genius by the way, but just by this the power of saying I believe in you and how I came across with my body language, I think that did have an impact that day and something I will never forget.
[Louise]
Yeah, absolutely. And I think that must feel really nice to know that that impact that you've had on people. So I think as much as it impacts other people, it must feel good to kind of have that as well for yourself.
[Stacey]
Well, yes, nice to know if you've, you know, if how you've made people feel, isn't it? I think that I will never be the most technical, tactical, high level coach in the world of that. But I'd like to think that, you know, there's been times where I probably, I don't know, could have been warmer in situations with body language, but you're all growing on your development and you won't get everything right. But if someone was to say about my name somewhere and someone said, oh, they coached me. I'd like them to say really positive things about how I made them feel in the environment rather than she helped us win games 10-0 or she wasn't very good when we did this. So yeah, that would be, that for me is success as a coach. That's my success anyway.
[Jamie]
Looking back at everything we've discussed Stacey, can you kind of summarise the key things you'd like coaches to take away from this episode?
[Stacey]
Well I'd say probably like a self-reflection on your body language and who else could support you with that and does that align to match day and training? I'd say how well do you know your players? So do you know them just football based? Do you know how to get the most out of them? What are their motivations? And then I'd say like how would they best describe you as well? So like you think we always self-reflect don't we on ourself and say I think I am this coach but actually what would others say as well so that aligns to how well do they know you and then your own reflections so rather than just reflecting on the coaching aspect after training, reflect on your interactions and interventions with people and players, and then how can you involve other people within that process to, I guess, gauge what you would like to find out.
[Louise]
Perfect. And what we try to do is set the people listening, get you to set them a coaching challenge based on what we've talked about today. So have you got any challenge that you'd set the listeners to kind of improve their coaching impact?
[Stacey]
Well, aligning to a bit around key things to consider, I'd say something, this is not something I came up with. I'm happy to say that I learned this from someone else which I thought was brilliant. So kind of a best way of creating like a diary or profile about your players that you have. So I have a note or had a note but when I worked with the group and each page was a new page for each different player and then I would write throughout the season new things I would learn about them so how they like to be coached and other things I spoke about on this podcast around like do they have any pets and anything that I think is really key. And then each week, so I was in a position where I would see the players more than once, so I'd make sure I did a tally on that week of how many interactions I, so like, for example, it might be a Tuesday night. Have I interacted that player through football, through interventions? And then if I hadn't, for example, because I might have focused on the different players that week, that day sorry, then the next training session that week Thursday I might then make sure that actually there's someone I need to make sure I definitely give a challenge to. Appreciate that's working with players more than once a week but you could still have a little diary of like actually making sure have I had a conversation with them football related but also have I asked them how their day was and trying to reflect on that. I thought that's really invaluable that really supported me to get to know my players a bit more and then aligning to that is creating that player profile for them throughout the season and involving them in that process as well and then a final one aligns to what I was just saying about key messages is about that reflection piece so not just reflecting on coaching but your coaching interactions and interventions and think about who can help you with that whether that's just your own reflections, others, but also how you could use film and analysis to support with that
[Louise]
in the process. Really good challenges and it'll be interesting to hear from our listeners if they've given that a go and kind of how it helped them and what they came across when they started to do that challenge themselves.
[Jamie]
Yeah, absolutely. Let us know how you get on in the comments below. It'd be great to see how you got on with that. Well, we are coming up to the end of the show now, Stacey, but that does mean it is time for our Swift Session feature.
[Louise]
So you might remember this from last time, but we're gonna ask you to explain to us a session idea in 30 seconds. Are you up for that challenge?
[Stacey]
We'll give it a go, right?
[Louise]
Yep, we will. Okay, so again, when the music starts, you can begin.
[Stacey]
Right, a high-pressing session. You've got a small side of game set up, but your pitch is split into three thirds. If you win the ball in the highest third and score from it, it's three goals. Win the ball from the middle third and break the score, it's two goals. And win the ball from your defending third and break the score, it's one goal. High emphasis, can we win the ball in the highest offensive third that we can, closest to the goal to score.
[Jamie]
Fabulous.
[Louise]
We didn't even need the full 30 seconds. It was that swift.
[Stacey]
Hopefully it was clear enough, right?
[Jamie]
It absolutely was. Absolutely was. Is there anything you wanted to add to that? Or were we pretty happy with that description?
[Stacey]
Yeah, I think, well, did I say two teams? Yeah, you'd have two teams playing, normal match, the emphasis then you go in and support them with the coaching aspect of it. But yeah just gives the players some reference points to where you might like them to press on the pitch higher.
[Jamie]
Brilliant yeah I love it, absolutely love it. Well thank you very much for your time today, Stacey. We've really enjoyed listening to you today and it's been great to get your insight into your experiences and there's been so many top tips that our listeners will take away. It's been a really good episode. So thank you very much for your time. Hopefully you've enjoyed it and that you'll be back on again.
[Stacey]
Loved being on. Thank you very much. Hopefully, yeah, there's some ideas there for others to consider. But yeah, speak with other people, learn from each other and get onto the England Football Learning website for more top tips too.
[Louise]
Brilliant.
[Jamie]
Thank you. Right, well that is all we do have time for today but don't forget to check out the description for the transcription of this episode and for all the links to our platforms. There you'll be able to click through to the England football community and this is where you can post your coaching questions for us to discuss on the podcast or just simply connect with loads of wonderful coaches.
[Louise]
Yep, we'd love to help you out with your coaching questions so please do check it out. We'll be back soon with another episode of Coachcast so if you haven't already, hit subscribe to make sure you don't miss an episode. From all of us at England Football Learning, thanks for listening.