Please Note: The transcript is automatically generated by Supertranslate.beta in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading.
[Jamie]
Hello and welcome to Coachcast by England Football Learning, the coaching podcast that brings you insight from people across the game. As always we're Jamie and Louise and today we're joined by Amanda Greenslade, who's returning to Coachcast to discuss managing match day. Hello Amanda, welcome back to the studio. How are you?
[Amanda]
Very well, thank you. How are you guys?
[Louise]
All good. Really good, thank you. It's nice to have you back on. It's been a while. It has. Really nice to have you on again. For anybody that hasn't seen the episode that you were on way back when. Yeah. Remember when it was now. Do you want to just explain what it is that you do for the FA?
[Amanda]
Yeah. I've got a new role at the FA now currently. My title is learning delivery lead. So looking after the running and delivery of courses. Brilliant.
[Jamie]
Fantastic. Well, as you know, because this is a coaching podcast, we kind of like to give people some top tips at the start of the show as they might be driving on the way to work or training right now.
[Louise]
We're going to 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. Does that sound okay?
[Amanda]
Yep, I'll do my best.
[Louise]
Okay, I'll show you a timer and you'll know how much how long you've got and when it starts you can begin.
[Amanda]
So I think the most important thing is to adapt your style to the individuals that you've got in front of you. Make sure you've got a real good connection with those individuals first. Make everything as fun and engaging as possible. Ensure that all of your players feel that they've got a sense of ownership of the sessions as well so it's not all that you leading everything that they've got a bit of a voice and a choice on all the activities that they do within that session and make it as best as related to the game as possible.
[Jamie]
Perfect, smashing. Fantastic. Well Amanda as we said you last joined us I think it was over a year ago now, I think talking about managing sessions. Well this time obviously we're talking about managing match day, but just before that, how have you been since you were last with us? What have you been working on?
[Amanda]
Yeah, really good, really busy. As always, I've got a new role within club now. So I'm now first team manager at Doncaster Rovers Bells, as well as overseeing the academy. So a bit of a change, more responsibility, more things to think about, but yeah, really, really enjoying it alongside the full-time job.
[Jamie]
Amazing. Congratulations as well. Absolutely.
[Louise]
Since you were last on, have you had any learnings or insight that you think is quite interesting that you've kind of changed?
[Amanda]
I think it's, you know, taking on new roles, new responsibilities. There's always a bit of a learning curve and I think you know you do things with sometimes the best intentions and it doesn't always go right and managing and sort of learning and reflecting on that. So I think the reflection piece is probably happening a little bit more often for me than previously. I think I was really comfortable in my previous role So kind of did a lot of stuff automatically, whereas now that reflection bit is, is definitely at the forefront, making sure in the new role that we're doing things in the right way.
[Jamie]
Now, Amanda, while the season is well and truly underway now when this goes out, and we've spent the last two episodes looking at training. So we turn our attention to match day today. So to start, do you have any advice to help new coaches manage their first matchday?
[Amanda]
Yeah, it's the best time of the week, isn't it? It's the thing that you sort of work all week towards and it can be really, really exciting. It can be nerve wracking. It can be a little bit daunting. It can be quite emotional at times. So I think how you approach match day is key to sort of get the best out of yourself as a coach and the best out of your players too.
[Louise]
And what would you say your first ever match day was like and what did you learn?
[Amanda]
I was excited as I was when I was a player. I think it was that first experience of, oh my goodness, we're playing for something today. And I am the most competitive person in the world, which can be a good and a bad thing. I really don't like losing in whatever environment that is in. So I felt it I think as much as the players did. And then there was definitely a learning curve of thinking about how I manage myself on the sidelines, depending on who I've got on the pitch. Am I working with some under 10s or am I working with some open age players? So I think that was definitely a journey. My first experience of match days was definitely with the younger lot. So at the time I was working with under 12s and it was thinking about what do they need from me? And it wasn't to be this ultra competitive person on the sideline like I was as a player. It was to actually help and support them and give them some instructions. I sort of had to navigate that when I first started coaching and figure that out. And then that style has definitely evolved and developed the more time I've spent coaching. And now it's something that I feel quite comfortable with and excited about. But then in a new role again, it's that learning curve of right, okay, what do my players need from me in this environment and how do I best help them? So yeah, always evolving and always changing, but definitely the most exciting time of the week.
[Jamie]
So that's a really important thing to take away for anybody tuning into this as well is just thinking about what do the players actually need from me here, isn't it?
[Amanda]
Yeah. And I think that, you know, they have to be central to everything that we do. And you are, you're managing people at the end of the day, you're managing and helping them manage probably one of the most stressful parts of the week for them. As exciting as it is, it's the, it's the bit that can offer the most nerves, the most sort of emotional roller coasters if people make mistakes, etc. And how best we manage those people and how well we know them to know what they need. Do they need an arm around the shoulder? Do they need someone to give them like, actually no, you need to be doing this now that this is like switch on to these different elements or are they just looking for a little bit of encouragement you know good job well done like that was really good how do we build their confidence and boost their confidence over the duration of the game to help them as much as we possibly can.
[Jamie]
Now what we want to do today is kind of almost get a bit of a timeline of match day to give anybody a little bit of insight into what match day could look and actually feel like. So when it's sort of like arriving, you know, pre-match, what does that look like for you at Doncaster Belles?
[Amanda]
So we sort of arrive, we tend to aim for an hour and a half before every fixture if we are away or at home and try and keep that consistency. And that gives us like a lot of time to settle into the venue, get ourselves set. The girls will arrive, put their bags in the change rooms and then go for a bit of a pitch walk. And then it's the opportunity for staff to set the changing rooms up, set the warm-ups up, set everything up for the girls while they're sort of having that social connection piece. And they spend a bit of time, they've got the music on, they're going for a wander or they're having a bit of a social, and that's how we sort of kick off the start point for it. We then bring them all back in around about an hour before, a few last-minute instructions. Obviously, we've been working on stuff all week, so we're just giving them a few quick reminders and then giving them 10, 15 minutes to get themselves changed, get themselves prepped and ready to head on out for the warm-up. And then it's just our warm-up routines with the S&C coach to start with a good 10-15 minute warm up, getting them up to speed, getting them moving, then into our technical elements and we'll start them with one or two touch passing, a few different technical bits just to get lots and lots and touches of the football before going into a possession game. Get into that competitiveness of quick 45 second blasts of moving the ball, working with each other, riding challenges, that sort of element. And then the final part, we'll split into our units. Defence, midfield, forwards, and they will do, forwards will do some finishing, midfields will do some movement with the ball. Our backline will be looking at how they work together collectively to cover space and balance in that area and let them do whatever they need to do just to finish up with. Come in 15, 10 minutes before kick off time, let them do their last little bits of prep, get changed, get themselves fully ready and then just before the buzzer goes, it's a few last minute words from us as staff. Really important that it's from all staff, it's not just me, it's the voices from my assistants, my coaches, S&C if that needs to and we'll work as an MDT team just to make that as best of an experience as possible. You tend to find the different players talk to different people. One of our players might go talk to the coach because they want to just go through a different bit so it isn't all on one person, it's definitely a group of us that are supporting the girls before they head out onto that pitch when the referee blows that buzzer or blows the whistle to get us out of the changing rooms.
[Jamie]
I find it interesting in terms of when you mentioned in terms of like the warm-up itself, it kind of pricked my ears up when you're saying like they're actually playing a game, like a possession-based game. I find that interesting because of course I imagine there's quite a lot of people who haven't experienced, I know this was certainly my experience growing up, just getting onto the pitch, you might just do a few wits of the pitch and then you're just belting the ball at a goalkeeper, just balls flying absolutely everywhere. So how important is it actually to potentially focus players' minds by actually having a little bit more of a warm up that's actually more beneficial for them.
[Amanda]
Yeah, and I think like with older players and you know elite players as well, it's those pre-performance routines that they need just to settle themselves down. It's the same every single week, they know what they're going through and what they're doing. I think the worst thing I could do is just completely change the warm up before a game because I think it would throw them off completely. So we've got real set routines with what we do. But we do the same even at the younger age groups. It's not as regimented. It doesn't look the same thing. But with our younger players, they might start off with a quick game of tag, get themselves moving and get themselves working with their teammates in that area. And again, we do little small sided games with them to get lots and lots of touches on the ball because, yeah, there's nothing worse than a goalkeeper stood there while they've got the whole team with 12 balls flying towards them just trying to score goals. I think it's an important part of the warm up, but it shouldn't just be the one thing that we do for the whole session just before kick off.
[Jamie]
Yeah, absolutely.
[Louise]
Would you say it varies at all or it might vary at all in kind of the grassroots area of the game?
[Amanda]
Yeah, I think even at the grassroots, just having those set up areas of going when the players come in, making sure they put all their bags in the same places, that they're not running backwards and forwards to mum, dad, granny, whoever's brought them to get their drinks, to get those areas. And I think it just takes all the stress off you as a coach, if you've got those things set up already. Four cones, put your bags in the cones, here's the footballs, we're going to have a quick game of tag in here, or we're going to do a quick passing routine and being on top of the players to do that. I completely appreciate that you've got to set up nets, respect barriers and all of those things, but it's almost making sure there is that one person that's looking after the players and making sure that those players are engaged, because it is always happens when everyone's setting stuff up that that's when it sort of goes a bit rogue and you've got you've got balls blasting all over the place. So I think that's my biggest top tip is just making sure that there's that one person that's designated for looking after the players at that point while all that set up is going on around, if you possibly can.
[Louise]
You know, when you were talking about everybody have a conversation with them at the end, what kind of things would you say in that situation?
[Amanda]
Just little, little connection pieces, really. Just, you know, how are you feeling? How do you think today's gone? If it's at the end of the game or before the game, what are you worried about? Do you need anything clarifying? You know, what are you excited about? Setting some top targets for the games, you know, how many times can you beat the player one v one? How many shots can you get off in this game? You know, defensively, how many ball recoveries can you make, how many clearances, you know, almost setting a few targets prior to the match. But then that gives you a real insight in who might be struggling a bit today, who is a little bit nervous, who's quiet that's normally quite loud, or who's really, really loud because they're overcompensating for different elements. So yeah, I think you kind of get some real detail with them about how they're feeling. And then when that whistle blows for the start of the game, you kind of know your players, how you're managing them, because you've already got that insight into how they're feeling and what they might need help and support with.
[Jamie]
And I really like that. Like, it's a good little piece of like just getting to know your players and to really understand them, how they're feeling. Because that obviously determines maybe how they're acting, obviously, on the day, how they're performing and what they level of care they actually need from you as a coach?
[Amanda]
Yeah, I think, you know, everyone's got so much going on outside of football and sometimes football's the release, but sometimes outside life comes into football. So it's trying to understand who needs what, where and when to really help and support them with that, because it should be the most enjoyable part of the week and it's sometimes you can see for some players it's not and it's unpicking that and figuring out why it's not. Is it they're stressed, anxious, worried or is it you know they've had a really bad day at school and they need to just decompress a little bit and they're not feeling it in the same way that they would normally do so. So I think that that piece is so, so important. And, you know, as a coach, you can help with some elements, but some elements are sort of, you know, you've just got to just be aware of and try to help if you can.
[Louise]
And would you say that it's important to be consistent in your approach between like training and matchday?
[Amanda]
Yeah, 100 percent. I think there's nothing worse than having somebody that's not animated in training and then they get on the side of the pitch and it's the most animated people have ever seen them. I think you've got to bring your the best version of yourself to both of those through the week for it. So how we sort of run our training sessions is very much a reflection of how we are at the weekend. So even in training, we are celebrating goals like we would in a normal game, because that's sort of the message we want to get across to our players. I think it's sometimes, you know, when stuff happens in training was really good and everyone's like, oh yeah, it doesn't really matter. It's just like a little, yeah, good goal. It's like, no, that was, that was really good. Like let's, let's celebrate that because we would celebrate in exactly the same way at the weekend. And it's the same with tackles and challenges. We, you've got to train for me, you've got to train how you, you want to play and we've got to replicate that. So we try to replicate the same environments as well. And I think match day can be really loud and noisy. And I think sometimes that can be quite overwhelming. Got parents on the sideline, you've got supporters, you've got spectators and they're all getting them, they're all up for it in the same way that the players are. So can we replicate some of that noise in training just so that it's consistent for them and it's not overwhelming when they actually get to that Saturday or Sunday fixture and they know how to deal with it and manage themselves in that situation.
[Jamie]
So we've talked about like pre-match and your communication and your warm up and everything there. Now the ref whistle has gone. Start the match. Have you got any top tips to help coaches with their touchline communication?
[Amanda]
Stay quiet for the first five minutes. Just give yourself a bit of time to assess, see what's going on, give yourself space to watch, observe, see what's happening. I think it can be very easy just to jump straight into it and everyone wants their teams to start quick and do all those elements of it. But I do think you need to pause a little bit and, right, what's the opposition doing? What formation are they set up in? What are they trying to do? And then you can go from, right, I can actually give some good information into my players now and say, right, have a look at this. This is what they're playing. This is what they're trying to do. How are we going to problem solve that as a group? What does that look like? Obviously you want the players to take that ownership, but you've got to be able to see it and recognise it as well. And then from there you can solve problems quickly if you need to, or hopefully if all the prep's been done well, it's alright, this is what we expected, we know what we're doing, we know what we're going after. And then we can just make tweaks and changes or drive the tempo as we need to as staff.
[Jamie]
And how do you then effectively support players during a match?
[Amanda]
Depends on the individual, really depends on the individual. You know, you can have a player that might be having a little bit of a confidence knock because they've made a couple of bad passes and then it's how do you support them just making sure that they're okay and encouraging them that it's fine. And, you know, they've got the next one, the next one they'll sort out and encouraging them to get back on the ball. I think if a player makes a few mistakes, sometimes they can hide a little bit and it's then going, no, no, just get the ball again. Just, just go get a good pass. Go, go do something and almost get yourself out of that little bit of a slump. Or if they're overly emotional or overly up for it and you know, they've just flown into a tackle that they probably shouldn't have done, there's just getting them to calm themselves, manage the emotions a little bit in there. And so yeah, it really does depend on the player and if you understand your players well, hopefully you know that already and then you can just adapt and tweak to their what behaviours they're showing just on that day and help support them. I get more questions a lot of the time from the girls, what am I doing with this? What do you want me to do here? Etc. And they know the answer, but they're just checking for that reassurance, which is really interesting. They don't need me to tell them. I'm like, well, what do you think? And they'll tell me and I'm like, yeah, good. Well done. It's not that they're confused or unsure. I think it's just, they just want to have that little bit of reassurance and that confidence boost of no, no, I am doing what I, what I should be doing. So yeah, I think even when they're asking you questions, can we flip that question back onto the player? Because I think they really do know the answer. So I found that quite interesting over the last couple of months.
[Jamie]
Yeah, no, that is an interesting insight. And like I say, I like that sort of like the communication style in terms of just saying like, actually, what do you think, give them a bit of ownership, that sort of question and answer sort of communication approach as well.
[Amanda]
Yeah, and I think, you know, if you can do that all the way through the age groups, they sort of get used to it and hopefully then when they do get to the senior game, they're like, no, I've got this. I know what I'm doing. You know, we can't expect them to be the next pep that understand every single tactical situation that's in front of them. But if they've got a few problem solving skills, a little bit of resilience that we've built into them, it sort of becomes a little bit more second-hand. I'm big at the moment that I really want to develop leaders on the pitch. I think we don't have enough good leaders and we don't have enough players that are willing to step up and say things. So what we found is, you know, if we give a captain to one person for the entire season, everyone else is quiet. And I almost think that's the worst thing that we can do, especially at the younger age groups. And, you know, giving the opportunity for everyone to have that armband so they develop those leadership skills, they feel like they can say things. I know for some players that is their worst nightmare and we've got to be a bit careful and mindful of that. But it's also that just making sure that they do have that voice, you know, even in the pre-team meetings, you know, I'm like, has anyone got anything to say? Who wants to say anything? It's the same at halftime, you know, go on, what do you guys think? Talk to me, this is your game. And we just really want to develop those leadership skills in our players of going, you know, you can problem solve this. It doesn't all come from us. You know, you do know what you're doing. So we're just trying to foster that as much as we possibly can at the moment as well.
[Louise]
Is that how you'd say you approach kind of the halftime talks? Yeah. Kind of a bit more of a question answer interactive.
[Amanda]
Yeah, I flipped it this season a little bit. I think, especially Open Age previously, I think it's always like, you know, the manager coach comes in and really dictates and leads that conversation, which there is times when that needs to happen. Like, don't get me wrong, but I also, they're the ones playing the game. I want to know from them how they're feeling, like what problems are they finding at the moment, because I might be seeing something slightly different on the sidelines. So I go in at halftime with my own like two, three points that I really want to pick up on them or problems that I'm going, right, this needs to change a little bit. We need to look at this, but I'm always interested to see what they say first. Usually the same thing comes up which is good. Sometimes it's something completely different and I'm like interesting okay let's I do need to address that if you're telling me that's a real problem and that's coming from a couple of you then we need to look at that as well. So yeah we definitely flipped that a little bit and very much given them out of that 15 minutes, we have five minutes and the other 10 minutes is on them. So we now come out of the change room after five minutes and go outside and leave them to have the last 10 minutes to themselves just because we really want them to feel like and own that part of that second half of the conversation. So sit them down. Who's got anything to say? We do a real quick a few minutes with them and then the last 10 minutes until the ref rings the buzzer again to come back out is over to them, put music on, do whatever they want to do just to get themselves prepped and ready for that
[Louise]
second half performance. It's a really interesting kind of approach to it. I think that probably makes them feel like it's their game as well.
[Amanda]
We'll see how successful it is. Early doors. But yeah, that's what we're starting out at the moment.
[Jamie]
You mentioned before you do have support staff at Doncaster Bells. Can you share an example of how you work with others during the game then?
[Amanda]
Yeah, so again, like we had a game on Tuesday night and was very much asking my staff to give the key messages and comments because I don't want it just to be one voice. I want them, you know, they're leading sessions during the week, they're talking to the girls regularly, they're having those individual conversations. I think it's important that it isn't just on me. There is moments when it is, but I want them to say the stuff that they want to say as well. I think it's important to have different voices from the staff as well, because some players might connect differently with different staff members. So if you're the staff member that they don't connect with and it's always your voice, I think that can be quite challenging for players and individuals. So making sure that there's a range of people and a range of voices in different moments to help solve problems or just to give some key information I think is quite important. So each of the staff have got like a different area of expertise and they might then target those conversations specifically with people. As a staff we have a couple of minutes at the end of the whistle as everyone's walking in just to do our quick debrief between ourselves of going, you say that, you say that, you know, I'll talk a little bit about this and we'll leave it there. So we kind of do that collectively as we're walking into the change room. That's our conversations as we're walking in. They're saying, right, who's saying what, who's going to address X, Y and Z. So it feels quite organised and structured when we get in there. It isn't like voices shouting over each other or people trying to be heard. It is very structured of like, oh, we'll start with this. We'll go with this. We'll then talk about this, finish off with this bit. And then that's us. So that's what we're trying at the moment to see how that lands.
[Jamie]
And I know everybody's coaching environment's different. So some may have a few coaches supporting them, some may not. So just wondering, do you have any top tips to give to coaches to help them work effectively with the co-coaches or maybe even with the parents?
[Amanda]
Yeah, I think co-coach like I've spent a long time when I'm managing my staff trying to figure out the right coaching pairings at the younger age groups. And it is probably one of the most challenging areas for us because ultimately they've got to get on as a start point. You know, it's really difficult to work with someone that you don't get on with. And then it's the right balance of personality types and how effectively do those people work together. So when you've worked with people, I've worked with coaches before that I've loved working with, we've got on so well and it felt really quite natural and we knew what each other was doing. And then I've had a few challenging situations as well where I'm like, oh, this doesn't, we're too similar or, you know, we're polar apart here and we're seeing completely different things. So I think finding people that you work well with is crucial, but that only happens by building relationships. So the people that I've struggled with working with as a co-op partnership previously, it does get better once you build the relationships with them and understand what they're coming from and doing it. I think just keeping things simple, don't overcomplicate things when you're working as a partnership and just being really clear that, you know, attention span for players is not very long. And if you talk for the whole 15 minutes at halftime, you're in trouble because they will have remembered the first bit. So what are the important messages and making sure those important messages aren't contradictory between you and those supporting you. Because I could say one thing and my my co-coach could say something else. I'm like, all right, we're in trouble here because they haven't got a clue which one of these we're doing. So making sure that's really, really aligned. Parents, working with parents, parents can be brilliant or they can be the most challenging part of the job, depending on your setup and how you manage them. I did like to engage my parents as much as possible, but half time and before the match and post match, that was for us as a team. So trying to keep parents away from that as possible. Everybody wants to be involved and tell their son or daughter that, oh, you should be doing this, you should be doing whatever. But if that's contradictory to what we're saying as coaches, that can also be quite challenging. So it's engaging parents in the right way, you know, welfare, if they need to, if they need to go see mum and dad and completely understand it, they need to get a drink, fine. But having those lines and boundaries of going, you know, not now, not coming over to the team talks and doing that side of things. And I think once you set those boundaries out early doors, everyone's really respectful of it. So that would be another top tip for them is just set out with parents what you do and don't expect from them on a match day and that can really help that relationship piece, but also utilising them for the stuff that they can be really helpful for. So tell me three times that your child did something brilliant and that can help your feedback with them afterwards. And then making sure parents know what that is, because I think the car ride home can be quite challenging sometimes. So, you know, really encouraging parents to ask them, you know, did you have fun to start with? What's the stuff that you did really well in the game rather than this relationship of a parent being really critical of, I think you should have done this, this, this and this. Letting the child have the ownership of that space and having them to lead those conversations can be really, really helpful as well.
[Jamie]
Yeah, I think that's really important, isn't it? In terms of like having that clarity, first and foremost, getting to know people and building those relationships. And then, yeah, especially like in terms of getting parents just on board with your vision, the way things are and how that they can help is really important.
[Amanda]
Yeah, and I think parents want to help. That's all they want to do is be around and help. And it's always done with the best intention and best nature. And I think sometimes as coaches, we feel it can be quite threatening that they want to be overly involved. But it is because they love it as much as we do. And those boundaries are so important for them and having them involved in the right moments at the right time and having them clap the players off the pitch or having the players clap their parents for taking them to the game and giving up their time watching. You know, you can get that that balance really, really nice. It can sometimes take a while to get to that. So if people are struggling with their parents, just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and you just got to be really clear with what we are expecting from them and what that looks like.
[Louise]
Can you give us some insight into how you help your players deal with like the changing state of the game and help them to make good decisions?
[Amanda]
Yeah I think like game states ebbs and flows doesn't it? You know sometimes you're on top Sometimes you feel like you're a bit penned in and riding a bit of pressure. I think sometimes it goes quite flat. So we've sort of got a staff, a few triggers of things that we will say to our players to help them manage that. So for example, if we've been under a lot of pressure, our key principles are we want to try to play to feet and we want to try to play out when we're playing games. However, if we've been under a lot of pressure, it's absolutely fine for you to make the decision to get the ball a little bit higher, get the ball away from pressure. So we'll talk to our keepers about that. And we've got little triggers that we might mention and say of when we say this, the ball can go a little bit further up the pitch or when you are on top, having that creativity and have that ability to have players own those moments of being, I know we're on top here, like, let's have the freedom of choice of what we want to do, or if we're under a lot of pressure where we're looking at ways to get them to settle and not panic and relax and just play the football that they're able to play. So I think it's really interesting at those different game states of figuring out what our players need from in those moments. You know, is it a really challenging game and they're under a lot, a lot of pressure and they're not too sure how to solve those problems. And sometimes that can be quite frustrating. So we just need to give them that resilience in those moments, or if we're on top and they start to do silly things because they're not concentrating and stuff like that, giving them the sort of the triggers to get back on it. We're here for a job, this is what we need you to do in these areas and controlling those individual emotions. If someone's too up, too down, making sure we control that with little conversations, little moments, little information. And that doesn't always have to come from the staff. It could be that we pull a player over and say, have a little bit of a word with X, tell us a settle, tell them to think about this. Because sometimes coming from staff isn't the most helpful thing. So we might need to engage a player to help us with those conversations as well.
[Jamie]
And do you have any advice to help coaches make good decisions themselves during a match?
[Amanda]
Having those moments of pausing, you know, why am I pausing here? What am I thinking about? What am I looking for? Having the ability to watch and analyse and sort of critically think about the situation rather than that emotional reaction to it. Things happen quickly and we have players that might get injured or we have to make a quick decision. If it's not having to be a quick decision, is it well thought through? Have we spent a bit of time thinking about it ourselves? If you've got staff discussing it with the staff going, I'm thinking of doing this, what do you think? Having that pausing moment to go, is this the right decision? And then really owning that decision when it's made. And if it's the wrong decision, that's okay. I've made so many wrong decisions on formation changes or moments where I shouldn't have really done that, that hasn't really worked. But if it's done and critically thought through and it's done with the best intention, then that's okay. We're not going to get it right all the time. I think sometimes when they're emotional and quick decisions, they're normally more wrong than the ones that have had a bit of a pause and a bit of a time to think about it as well.
[Jamie]
Yeah, really important point, that critical thinking element of it, like really scoping out other people's opinions as well, and then just like taking in information to come to it rather than maybe just a snap judgment perhaps. Just thinking in terms of like observation, do you have any observation top tips like during a match day because there is so much going on there and we're wanting to think critically, so what is it that you're focusing on?
[Amanda]
I'll watch the ball for a period of time, see where the ball's moving, But then I sort of work from the goalkeeper down the pitch. So I'll have a look at the goalkeeper's start position. Then I'll have a look at my back line's position. Are they connected? Are they not? What are the distances between the units? And sort of go from the goalkeeper through to defense, through to midfield, to our forwards, and then back again, and just have that sort of look at, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Is it right? Is it not right? And then sort of rotating my eye around the individual players. Is this player out of position? Is this player not working as hard as I think they should be? Are they struggling to cover the distance? Is their 1v1 battle that they're having with that player too much for them? Is that the opposition's best player? Do I need to think about moving somebody else onto that player? What does that look like? So that front to back, back to front observation piece and thinking about, is the areas that I'm looking at correct rather than just following the ball up and down the pitch. I think sometimes we get too ball focused and that doesn't show us the whole picture.
[Jamie]
Yeah, I'd say it's even as a spectator, like watching, if you're just focusing on the ball, it's like you're missing actually quite a lot of the movement and things that's happening. So to be able to look on away and around the ball as well is so important.
[Amanda]
And it's encouraging the players to do the same thing as well because they get quite focused in their own little worlds of going you know this is what they're seeing and it's having the ability from your training sessions to encourage the players to do exactly that. What's happening on the ball, what's happening in my little unit around me, but what's happening away from that as well, and if they're seeing things, allowing them to explore that. So if the ball is with my centre back and they've seen the forward make a run, great, then play the ball. Or is the unit in front of me under pressure so I can't do anything close, I can't do anything around the ball, so there's got to be some stuff away from the ball that I can do. So building that into their understanding of the game can be critical as well.
[Jamie]
And just sticking on observation and decision making, how do you make in game decisions which support player enjoyment as well as the development?
[Amanda]
Yeah, especially at the youth level the enjoyment piece is central. The players want to make sure that they get the best experience out of the game for them. And every player wants to score goals or be a striker or play their favourite position. So it's, it's making sure that we are supporting those players to get that enjoyment element out of the game as well as performance. I think really clear on which environment you're working in. Are you in a performance environment or are you in an enjoyment environment? And there is nothing wrong with either of those spaces. It's making sure that our decisions that we make as coaches is reflective of those environments. So if I'm saying that it's a recreational enjoyment environment, I'm not telling players, well, you can't play that position. Well, if that's what they want to do, then that's what we should allow them to do. Similarly, if it's a performance environment and they're saying, oh, I want to go play out front. Well, no, you're playing centre back all season and that's where we've agreed that you're playing at. So just because we're winning a game doesn't mean that you then get to make that. This is a different environment. That's not your decision to make. So I think it's been really clear about what is your environment, where are you working at and what standards does that bring? Everybody loves winning. Losing can be challenging. So enjoyment comes from that as well. It's difficult sometimes when if you're not winning to keep that enjoyment piece, but then it's just finding the little wins to get their enjoyment from and is celebrating those moments. So, you know, not every team can be top of the league all the time. So if there is no enjoyment because they're not winning, can they get enjoyment of beating a player? Can they get enjoyment from a big challenge or completing a really good pass? How do we get that enjoyment piece with our players? But then it's the environment that you create as a coach as well. What happens before, during and after the games for those enjoyment, those social bits, those elements that they really connect into and enjoy as much as they possibly can. And even at senior level, that enjoyment element and find those moments of fun and a little bit of banter and a little bit of that team camaraderie that they get from that, even when results aren't going their way, can be really critical to help improve performances in the future.
[Louise]
And as we've just been talking about winning and losing, how important is it for coaches to have the ability to manage their emotions and actions on a match day?
[Amanda]
Even if we have lost, it's shaking hands with the officials, the opposition, making sure that we're doing all of the things in the right way, regardless of how we feel about things and where our emotions are at. It's fine to be frustrated, but we need to make sure that that doesn't show in those really important parts of the game. I'm a big believer of the team spirit and the ethic that we need to make sure that we are humble in both losses and in our wins. And we've got to make sure that we are respectful in all of those moments for it. As difficult as it can be sometimes, we have to set those individual standards for ourselves. And if we do bubble over at different points, having the ability to apologise for that to the people that need to be apologised for, because you know, we're all human, we have those moments, but making sure that that respect is in place, even in those challenging times. And we get excited when we win, especially if it's like a cup final or those sort of moments. But it's also making sure that we're respectful and humble in those points. And that's, I think that comes from you as a person of what your individual standards are from that. And that was definitely something that was embedded in me all the way through my playing career, my youth career, and then in the environments that I've coached with, that was always front and centre. So I think it's reflecting on yourself of going, what is important to you? How do you want to be perceived and seen to other people, to your own team players, to oppositions, and making sure even in the most challenging moments that we do that. We've actually got like almost like routines at the end of our game as well. So after the final whistle, we shake hands with everybody. Then we get together as our team huddle. That's our time to have a little bit of a chat amongst ourselves and reflect on the performances. And then after that, it's, you know, clapping the fans and seeing the families and everybody around us and doing that. So we, we have that set up at the end of our game. So it isn't that regardless of we win or lose, we haven't got people storming off the pitch and going to go speak to someone. We haven't got that in place. And we set that as our standards, as our club. And even if people step over those and that's a different conversation, but it's important to have those conversations. This is what it looks like for us and this is what we want it to be. And I had that even as a grassroots coach of making sure at the end of the game, the first thing the players do is shake their hands. And we just say it every single time, shake the hands, shake the hands. It's monotonous, but it's important because when they're younger, they forget because they're either really excited or really annoyed. And then they will want to run off and speak to whoever about the amazing goal that they've just scored. And it's like, no, no, no, come on, we need to get together as a group so having those sort of routines in place and having the everybody buy into that can be really really important and I think that's where we set our own standards regardless of what happens it's we do the same every single time that we go out and step onto the pitch.
[Jamie]
Now one area of the game we haven't talked about at the moment is substitutes or game changes as some may like to call them. They're a big part of matchday especially when earlier we were talking about game state. So some coaches may be working with rolling subs, Others may actually have a limit on how many you can use, but it is likely that coaches of all levels are going to have somebody that's on the bench to substitute. So firstly, do you have any advice around managing the situation of choosing who starts and who is on the bench?
[Amanda]
Yeah, it's really challenging. I think It's so important that our young players learn that they might not start every game. I think if we have players that start week in, week out, if they're the best player, it's a real shock that first time they're on the bench and they've got to be able to manage their emotions with that. With the youth teams, we would definitely have our teams rotate every 20 minutes to make sure every player got on the pitch before halftime to make sure that they all felt part of it and involved in that. And we ran that all the way through to our 18s because even at our 18s they can have rolling substitutions and that's how we'd set it up. We'd then split it so if it was a cup match, we might tell players and parents, well, we might have players that will come on later in the game for this bit. So they get the experience of both. I think it can be really challenging to go from one environment to the other. So as much as we can expose our young people to it. I think it's really, really important that they have those experiences and be able to manage their own emotions for it. I've got a large squad now. I've got a large squad of really good players. So it makes it competitive and there's always going to be disappointments for those that are not starting. I think I try to communicate with them the reasons why and what that looks like and then the role that they're going to have in the game. Even when we've got limited subs I am not a believer of giving a player five minutes. Unless you're time wasting in a cup final. Giving a player five minutes isn't really going to help them or the team in any way. So if I am bringing on substitutions, I want to give them a good time to make an impact, to make a difference. And that's our, we always say that to the players that are coming on, your role is to make an impact, change the game, score a goal. The opposition are tired, they've played 60 minutes, you've got fresh legs. What can you do to make those impacts in there and the expectations in and amongst that with what that looks like? So giving the opportunity of both, I think is so, so important. Are you going to start starting team? These are your responsibilities, Substitutes, this is what we're looking for you to do is to really make those impacts and having that sort of ethos, if you have only got a set number of subs that you've got to fight for your shirt and that competitiveness that that can then bring can be really, really positive. It can be challenging, but it can be really positive as well.
[Louise]
And how do you keep subs engaged during the game, would you say?
[Amanda]
We talk to them quite a lot. We ask them what they're seeing. What are you noticing in this game? Do you want to feed anything back at halftime? What information can they see and give to their players? We also want them to be really encouraging and have those voices. Like we've spoken about having a loud bench this season, not just from us as staff, but from them as players. Who do they on the team have a connection with that they might give some information to? What does that look like? The last game that we were at, there was a water break and all the players came over to get some fluids and it was great to see four of the subs having conversation. Right, so you just need to do this and look at this. And I was like, great. Okay, so you're now managing the game. It doesn't all have to come from us. So how can you embed that into your sort of ethos as a team and making sure that everyone buys into that I think can really help performances.
[Jamie]
It can be really powerful can't it? We spoke on here before in terms of like giving players ownership and yeah having those observational tasks, keep them engaged but also like it sounds like in your environment actually being able to pass that on and they have a responsibility to help those on the pitch as well.
[Amanda]
Yeah and you know sometimes it doesn't work and you're like oh that's the wrong information just maybe don't listen to that a little bit but I think we'll do it but then we can manage that as staff most the time it is correct and it is right. But yeah, just be a little bit mindful, so like having a little bit of an ear of what's being said. You're going, okay, yeah, that's okay. I'm all right with you saying that. And making sure it's not something that isn't against the game plan or that. But no, the girls are really good. You can see what they're trying to do and I like that team spirit. I think that's how you get a high performing team is to have everybody involved.
[Jamie]
And what do you look out for to help you decide when the most effective time is to make a substitution?
[Amanda]
I think it depends on the game state. If we're under pressure, I might need some fresh legs to change it up. If I've noticed something in the observations that one of their players might be struggling then I might want to target them a little bit to help us win the game. So putting on a new player in that position to really stretch the game with fresh legs can be important or it could just be a tactical change of, actually, we're really struggling here. I need to change the shape, and to change the shape, I need to put this player into this position and almost sacrifice someone else to allow that to happen. So, yeah, I think it really depends, but it's the same process that we do with everything, of just having that pausing of evaluation of is this the right thing to do here and here and there to make sure that it that it works, but making sure that it's all being done with the right intention. It's not just I'm putting them on the pitch because I feel like I have to. It's we're doing this for a reason. This is the reason. And we think it's going to be effective because of X, Y and Z.
[Louise]
And what information do you give your substitute just as they're ready to kind of
[Amanda]
go on? So we give them, as they're warming up, we'll tell them who they're coming on for to allow them to have a look at set pieces and see what roles and responsibilities they've got so they can have a quick look from that. And then it's just reiterating the last bits of information for them, which we spoke about before the game and at half time, and just making sure that they're happy with that. Or sometimes it's that personal connection piece of, you know, I said you're going to get some minutes, I really want you to go and your challenges, how many goals can you score in this period of time or we spoke about what your impacts you're going to make in this game and allowing them to have that confidence to go and do it really.
[Jamie]
And finally, how do you like to approach your full-time team talk and do you have any top tips to help coaches to deliver an effective one no matter the result?
[Amanda]
I start with the girls first, go on then, what do you guys think? And then a staff will say a few bits and it always ends on me with the what's next really. It's kind of a few sentences on where we're at and what we're doing and what went well and what we potentially need to change. But then it's right, so what's next? What's the next game? How are we going to address this problem in training? What are we going to look at for this? And trying to send them away on a real positive note, regardless of, I was so impressed with this, this and this. You can see we've been working on it. We still need to tighten up on these bits, but this bit here was really good. Or let's congratulate a player on their first debut or those elements of it to really get that team spirit of them finishing together. And We always finish with a little huddle and a team connection and saying team club name at the end of it, just to make sure that those connection pieces continue. And they're just part of our post-game routines. After that, in the change room, we allow the girls to do whatever they need to do. Sometimes they want to come and stay and talk to us for a little bit longer. Sometimes they want to know a few bits after or, you know, they could be disappointed with their own performances and want to spend a little bit more time talking to it. Or I try to do as little as that as possible and send them all have a chat about it on Tuesday, have a bit of time to reflect. If they really, really need it, then that's fine, we will have the conversations. But I think sometimes it's good to have a bit of space and a bit of breathing room to give yourself 48 hours to reflect on things.
[Jamie]
So it gives a little bit of clarity, doesn't it? So obviously you have the in the moment reflections, but actually when you can go away, you can properly reflect and...
[Amanda]
Yeah, and I think it's a lot of times in those moments, what you want to say is probably not right. And if it's with a senior player, I want to review the footage. I want to know what's what are they thinking about seeing that because I want to spend a bit of time really analysing what has gone well, what hasn't, because I think sometimes you can make some like knee- reactions to stuff that isn't quite right and I want to give myself that ability to do the review process first and speak to the staff and speak to everybody else about it before we give that feedback. And then I think with parents, it's always emotional with parents. You know, they're going out to fight for their little one and they're frustrated, they're emotional and it's like, right, no, now's not the right time. This conversation isn't going to go well because you're emotional. We're emotional because we've just finished the game and we've been through a roller coaster. So now is definitely not the right time. So allowing that pause in that moment, I think, is critical, really.
[Louise]
I suppose with parents as well, that's one of those things that you could add into explaining that to them, like how are you going to do things that you don't have immediate conversations after.
[Amanda]
Start of the season conversations. This is what this is what we do. This is what this looks like. And everyone buying into that. And then it's really easy when somebody's wanting that conversation of going, we don't do that, that's not what we do. We do it on this is a process, please just go to it. And that might frustrate them even more, but at least you're just sticking to it. At least they've had that chance to kind of hear it before and then they can kind of reflect on that themselves.
[Louise]
Yeah, absolutely.
[Jamie]
Brilliant. We've just got some quickfire questions now for you for the next section of the podcast. And the very first one is, what's the one thing every grassroots coach should do before a game?
[Amanda]
Plan what they think their rotations of squad players might be.
[Louise]
And what's the biggest mistake coaches can make on match day?
[Amanda]
Get overly emotional in certain situations and make the wrong decisions because of that.
[Jamie]
How should coaches handle parents on match day in one sentence?
[Amanda]
To set out some real clear structures about what the day looks like and make sure that they have clear areas where they are and are not allowed to go.
[Louise]
And what's your best advice for staying calm under pressure?
[Amanda]
Using the people around you to make sure that you are managing your motions effectively.
[Jamie]
If you had 30 seconds with a new grassroots coach before their first ever match, what would you tell them?
[Amanda]
I would tell them to enjoy it, not worry about the result and just enjoy the experience.
[Jamie]
Yeah, and looking back at everything we have discussed, can you summarise the key top tips that you want coaches to take away from this episode?
[Amanda]
I think for match day is just to have a plan, know what your routines are, stick to them as much as possible and really enjoy the experience.
[Louise]
And if you were to say someone's just listened to this podcast and they've kind of got all these things that they might want to take away, what's one of the first things you'd suggest they do to develop their matchday practices.
[Amanda]
Review your own processes that you've got so far. Have a look at what you currently have in place and then tweak any elements that you think just might need to be changed a little bit to get the best experience for you, your players and everybody involved.
[Jamie]
Fantastic. Well, Amanda, we are coming up to the end of the show now, but it does mean that it is time for our Swift Session feature.
[Louise]
I don't remember. Have you done this one before? I have, yes. Okay, so this one you will know. It's a 30 second challenge to explain a session idea to us. Once again, I'll show you the timer and once the time starts you can begin.
[Amanda]
So I really like quick crossing and finishing activities, so allowing players to have the ball 10 yards out at the top of the edge of the box, playing it into a wide area left or right and having two to three runners that come into the box to try to get on the end of the cross allows your wingers and wide players to practice different types of crosses, allow your goalkeeper to practice coming out to receive the crosses and allows the connection between players to try to finish it off.
[Louise]
Once again, fantastically done.
[Jamie]
Is there anything else that you'd like to add to that or are you happy with that?
[Amanda]
I think I think that I think that's everything.
[Jamie]
The explanation is fantastic. Well, thank you very much for your time today, Amanda. It's been great to almost have like a bit of a timeline or that's what we've tried to have a bit of a timeline of what match day could look and feel like. Obviously, everybody's coaching contexts are different, but there's quite a lot to take away from, well there's loads to take away from that, from that discussion there.
[Amanda]
Yeah, and you've got to make it relevant for you guys. Everyone's journey is a little bit different. Everybody's got different experiences on what their match day might look like. It might be quarters, it might be halves, it might be, you know, three V3s and it's continuous games. So yeah, just tweak everything to best fit your players and yourselves and your environment really.
[Jamie]
Thank you very much. We've loved having you on. Hopefully you've enjoyed being in the studio.
[Amanda]
Thank you so much. Thank you.
[Jamie]
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. As always you can head to the England Football Community to post your coaching questions for us to discuss on the podcast or you can drop them in the comments section below for this episode.
[Louise]
Yes we'd love to help you out so please do send your questions in. We'll be back soon with an episode focussing on helping players manage their emotions and behaviours. So if you haven't already, hit subscribe to make sure you don't miss it. From all of us at England Football Learning, thanks for listening.