My name is Charlie Covill, and I am the Head Coach for the SEN stallions, the special educational needs team at Orpington Football Club, my local team. I have been coaching the team for nearly three years, I enjoy giving opportunities to young people where they can showcase the best version of themselves through sport. I hope by writing this blog, I will inspire others to make a difference in the local community, as well as helping SEN members of the community develop relationships and life skills.

I like to instil respect within the group who I am coaching, as this builds a healthy relationship between coaches and players. Using appropriate language with the group and maintaining a calm tone of voice which is firm but also fair is essential to ensure the group has respect. This is important to instil this on a team level, so when they play tournaments, they will be respectful towards the opposition. Respect is a life skill which the players who I coach will require, as it is transferrable and will be needed throughout both working life as well as personal life, this is why it is so important to install while coaching.

The second point I would like to cover is enjoyment. Essentially, people are taking their own time to attend the sessions. Whether you are a player or a manager, you are involved in football because you have a passion for it and it takes up lots of personal time, such as late nights and weekends. Because of this, I want to ensure that people have fun when I am coaching them and are getting the best out of my sessions. I make sure my tone is energetic when coaching and that I plan the sessions in advance so that they are fun and interactive, which also ensures the players will return again and again.

As well as this, I always work to be encouraging to the players when coaching. Using positive verbal language and body language is so important, because it creates a nurturing environment for players to develop. This way, if a player makes a mistake or has a bad performance when playing, the player will feel reassured that they will receive constructive criticism rather than negative feedback. When I am being encouraging, this is coming from all parts of body language including eye contact, body language and tone of voice. To be encouraging with all these things can create healthy relationships with players and between the coaches, which is essential in developing an effective team.

Furthermore, delegation is pivotal to the success of a team and how they operate. To be able to give people an opportunity to voice their opinion is essential when operating in a team, and to know they can share this makes them feel valued. Dividing up roles in a team allows people to have their section to concentrate and focus on, such as a position on the pitch. It shows that you care about the players that you coach, and you trust them to cover an area. It also allows you to build trust with your team, as well as allow team members to have a level of responsibility. This can be translated into later life, and therefore it is one of the key pillars I like to implement when coaching.

There are a few considerations I need to consider when working with the SEN stallions. The most important factor is arranging a risk assessment, to analyse all important risks including medical concerns amongst the team. I like to ensure the team have any medication potentially needed. Another thing I like to consider when arranging training and a tournament is travel, as some people may struggle to get public transportation, so I have worked previously to get a bus to transport the team on all together. Additionally, ensuring that we have all the equipment and correct fitting kits for the team is something I like to plan ahead of time.

The main question I would like to pose to you after reading his blog is can you make a difference through sport? For me personally, I get huge satisfaction for contributing to the happiness for the SEN players, as well as seeing the parents full of joy as they watch, and it is something I encourage you to do too.