⁠Transcript on England Football Community Coaches can improve their sessions by using volume and variety effectively. In this episode, we speak with FA coach development officer, Mark Leigh, who gives his insight on how to do just that. Mark shares with us his journey into coaching. While he felt that coaching wasn’t for him to begin with, he shares with us the turning point that changed his mind. We ask Mark his advice for parents who find themselves in the same position, and if they don’t...

Transcript on England Football Community The 2023 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup is here! What better time to learn more about the format?  In this episode, we sit down with Adam McEvoy, national development manager at the Wheelchair Football Association. Adam shares with us his journey into coaching and gives us an in-depth look into powerchair football.  The Wheelchair Football Association is a national charity and the lead organisation for the format of powerchair football. Adam...

Transcript on England Football Community In this episode, we’re joined by Darren Grover, FA PE officer for London and the South. Darren’s role has him supporting teachers and coaches in delivering high-quality education. We find out how Darren got started in football, and how he made it to his position today, as well as getting his valuable insights into a range of topics to help coaches and teachers better support players. Darren shares with us the advice that he would give his younger...

[TRIGGER WARNING: This episode focuses on safeguarding and will reference lived experience of abuse in football.] Transcript on England Football Community Everyone has a role to play in safeguarding, but what does good safeguarding look like and how do we play our part? In this episode, we’re joined by Ellie and Mark - two grassroots coaches and representatives of the FA Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group - to discuss safeguarding and why it’s so important. Ellie and Mark...

Transcript on England Football Community Getting more women involved in coaching has a transformative impact on growing players. In this episode, Sharon Muxworthy-McIvor, shares with us her journey into her role as an FA coach development officer. Sharon’s support is targeted at growing women. We speak in depth about the importance of getting more women into the game and how those who are interested can get involved.  The opportunity to play in a team wasn’t available for Sharon when she...

Transcript on England Football Community In this episode, we’re joined by FA youth coach developer, Phil Shead. Phil looks after five northeast-based clubs and brings with him plenty of top tips for coaches. He shares with us his journey so far and how he got to the position he’s in today. We speak in depth about the transformational power of a people-focused approach to coaching over a more task-focused one. Phil speaks about the benefits that he’s seen first-hand after he began focusing...

Transcript on England Football Community To kick off the first episode of season 4, we’re joined by Clare Daniels & Pete Sturgess to discuss the Play Phase and their advice for how all adults can play a positive role in creating the best environment for players.  Clare & Pete give us the low-down on what exactly the Play Phase is and how it came about. The Play Phase is more than just a phase, it’s a philosophy, and we learn how the power of play can help children to build skills...

Transcript on England Football Community⁠ Join us as we speak with national coach development lead, Andy Somers and coach development officer, Sam Griffiths. We dive deep into four key topics - observation, environment, player engagement and effective communication and our guests share some indispensable, actionable tips for coaches in these areas. Firstly, we get Andy and Sam’s thoughts on what observation really means and how to observe during sessions effectively. We find out what...

⁠Transcript on England Football Community⁠ The 2023 Women’s World Cup is upon us! In this episode, we’re joined by game insights analysts, Katie Sorenson and Dan Simpson, to give us their Women’s World Cup insights and find out how coaches can take inspiration from tournament football. Katie and Dan also share with us what fixtures have caught their eye and which teams and players they’ll be keeping a close eye on. We look at how coaches can observe games and apply their observations to...

⁠Transcript on England Football Community⁠ To today’s guest, coaching is all about being open to lifelong learning, showing an interest in players’ lives and developing connections to understand them and meet their needs.  For Disability Awareness Day, we speak with Chris Day, who, since recording, has been appointed as the England deaf women’s head coach. We discover how Chris got into coaching and he shares advice for coaching players with disabilities. Chris holds a wide variety of other...

⁠Transcript on England Football Community⁠ Earlier in the season, we spoke with three learners on the UEFA Pro Licence course. In this special episode, we learn about their roles in the game and their transition into coaching. They also share their thoughts on the key skills they think coaches need and plenty of top coaching tips, as well as their experiences on the Pro Licence so far. Amy Merricks, who since this interview has left Brighton and is now the head coach of England women’s...

⁠Transcript on England Football Community⁠ The power of imagination and play can both make for a more enjoyable experience for players and also help to develop their skills.  In this episode, FA regional PE officer James Riches returns to share his journey so far and to explore how we can develop skilful players through PE. James draws from his experiences to provide valuable advice for aspiring coaches and teachers, particularly for those who work with children.  James has taken on a wide...

Transcript on England Football Community⁠ You, as a coach, reflect your players, and your players reflect you. FA coach development officer, Sam Griffiths, shares why this is and how this dynamic has come into play in her coaching journey. In this episode, we dive into Sam’s story so far and hear her advice for new coaches handling the transition from playing to coaching. Sam inspires more females into coaching as part of the women and girls’ team for the East Midlands. She started playing...

⁠Transcript on England Football Community⁠ In this episode, Ollie Monksfield shares his journey as a deaf footballer and coach on the Para football regional emerging talent program. Ollie supports players in their journey to progress to the development program and potentially become an England deaf player.   Ollie lost his hearing at a young age and we learn about the challenges he faced growing up and how he progressed from the sports hall to being a gold medalist with the Great Britain...

In this ‘top-tips’ packed episode, FA regional coach development officer for the east, Nimesh Patel, covers topics such as managing difference, communication and the impact you can have on a player’s journey by showing you care. Our conversation spans over a variety of key coaching topics, where Nimesh shares the clear and thoughtful insight that he’s gathered and implemented throughout his career. He reflects on his mentor’s attributes that impacted his experience and shaped the values he...

Physical Education helps kids develop across the FA Four Corner Model - technical/tactical, psychological, physical, and social. In this episode, FA Physical Education officer for the West Midlands, Chris Lowe, explains how.  We discover his journey, from his positive experiences with learning football in school to his coaching and FA positions today. Chris and the team aim to help people in the area provide Physical Education and deliver a dynamic learning experience.  You’ll hear top...

With the growing popularity of futsal, more coaches are asking the question “Why should I get involved?” In this episode, we sit down with Ian Parkes – FA youth coach developer and lead for futsal – to discover his journey into the game and learn how others might do the same. Ian explains the basics like what futsal is and how it’s played.  He also shares his insight on the benefits that playing futsal can have on a player’s football game. We learn about “court cultures” and the differences...

Knowing your players is about more than just knowing their physical abilities. In this episode we speak with Bex Garlick, FA national coach development lead for women and girls, to learn more. Bex and her team work towards getting more females into coaching and delivering the coach development offer to coaches in the East. We learn about her first experiences of football and the challenges that she faced being the only girl in the team. And we hear that she never got the opportunity to be...

Vicky Fisher’s opportunities for playing football when she was at school were limited as a female. But it didn’t stop her from pursuing her goals - and having someone who believed in her made all the difference. In this episode, we chat with Vicky and learn about her role in helping to develop female coaches as an FA Coach Development Officer. Vicky shares with us the touching story of how she got into coaching and her first experiences as a coach. We uncover the challenges that Vicky has...

The FA’s Vinny Halsall provides loads of top coaching tips to help teachers and those working with teenagers. Halsall, an FA Physical Education officer, also shares insight into his journey so far and talks about: that if you ‘fail’ at something, it’s a ‘first attempt in learning’ the importance of putting person before player and getting to know who you’re working with his approach of having no laps, no lines, and no lectures in training the learning offer available to teachers how...

Talent can be found everywhere and anywhere. And in this episode, we sit down with Alexis Lunn-Gadd and Amanda (AJ) Goodwin to find out about Discover My Talent - a programme designed to find the Lionesses of the future and be more inclusive and accessible while developing more and better players. AJ is a talent technical coach for the North West who works to identify talent and work with coaches. She is also an under-16s assistant coach for the national team and helps them to achieve...

Stacey Miles, an FA coach development officer, talks about how she fell in love with the game and how she’s now helping women and girls in the West Midlands to do the same. Miles also talks about dealing with self-doubt, using positive reflection, the importance of having patience as a coach and the need for equal opportunities to get involved with the game. ……………….. Do you have any coaching questions you’d like answers to? Or perhaps you’re facing a coaching challenge that you’d like help...

Pete Sturgess, the FA’s technical lead for five to elevens, discusses how we can help develop skilful players and tells us about a new early years programme pilot. Pete also provides insight into his journey so far, his key considerations for coaches working with primary-aged kids and much more! ……………….. Do you have any coaching questions you’d like answers to? Or perhaps you’re facing a coaching challenge that you’d like help with? Simply head over to our England Football Community forum...

The FA’s Matt Jones talks to us about how learning can take time and provides advice on managing difference. Jones, an FA coach development officer, also shares insight into his journey so far, discusses how he’s helping to create opportunities and highlights the key skills coaches should have. ……………….. Do you have any coaching questions you’d like answers to? Or perhaps you’re facing a coaching challenge that you’d like help with? Simply head over to our England Football Community...

Matthew Ansah, a coach in Croydon, London, talks to us about how he’s providing opportunities to players and coaches in the area. Ansah, who is the chairman of Forestdale FC, also provides insight into his journey so far and chats about working with different age groups and why he loves coaching. ……………….. Do you have any coaching questions you’d like answers to? Or perhaps you’re facing a coaching challenge that you’d like help with? Simply head over to our England Football Community...