Starting pre-season on the right note

Asking these sorts of questions – ideally open ones – can lead to you forming a closer bond with your players over the course of the season.

You could also be more formal about it and create a questionnaire for your players to fill in as a way of gathering information about them.

Make sure, through the season, you continue to learn new things about your players – how their favourite team got on at the weekend, or how their school trip went, for example. This helps to strengthen the bonds.

Getting to understand your players

This is different to knowing your players. Understanding them means knowing what stage they are at technically and tactically, and also knowing what motivates them and how to get the best out of them.

Some players may need lots of encouragement, perhaps because they doubt their ability. Some can be very quiet and may need help to come out of their shells. Some, conversely, can be a bit too boisterous and need to be reined in slightly.

Understanding your players will help you recognise when something isn’t right. 

When you know how they are as characters, it is easier to recognise when they aren’t themselves. In the end, their welfare should be your top priority.

Team bonding 

Getting your players to bond is very important if you want to create a positive environment.

Team bonding happens both on the training pitch, and away from a soccer environment. 

In training, it can be through fun psych-social activities, which promote communication and teamwork. 

Bonding can also be achieved by doing group activities like footgolf, laser-tag or ten-pin bowling. Not only are days out like these fun, they also allow players to get to know each other away from the pitch.

Parents 

Some coaches see parents as a hindrance. In reality, parents only ever want what is best for their children.

If you can involve and educate parents from the start, informing them of your plans for the team, it will make your job much easier.

Having a meeting with parents and care-givers at the start of the season is a great way to show what you are trying to achieve, as well as setting standards you expect from them as parents – this might be not ’joystick coaching’ their child and ensuring they respect referees’ decisions.

Getting to know your players’ parents can be a good by-product of team bonding events away from training. While the players are together having fun, you can chat to the parents.

 

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How much you take from these six areas will depend on the level you coach at, and the age of the players you coach. 

Everything should be tailored around your group – the standards you set with U7s should be different from those you’d expect from U16s, as should the environment you create. 

In the end, the most important element to inject into your team environment is positivity. 

Players should look forward to training sessions and matches. Football should be one of the most enjoyable parts of their week, where they have fun and create great memories.