Ladybridge Football Club requires all its coaches to attend Football Association training courses to ensure they are suitably qualified for working with children. Ladybridge.net spoke to Under 7 City Blues' coach Jon Gash to find out more.
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| Jon Gash strarted his F.A. level two qualification in the summer |
What qualifications do the coaches at Ladybridge F.C. have?
All of the club's coaches have completed the Level One F.A. badge, which means we are qualified to coach football to young kids.
We have all done a first aid course, a child protection course and we all have Criminal Record checks done on us before we are able to begin in our positions at the club.
What have you been taught that is specific to working with children?
The most important element of our coaching is the Child Protection side of things.
Children’s muscles develop at a different rate to adults and older teenagers so we have to make sure that we don’t over-exert them when they’re taining.
We are also all aware that learning to communicate and work as a team is more important to a child's development at this age than winning football matches - we try to promote the idea of fun and bonding rather than competition.
As the children get older we have to be aware of how hormones will affect their behaviour and concentration levels but for the majority of our teams it’s about coaching the kids the basics about football and teamwork.
How do you shield the children from feeling pressure on a match day?
Well the summer months are particularly useful for preparing the children for that because they’re able to train outdoors.
We encourage the parents of the children to come and watch the training sessions so the kids can get used to the atmosphere of having spectators watching them play.
We also do not tolerate any form of abuse, swearing or bullying from the sidelines on match days, so the children can just get on with enjoying their football.
How have you been trained to communicate with the younger children?
Encouraging the children is the most important form of communication. They need discipline too of course but it’s necessary to find the right blend of being firm and giving praise.
We don’t allow the kids to berate each other over anything on the pitch and we communicate a lot with the whistle so that they understand the role of the referee when they come to play in proper matches.
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