Football participation has long been associated with personal and
social development. Indeed, many believe
that sport is responsible for developing many skills such as confidence,
self-esteem, and social skills. In
recent years, personal and social development has become a significant focus
for much of coach education delivery largely due to the holistic development of
players being stressed, and the emergence of the four corner model to focus on
the technical, physical, psychological, and social development of
players/athletes.
There has been a definite shift in the approach many coaches are
taking towards a more player centred focus and away from coach led methods, with
skills such as communication and teamwork being stressed. But how do we know that social skills are
being developed?
Taught not Caught
Whilst football can be used as a vehicle for developing social
skills, it is not magic. Participation
in any sport does not guarantee personal growth. In order to develop these
skills and enhance the personal and social development of young people, coaches
and leaders in youth football must shape and facilitate the environment and young
people’s learning. This involves
teaching skills across all four corners; skills are ‘taught not caught’. Simply giving players ownership isn’t enough.
In my many conversations with coaches who talk about a modern
approach to coaching, the concept of giving players ownership is frequently at
the forefront of all discussions. I
often hear “we need to let them play and discover for themselves’. Whilst I agree somewhat with this statement,
the role of the coach should never be underestimated.
Role of the coach
Allowing young players to play is one thing, facilitating the
learning process is another. Coaches
should always aim to enhance their players understanding of what they are doing
and why they are doing it, and also its relevance to other aspects of life away
from football to assist players in transferring what they’ve learnt. Without this transfer can we actually claim
to be enhancing personal and social development?
I don’t believe we can. If we
develop a young person’s ability to work as part of a team in football without
improving his understanding and teamwork skills in other aspects of life, all
we are doing is developing football skills.
Youth football coaches have a duty of care for the young people to
ensure that each participant develops as a person first and foremost to
maximise their potential not only in football but wider life including at home,
school, and later when entering the world of work. Youth football delivered well inspires each
young person and provides the platform from which they can excel.
A process for enhancing personal development
A simple three-step process can be followed to enhance personal
development.
Message - Introduce the learning focus of the session
to the players (e.g. develop communication skills). Question players and facilitate a discussion
around the importance of communication in football. Why is it important that we communicate to
each other on the pitch? How can we
communicate to each other? Can you think
of a player who is really good at communicating to his team?
Developing the skill – Devise practices
that promote development of the skill.
Question and challenge players throughout to develop understanding. Don’t forget to question players after
successful performance too. Don’t take
for granted that they know and understand why they did it just because they did
well.
Transferring the skill – Consolidate
learning by asking questions and facilitating a discussion around what they
have learnt. Ask the players to evaluate
their performance against the learning focus, and suggest ways they might
improve in the next session. Question
and discuss where the players may use the skill (e.g. communication) away from
football. Where else is communication
important? Why is it important to
communicate at home/with who/how?
Challenge the players to use the skill that you have focused on in
other aspects of life and report back how they have used it at the start of
next session.
In summary, facilitating personal and social development is more
than ‘letting them play’. Football
participation doesn’t automatically result in personal/social growth, instead learning
is ‘taught not caught’. As a coach,
focus on developing the person in order to develop the player.
