Football is the worlds most popular game. The feelings can be intense support for your team through highs & the lows and at the end of the day there will always be next season.

Children are very creative and are not constrained by the preconvcieved ideas that adults carry with them. Football is a simple game, its about scoring goals.

From a childs eyes the team is either on the attack trying to score goals or defending, trying to prevent goals.

There are many reasons why children participate in football, here are just some:

• Its fun
• Its exciting
• I�m good at it
• I want to be with my mates
• My parents want my to play or
• I want to get away from my brother(s) & sister(s)

However playing football also brings with it a host of benefits for children that include:

• Working as part of a team
• Development of social skills and sense of belonging
• Learning how to co-operate and compete
• Learning to express their emotion and imagination through new experiences
• Taking responsibility for their actions
• Dealing with success and failure

The junior soccer coach is the most important role in the development of children in football. The junior soccer coach must guide young children as they grow from childhood into adulthood.

As a result the coach has a number of hats to wear through this period.

Mostly as being an instructor to transfer football skills to eager children, but there are other roles such as:

• Teacher
• Leader
• First Aider
• Agony Aunt

They become a member of a local club and before the parent knows it they have become involved in the training sessions.

The experience that parents have differs greatly from being able to play or having played competitively to those who have no more experience than once playing for their school.

It shouldn�t really matter what experience or credentials a junior soccer coach has other than a few basic qualities.

There are certain characteristics that enable a coach to become well accepted by the children and the parents, the following list identifies some:

• Pleasant appearance, smart dress and good physique
• Healthy lifestyle
• Good organizational skills, promptness, training sessions, good knowledge of techniques
• Good communication skills. Especially relevant with younger children
• Patience and tolerance, always has time for children and parents
• Highly motivated, wanting to run fun enjoyable sessions that transfer good learning to the children
• Despite being a voluntary activity it can be a stressful role so a good sense of humour is essential
• Good social skills, self control and calmness are essential especially when conflict arises
• Drive for constant improvement, not only in the development of the team but to develop ones self in new coach exercises, methods and formats
• Being able to watch, listen, evaluate and make decisions to correct or adapt then the ability to review and admit own faults
• Open and honest, demonstrates flexibility to change and suggestions from players and assistants
• Fairness with the players and parents, and actively demonstrates a genuine interest in the development of all in the team

If you can work on these skills to be an effective coach you will be remembered for years�..let me leave you with two questions for you to ponder�.

1. Who was the worst and the best teacher / coach you had as a child? and
2. Why did your arrive at your answers?