Taking lessons from soccer into school

SM: How do you use the practical side of football to embed some of these values?

JT: "Going back to the high-pressure stuff, at the beginning of that topic they set themselves challenges in the classroom - ’Where would you shoot your penalty?’. We got them to do it on a piece of paper.

"Now we’re actually in front of a goal - try and do it. As a team, how can we encourage them? In real life, you’re in a stadium, you’ve got the crowd cheering or jeering you. How do you manage that high pressure?

“For the young people, a lot of the answers are, ’I’ll close my eyes, calm down’, or ’I would simply think about where I’m taking that penalty’. They’re just thinking about the success, rather than worrying about the problem in front of them in that moment. We then link it to the classroom.

“So, for example, who feels nervous in an exam? Who feels the high pressure of an exam? They will say, ’Yes because I have to achieve my goals. I have to achieve a high grade. I have to make my parents proud’, or ’I want to be the best in my class’.

"This shows their self awareness. They know what they need to do to improve.

"If you missed your penalty, did you miskick it? Were you positioned badly? Did you lean back too much?

“All those things link back to the classroom. How do you manage yourself in an exam? Before you’ve opened the book, are you already panicking? Do you close your eyes to do a little countdown and set yourself into the mood of actually completing your exam? Did you revise?

“With the link to the classroom and to football, they’re seeing the realistic side. They’ve seen the example of a real-life player, who they all support, and we’ve put them in that situation, making it relatable. 

"Now they’re thinking ’okay, when I’m in class, how do I apply this to myself?’.

“We want them to have the autonomy to regulate themselves. In return, we hope engagement will increase, they will enjoy school better, they will navigate school better and make new friends.

SCW: How much of the stuff from FBB do you use in your coaching space?

JT: "Simply being here five days a week, it’s changed my approach to how I coach my boys.

"Even though they are a slightly older group,  the way I speak to them and manage them has changed. Identifying the needs of the young people you’re working with is really important. 

"Everyone learns in their own way. You might have a young person in a group who, as soon as they get to training, are already playing with a ball.

"Being here five days a week, it’s changed my approach to how I coach my boys..."

"You might have a young person who is sitting there waiting for the coach - they want to be given an instruction before they do something.

“I know that my group, when they come, they want to play football. They’re U16s. They want to learn, but they want to play.

"The first few minutes, as they come in, I allow them to play with the ball. They ping it around, do a kickabout, whatever.

"I do a countdown and everyone knows they have to come in. Everyone knows they have to be quiet, they have to be tuned in.

"I think it’s important at the beginning of the season to understand the players you’re going to have in your team.

“We are all human and you need to know what sort of space you’re providing for this young person - whether there is something we need to do to support them.

"Do they wear glasses, for example? Can they not see very far? How are you catering for these needs, in the space and in the game? How are we as coaches catering for that young person?

“It isn’t always easy. I think it’s important to have an assistant, to have someone that can support you in your work - because if something does happen, having that extra hand makes life a little bit calmer.

"It helps me if parents are supporting, whether it’s just to simply bring equipment or maybe support on the side, where they’re looking out at the activity and learning as well.

“Being able to provide a space where not just the young person is learning, but everyone around you is learning, makes life a bit easier."