St Luke's U9 Progess

St Luke's North Bundaberg U9 Football side is on fire

Well here it is, the long awaited 2nd article on the St Luke's North Bundaberg U9 footballs side.  It has been a gradual start to the season and with interruptions due to weather it has taken a little while for the players to gel as a team. With 6 new players adding to the side from last year, it has been a good challenge for the coach and the players.

As the coach I am trying to ensure not only that they enjoy the game, but play at the best of their ability every week whilst continually improving. The challenge is getting the boys to work as a team. Ask any child before a game what he wants to achieve in the game and the answer will always be "score a goal". And there in lies the challenge. Convincing the whole team that they can't all camp forward in hope of a goal, but instead they have to work as a team from the back before they can press forward, is a hard task. A teams greatest weapon is not its attack but it's defence and one that I am continually battling.

The team has not won every game but has been the dominant team in almost every game so far. When they score goals they are well constructed, which is a pleasing site to any coach.  This is a team that when they start playing competitive football will be well placed in not only their skills but also in they way they control the play, dominate possession and be in a position to score goals. They are just as proud to set a goal up as to score it, any player involved in the lead-up to a goal will get acknowledged and has a wide smile after being praised.

Whilst I am seeing great strides of improvement in the players I have coached for a few years now, it is the growing confidence of the new players in the team that is impressing. Some are new to the game and others are thriving on the opportunity to get involved and have equal opportunity. A philosophy that should be in all junior sport.  It is easy for a coach of junior sport to win games by relying on the better players and giving them every opportunity to shine at the expense of the players with what is perceived as lesser ability.  But at what cost?  How is a child able to develop and improve if not given the opportunity. Sometimes all a child needs is the self belief that they are as good as any other player out there. If they are not given that belief by the coach, they will never rise up. This is what I call development football. Yes, we would like them to win every game, but what is the point if half of them don't enjoy the process it takes.  What is a greater reward, your team winning and one boy scoring all the goals by himself and getting all the accolades and half not continuing next season, or your team losing but every boy walking off with a smile because they did something great in the game and can't wait for next week.

Sadly I have seen some very negative aspects that need addressing or there will be a lot of junior footballers in a few years that will be very confused.  First and foremost is the basic understanding of fair play and playing to the rules and the coaches of the teams ensuring they are applied.  There are many junior players coming through that will not understand why they can't score a goal just because they are offside, or that a throw-in can't involve a superman leap onto the field.  That shirts are not there to pull and deliberate tripping from behind could see them sent from the game.  And then there is the respect for officials. At the level I am involved in, we are there to guide and teach them, the rules are relaxed but still need to be enforced. It is a shame though that players will refuse to acknowledge an opposition coaches instruction or even back chat. It is also a shame that coaches feel they can just stand on the sideline and let things go. A child in sport is a reflection of their teachings, coaches need to do more than just turn up. It is not about winning, it is about encouragement, motivation and guidance.  Hopefully I am living up to the high standards I set and only time will tell.

That is why I am so proud of where this group of boys I coach is headed.  They listen and they learn. They will develop into a very good junior side and if the majority stay together over the years will have a very good nucleus of understanding.  Once they play in competition football, they could be the most entertaining team in their group if they continue to learn and progress the style of play they are showing. They continue to represent their St Luke's Anglican School and North Bundaberg FC with great integrity and I look forward to introducing the players to you in the next article.