Olympic preparations discussed at FA Licensed Coaches’ Club Conference.
Jessica Ennis’s preparation for next year’s London Olympic games may not have been the obvious topic of conversation for the 650 coaches attending the inaugural FA Licensed Coaches’ Club conference. Learning from other sports and other countries proved a key theme, however, at the two-day
Moving forward together event at Wembley Stadium.
Ennis’s highly-rated coach, Tony Minichiello, joined Ulf Schott, Head of Youth Development at the German FA, to provide the alternative view at the event which contributed five hours Continuous Professional Development for FA Licensed Coaches.
Ennis, who will compete in next year’s heptathlon event, is one of Great Britain’s major medal hopes, and Minichiello, her coach since she was eleven, provided an insight into the methods he has adopted to help her to athletic success.
“It’s a shifting dynamic. Teaching, coaching advising: it changes on a particular day. Some days I’m going to have to teach, sometimes coach, sometimes advise,” he explained.
Much of Minichiello’s work focuses on developing an athlete's self-responsibility, with his own goal to move quietly into the background and as a result empowering the athlete.
“I used to think that [using more] ‘decibels’ was good coaching. But the quieter I am the more the more they learn. I’ve got to make them as independent as possible, because in a split section they’ve got to make the decision not me.”
Minichiello’s philosophy is in line with the core themes of The FA’s new Youth Award qualifications, which encourage coaches to develop young player’s creativity, self-expression and decision-making ability. Practical activities from the award were showcased on day one of the event on the Wembley pitch by FA National Coach of 5-11 year-olds, Pete Sturgess.
Delegates at the conference also received insights from Sir Trevor Brooking, The FA's Director of Football Development, Les Howie, Head of Grassroots Football, Gareth Southgate, Head of Elite Development and Stuart Pearce, England Under-21 Head Coach, all of whom stressed the importance of self-improvement and developing modern coaching philosophies.
The FA Licensed Coaches’ Conference was held at Wembley stadium on 4-5 December. The content of each day was tailored towards coaches at different levels of the game: Level 1 and 2 coaches on day one and Level 3, 4, 5 coaches on day two.The FA Licensed Coaches Club Conference is part of the FA Licensed Coaches’ Club programme which aims to improve the quality of coaching in the English game. To join the scheme and read more about the conference event please visit www.TheFA.com/FALicensedCoachesClub
