About
One coach, a lot of resources, and no gatekeeping
The Sporting Resource started because I kept meeting coaches who were doing something genuinely difficult with almost no support behind them, turning up on a wet Tuesday night with a bag of bibs and no real way of knowing whether what they were putting on was any good, and there was nowhere sensible for them to go and ask. Everything here is an attempt at filling that gap, whether that's session plans, tools, articles, interviews or videos, and it's written for coaches, parents and clubs rather than for anyone trying to sound clever about football.
I've spent most of my working life somewhere between coaching, teaching, and supporting people in health and social care, which sounds like three separate things but has always felt like one to me, because it all comes back to helping people get to where they want to be.
I've coached just about every age group there is over the years, here in Wales and over in the States, and the best bits have been the same in both places, which is watching someone realise they're better than they thought they were.
I've never quite believed that coaching is just about putting on a session, and the longer I've done it, the more convinced I've become that real coaching is understanding the person in front of you. That's the thinking behind The Sporting Resource, and it's why I've never wanted it to be only a pile of downloads, because it's meant to be a place where coaches share what's worked and what hasn't, where nobody feels daft for asking, and where we all get a bit better together.
What's on paper Qualifications and training
I'm a UEFA B licensed coach with a Sports Coaching degree from Cardiff Metropolitan University and a PGCE in Further Education from Bangor University, and I'm studying part-time as an Occupational Therapist at Wrexham University, which has probably taught me more about people than any coaching course ever did.
Alongside that I've picked up Level 3 Counselling, the Open University's Introducing Health and Social Care module, the FA's Psychology and Talent ID Level 1 awards, and a handful of others including the Disability Inclusion Certificate, Autism Awareness, and the Care Certificate. None of that is here to impress anyone, and none of it matters much on a Tuesday night if you can't talk to a nine year old who doesn't want to be there.
What's here
Five places to start
Most of it is free, and none of it asks you to sign up before you can look at it.
The badge
Why there's a ball of rubber bands in it
A rubber band ball only exists because somebody kept adding to it, one band at a time, each one going over the top of what was already there and pulling the whole thing a little tighter, and not one of those bands would hold anything together on its own. That's more or less how coaching knowledge actually moves around, because the session you're putting on tonight is almost certainly built on something you picked up from someone else, changed to suit your players, and then passed on to the next coach without thinking much of it.
The colours are in there for the same reason, because the coaches who make this worth doing don't all think alike and don't all agree with each other, and a community made up only of people who saw the game the way I do would be a weaker one and a good deal less useful. Every band goes on top of somebody else's work, which is the whole point of it.
Elsewhere
Talks and conversations
Want to get in touch?
If you've got a question about a session, an idea for something that ought to be on here, or you want to talk about working together, the contact form is the quickest way to reach me and I answer everything myself.
Where to find us
Come and say hello
Most of the day-to-day happens on Facebook and YouTube, but we're on all of them, so follow along wherever suits you.