El Col·lectiu

Every Little Helps

On Tuesday I went to visit one of The FA's Tesco Summer Skill Centres in Barnet, Greater London. I was first introduced to the Programme when taking my Youth Module 1 last year and the tutor put me in contact with the Middlesex and Surrey team supervisor Kevin Green when I asked about furthering my coaching education.

Kevin is in charge of about 8-10 coaches who work full-time as FA Skills Coaches coving both counties, working in schools and football centres to provide opportunities for 5-11 year olds to play and enjoy the game.

The holiday session's they provide are completely free and on Tuesday had about 14 boys and girls in attendance. Having seen the coaches work and deal with the various ages and abilities they do an absolutely brilliant job.

An essential part to being a good coach is to be able to deal with the unexpected. Speaking to Gary, one of the skills coaches, he was telling me of the day previous where they had 30+ children then on Tuesday having only 14 and needing to change a planned session to suit the numbers and players ability.

The qualified coaches not only know their football but also how to work with young people and at a level they understand. They adapt their sessions to the needs of the individual not just the whole group which from personal experience can be very challenging. They do a terrific job. There is no anger or aggression from the coaches who are always full of praise and encouragement towards the children. They create a really positive environment for everybody to learn and allow each child to work at their own pace.

Thank you to Kevin for organising my visit and to the coaches Gary and Mark for allowing me to watch them at work, much appreciated.

The Official FA website for Tesco Skill Centres can be found below and has more information on where you can get your child involved.

http://tescoskills.thefa.com/About