Coaching Handbook The Cardies Way'
Coaching Handbook The Cardies Way'
Coaching Handbook The Cardies Way'
The following support pack has been compiled to assist you with the many facets of coaching a junior football team.
It is designed to compliment your learnings achieved through the AFL accreditation and to be a practical source of
material to coach and develop your players.
Our aim is to provide you with a framework to approach coaching in order for your players to reach their full
potential. Also it will challenge you as a coach to develop your own skills in this area. Please note this is a suggested
format, it is your choice as to whether you use all, some or none of this material. We are however promoting the
MHJFC way of coaching and we have expectations that you will continuously improve as a coach. We have also
developed our first leadership pack which would be available for use with players (from Year 8 onwards) that you
believe are future leaders.
Our Coaching Co-ordinator is Tim Kerr and he is available to assist you with any support requirements. His mobile
is 0419 350 255. He is your resource to improve.
Finally both as parents with players at the club we are passionate about creating an environment for young people
that promotes their own personal development, physical activity, a sense of mateship and a love for our great game
of football. Let’s be the best coaches we can be……..Go Cardies !!
Contacts Committee
Purpose
To be a strong, inclusive club which helps our kids develop and have fun, through playing football.
Vision
To be leaders in positive culture, player development and participation from players, parents and
volunteers. Our brand is to coach, play and support in accordance with our values.
Values
Teamwork – we work together both on and off the field to achieve our best
Respect – for our club, all players, umpires, volunteers and administrators
As a club we pride ourselves on our reputation of having strong values and the ongoing maintenance of that reputation.
• Play in the spirit of the game. • Understand and adhere to By Law 1 – The Spirit of Junior Football.
• Never argue with an umpires decision. • Encourage children to participate, in accordance with the rules.
• Be a good sport. Acknowledge achievements of your opponents. • Never ridicule or yell at a child for making a mistake
• Treat everyone as you would expect to be treated. • Applaud good plays by all teams.
• Have fun. • Understand that the team Manager is the only person they can speak to about any
• No swearing or inappropriate behaviour. issue.
• Play by the rules • Recognize the value and importance of volunteer coaches, managers and helpers
• Play for your team • Demonstrate appropriate social behaviour by not swearing, harassing players,
• Represent our club with pride coaches, umpires or officials.
• Understand that in some way you represent our club when spectating.
Player Match Day Rotations
Management
Due to player unavailability (sickness, injury or absent) the rules allow for players from lower age groups to play in one year
higher matches. However if a player ‘plays up’ on 5 occasions through the home and away season they then are considered part
of the higher level playing squad (and can no longer play in their original year games).
Careful consideration needs to be given to players when playing up as to their overall ability to compete at that higher level and
their personal development.
The overall objective of the club is to provide one full game to each player each week where squad numbers allow. Accordingly
‘playing up’ should not be considered by the coach/manager when they have enough players to field a full team on that day
(enough players to fill each position on the field).
Further the coach/manager need to formally advise the Committee when a player has played 4 ‘play up’ games in order for an
understanding and review prior to the 5th game being played.
At all times approval of the players parents and guardians ‘playing up’ needs to be received. Also playing up should generally be
regarded as a back up for unavailability of players on match day and NOT a planned outcome for younger players to participate
in higher age games and or finals.
Player Selections
Management
Club Selection Policy
Selection of children where team numbers exceed the allowable number of players can be a particularly difficult issue to manage.
Where this situation exists, for the home and away season the club advocates an even time selection. That is, players share the non playing time
evenly.
Also when at a particular age group there are enough players for additional teams, those teams must be selected to have equal football ability.
That is, you do NOT pick a best team and a second team. This will erode the spirit of junior football and can turn players away from the game.
It is also advised to mix players into different teams that come from the same school.
Finals
Situation may exist where a team reaches the end of the home and away season (having had an even time selection) but needs to participate in
the finals.
During finals however the coach may be required to select 25 players from a larger number to represent the club on finals day. It is suggested
that the criteria is based on
•The overall effort of the individual specifically in regard to the Clubs stated values;
•Overall effort through the season, including at training and game day;
•Players who are injured should never be considered for selection.
It is advised that where player numbers exceed positions required the coach and manager clearly articulate the above policy to parents and the
commencement of the season both verbally and in writing.
Player Club Rituals
Management
Game Day Our Club
Arrive 30 - 45 minutes prior to bounce down Common award day at end of the season
Help each other with warm up drills and Jumper presentation night
preparation
Team photo
Be ready to play from the first siren
Pizza Night/Quiz Night
Listen to the coach and captain
Medals for junior teams/certificates for more
Sing our club song respectfully after the game senior teams
Always acknowledge your opponent at the end Melbourne trip for Year 6
of the game
End of season function
Contacts Officials
Resources Coaching
Framework
Kicking
Marking Skills &
Skills Handball
Our Competency framework Training
Mission
& Play the ball (not the player)
Vision Teamwork Encourage others
Stay in position and follow our team rules and structure
Represent our club with pride
Have a go !!
Participation Train hard
Practice at home
Have fun
Sing our club song loud !!
Be a good sport
Coaching
See next page
Roadmap
Resources Coaching
Roadmap
Player Self
Correction &
Professional/Semi Professional
Development The coach will….. Mentor &
Specialisation Support
Holistic Player
Selection
Development
Juniors/Youth Captaincy
Teamwork Introduce
Scoring Introduce Teach &
winning/losing
Develop Introduce Show
Basic Skills Values Club driven rituals
Each coach must achieve and maintain Level 1 accreditation as a mandatory minimum.
Accreditation provides you membership to the Australian Football Coaches Association which
runs coaching development sessions from time to time. The Club encourages all coaches to
continue their coaching development and take advantage of the courses and development sessions
offered by the association.
Relevant courses are available from March through to June and are provided free of charge to each
coach.
Courses include:
Auskick/Junior (Orientation)
Level 1 (Junior)
Level 1 (Youth)
Level 1 (Seniors)
Level 2 (Youth/Senior)
Level 3 (High Performance)
Resources CompetencyFramewo Abridged version. To be read in conjunction with ‘Skill
rk Development Curriculum’ WA Football Commission.
• Use the values of Teamwork, Participation and Respect to form the basis of
your coaching style
• Write to parents emphasising the themes as a basis of coaching (letter
format provided)
• Guide each discussion with players around these themes with particular
emphasis being on on-field behaviour
• Rotate 3 new footballs at training marked with each theme to single out
player that demonstrates best theme behaviour
• End of Season awards are based around player that has shown best
behaviour around the 3 themes – receives football from club
• Individual player certificates re-enforce themes and personalises the
experience (example shown)
Resources Training
Plan
• As a coach you need to develop your own set of training plans. These are a
set of short activities that build up competency in a particular skills
• Players will enjoy variations to these activities and the introduction of
competition will ensure player focus.
• Indicatively the lower the year the greater emphasis on the activity being
fun is required.
• At all years it is essential that warm up activities are undertaken in order to
minimise injuries.
• As players develop, consider involving them in the actual running of an
activity.
• Our very best coaches have a training plan and a particular skill in mind
prior to the commencement of training.
• For your reference, some indicative training activities can be provided.
Training Session Pro Forma - example
Time Skill being developed Training Activity Duration Comment
6:00 pm Warm Up One lap of oval 5 min Run as a team
6:05 pm Stretch Stretches 10 min Captain to lead
6:15 pm Handball Handball Cross Over 10 min Focus on calling
6:25 pm Drink Drink 2 min Rehydrate
6:27 pm Pick up/handball Roll/Pickup/Hball 15 min Three stations of players
6:42 pm Field kicking Moving ball end to
end 20 min Players run in pairs
A Leadership pack is available for Cardinal Coaches. Indicatively this should only
be for Year 8 onwards. It uses the model shown below, using YouTube videos and
a series of questions. An answer pack is available for parents.
No negative comments directed at our players, the umpires or the opposition
Teamwork Respect Participation
2014 Year 7 Blue Team
Runner Up
Players Name
As our runner up best and fairest player you displayed exceptional skills in all
Best & aspects of the game. You have continued to develop your agility, long kicking,
Fairest and play reading skills. When sidelined early in the season with an injury, you
still supported the team by getting involved on game day. After returning
from injury your confidence as a player grew, delivering drive to our mid-
field, which set up many plays especially when you linked up with other mid-
fielders. A great season in which you developed as a player we look forward
to seeing you in 2015. Go Cardies !!!
If the game starts at midday, why do How come there are never any oranges Yes, boy from Ellenbrook, I’d be scared as well.....you’re going to lose the ruck everytime
our husbands leave the house at 9 am...? left for me?................... Girl power rules.#1...ok
Its all about the style,... Grab ball, check, now sprint.... The odd occasional miss... the coach was often clueless....... the game plan was as clear as mud....
Each year Western Australian footballers aged 13 and above wear blue
arm bands to promote suicide prevention and to reinforce that its ‘ok to
talk’. The MHCJFC regards coaches and managers as individuals that
may be able to influence a young person to seek help. Our club
nominates a representatives to the OneLife training each year. The
simple message is that professional help is available. Our own video on
YouTube has been developed and is available to assist coaches with
messaging to their players. You can make a big difference.