Fun leads to Winning

When it comes to developing players/athletes in any sport, the focus tends to be on the individual themselves because they will be the ones that will be putting the skills learned into practice.

However, for those individuals to develop, they need to be coached, whether at home through a parent, or at their local club through a competent and ideally, a qualified coach, who knows what they are talking about.

And that is one of the key tasks for Ruud Dokter, the FAI's High Performance Director who over is overseeing the gradual transformation of underage coaching in this country.

“Coaches have a big influence on the development of players and the development of the game,” he began.

“So if you want to improve football, you have to start with coaches because coaches work with players so that is why the FAI puts a lot of emphasis on coach education.”

The 63-year-old has been in the role of High Performance Director of the FAI for the last six years, after a successful coaching career in his native country, with both men's and women's teams at the Dutch FA, particularly the latter where he was the national senior coach between 1995 and 2001, where he also revived their underage set-up helping them become one of the successful nations in women's football.

From there he moved to the male section as a teacher at the Dutch FA and coaching of the national under 16 team before he accepted a new position here in Ireland.

“Coaching players comes from my teaching background but I do love working with coaches,” he added.

“It's not telling coaches what to do but more creating awareness of their own behaviour."

 

To read more, pick up a copy of this weeks Nenagh Guardian locally or subscribe to our e-paper to access it online each Wednesday.