Having hung up my football boots 30 years ago thee prospect
of coaching 44 boys from the Sizo School was rather daunting. Their teacher correctly introduced me as a
former professional from Bristol Rovers.
“Bristol who” cried the boys? Did
I mean Blackburn Rovers? The boys were
aged from 8 to 14 and all shapes and sizes.
The aim was to have a skills lesson followed by a game.
I set out to teach them how to get power into their kicking,
how to keep it down and how to swerve the ball with the inside and outside of
the boot, shoe or barefoot which ever they had.
Their level of skill and understanding was great and they all tried to
follow the instructions given. It was
very rewarding to see what they could achieve.
After an hours coaching we had a half an hour break but the
kids decided to play some more football.
After the break we had a game with eleven a side and substitutions. The pitch was like a piece of scrub land with
tufts of grass. I was amazed at the
level of skill shown by the boys. A
minute into the game a perfect overhead scissor kick was performed. They needed more coaching and help with
positional play but, bearing in mind the age range, it was a pleasure to see
and referee. Headed goals, a long range
shot and the score mounted to 5-4 with a few minutes to go. A free kick produced an own goal for the
perfect result 5 all and I blew the final whistle. The boys quickly gathered round and asked for
a penalty shootout. Did they forget that
I come from England? A penalty shootout
it was, but with 6 feet 3 inch Dylan filling the goal it was a forgone
conclusion, in fact only one of the ten penalties was scored – it reminded me of
England again!
A great experience, the kids were polite attentive and keen to
learn and demonstrate their skills. All
of this in temperatures of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit! I came off exhausted but very happy with the
experience.
Written by Steve Grubb
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