In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Alex Piache for a wide-ranging conversation exploring football intelligence, player development, methodology, coach education and what it really means to help players understand the game.

Having coached across 11 countries, Alex brings a perspective shaped by working within very different football cultures and environments. The conversation begins by exploring how the same game can be interpreted differently depending on the country, culture and society in which it is played — and why coaches need to understand the context they are working within rather than simply transporting methods from one environment to another. 

From there, the discussion moves into one of Alex’s strongest beliefs: before coaches become consumed by exercises, methodologies or tactical trends, they need to develop a deeper understanding of football itself.

Football is presented throughout the conversation as an inherently situational and interactive game. Players are continually perceiving information, communicating, making decisions and then executing actions. For Alex, developing technique cannot therefore be separated completely from the context in which that technique needs to be used.

💡 Key Talking Points

• How coaching across 11 different countries has shaped Alex’s understanding of football and culture.

• Why the same game can be interpreted very differently depending on the environment.

• The importance of developing a common language around what football actually is.

• Why understanding the game should come before choosing exercises or methodologies.

• Football as an interaction between perception, communication, decision-making and execution.

• What Alex means by developing an “intelligent footballer”.

• Why game intelligence includes what players do without the ball, not simply what happens when they are in possession.

• The difference between experiencing football and actually learning from those experiences.

• Why the game should be the starting point for player development.

• How coaches can simplify football without removing the information players need to make decisions.

• Developing technique within context rather than simply reproducing movements in isolation.

• Why opponents, space, direction and intention change the meaning of a technical action.

• Coach Yas and Alex debating the value of rondos.

• Why Alex describes the rondo as the “mother” of positional games — and why he believes it is frequently misunderstood.

• Why the effectiveness of a practice depends less on the activity itself and more on what the coach understands and how they coach it.

• The importance of body profile, receiving on the back foot, angles, positioning and recognising space.

• Why academy methodology should create behaviours rather than simply prescribe a game model.

• Developing a clear club identity through repeatable behaviours across different practice formats.

• Why coaches should give players tools to solve problems without making every decision for them.

• The danger of coaching the player who already has the ball.

• Why coach education should develop understanding rather than simply provide coaches with collections of practices.

• The relationship between expertise and the depth of a coach’s own understanding: you cannot effectively teach what you do not understand yourself.

• Why coaches need to become comfortable working outside their own control zone.

• The difference between designing a practice that looks successful and designing one that genuinely creates learning.

• Why mistakes are an essential part of player development.

• The importance of trust, relationships and putting your coaching at the service of the player.

• Why coaches need to keep challenging beliefs and practices they may have accepted for years.

One of the strongest ideas in the conversation arrives when Alex challenges coaches to become more comfortable with chaos.

Football is not predictable. The picture changes constantly. Opponents behave differently. Space appears and disappears. Players make mistakes. Solutions that worked five seconds ago may no longer work.

Yet coaches can sometimes design practices around the things they can control because successful repetitions make the session feel effective.

Alex challenges that assumption:

If football is chaotic, coaches need to become better at coaching the chaos — rather than simply creating environments they can control.

The conversation ultimately becomes a challenge to both coaches and coach developers to keep questioning what they know, explore the beliefs they may never have challenged and remain willing to discover that something they have always done could potentially be done differently.

Alex leaves coaches with a simple message:

We are lifelong students. Never stop learning. Keep listening, watching, observing and understanding — and try to become a little better every single day.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Continue the Conversation: The TCN Coaching Collective

Looking for a space to reflect on your coaching, work through challenges and learn alongside other coaches?

The TCN Coaching Collective brings coaches together for a monthly 90-minute online conversation facilitated by Coach Yas. Bring a real challenge from your coaching, explore it through questions and shared experiences, and identify practical next steps for your own environment.

You’ll also have access to our WhatsApp community to stay connected, share resources and continue discussions between sessions.

Whether you’re navigating a difficult coaching situation, questioning your approach or looking for fresh perspectives, you’re welcome to join us.

📩 To find out more or enquire about joining, email info@thecoachesnetwork.co.uk with “Coaching Collective” in the subject line.

The Coaches Network Podcast

Conversations that inform, challenge and inspire coaches.

Hosted by Coach Yas.

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In this episode, Coach Yas welcomes Rusty Earnshaw back to The Coaches Network Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation exploring coaching, coach development, expertise and the complexity of helping other people get better.

Using Coach Yas’ own experiences on the Premier League Future Coach Developer programme as a starting point, the conversation explores what happens when coach development conversations do not go according to plan — and why those uncomfortable moments can sometimes become some of our most valuable learning experiences.

Rusty challenges the idea that effective coach development is simply about asking great questions or providing good feedback. Instead, the discussion explores the judgement required to notice what is happening, understand the person and the context, and select the interaction most likely to help in that moment.

The conversation moves between theory and practice, exploring challenge and support, curiosity, relationships, power, feedback, observation and the difficult question every coach developer eventually faces:

When should I ask, when should I suggest — and when should I simply tell?

💡 Key Talking Points

• What effective and expert coach development might actually look like.

• Why coach developers are continually navigating tensions rather than applying simple solutions.

• The importance of noticing what is happening before deciding how to intervene.

• Why expertise may involve having multiple options rather than one preferred method.

• Coach Yas’ reflections on a challenging coach development conversation during the FCD programme.

• Why the coach developer and coach can experience exactly the same interaction completely differently.

• Understanding yourself and how you “show up” before trying to develop somebody else.

• Why relationships and context influence whether challenge is accepted.

• The relationship between high challenge and high support.

• Why being curious does not mean avoiding giving people answers.

• The dangers of both extremes: constantly telling people what to do and endlessly questioning without ever helping them reach a solution.

• Knowing when to ask, suggest, guide, tell or model.

• Why coach developers should be prepared rather than simply planned.

• The importance of agreeing how a coach actually wants to be supported.

• Why more coach development may need to happen before and during practice, rather than relying primarily on reflection afterwards.

• Using pre-mortems and “what if?” conversations to help coaches prepare for situations before they happen.

• Why time pressure can negatively influence the quality of coach development interactions.

• Creating coaches who are capable of asking for, filtering and experimenting with feedback.

• Why coaches should become great learners — and find great teachers.

• The importance of coach developers maintaining credibility through an understanding of coaching itself.

• Why expertise in coach development is contextual rather than a fixed set of behaviours.

One of the strongest messages from the conversation is that effective coach development is not about perfecting one style of interaction.

Great coach developers develop the ability to notice what is happening, understand the person in front of them and choose from a range of possible responses.

Sometimes that means asking a question.

Sometimes it means offering a suggestion.

Sometimes it means modelling something.

And sometimes it means simply saying what you think.

Rusty leaves us with a challenge that applies just as much to coaches as it does to coach developers:

Become a great learner. Find great teachers. Develop options — and learn when to use them.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Continue the Conversation: The TCN Coaching Collective

Looking for a space to reflect on your coaching, work through challenges and learn alongside other coaches?

The TCN Coaching Collective brings coaches together for a monthly 90-minute online conversation facilitated by Coach Yas. Bring a real challenge from your coaching, explore it through questions and shared experiences, and identify practical next steps for your own environment.

You’ll also have access to our WhatsApp community to stay connected, share resources and continue discussions between sessions.

Whether you’re navigating a difficult coaching situation, questioning your approach or looking for fresh perspectives, you’re welcome to join us.

📩 To find out more or enquire about joining, email info@thecoachesnetwork.co.uk with “Coaching Collective” in the subject line.

The Coaches Network Podcast

Conversations that inform, challenge and inspire coaches.

Hosted by Coach Yas.

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Justinas Gasiūnas for a fascinating conversation exploring coaching, goalkeeping and a career that has taken him from Lithuania to England and across professional football in Europe.

Justinas shares the story of leaving Lithuania after finishing his playing career and arriving in London with limited English, eventually working in a coffee shop while trying to find his first opportunities within football. What initially felt like one of the worst decisions of his life would eventually become one of the most important.

From volunteering in London parks, opportunities followed at Brentford and Brighton before his journey took him into senior football across Europe and eventually to Saba in Azerbaijan.

The conversation moves beyond Justinas’ career journey into a detailed exploration of how his thinking around goalkeeping has evolved, challenging traditional drill-based approaches and asking whether the practices we have always used actually reflect what goalkeepers experience in the game.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Leaving Lithuania and starting again in England with limited English and very few contacts.

• Going from professional footballer to working in a coffee shop while trying to break into coaching.

• Why difficult decisions sometimes only make sense when we look back on them.

• The relationship between luck, opportunity and consistently putting yourself in the right environments.

• Volunteering in grassroots football and the opportunity that eventually led to Brentford.

• The influence demanding environments can have on developing coaches.

• How Justinas’ approach to goalkeeping has changed throughout his career.

• Why the quality of repetitions may matter more than simply accumulating repetitions.

• Moving away from practices because “that is how goalkeepers have always trained.”

• Designing training around the information, pictures and problems goalkeepers actually experience within matches.

• Why anticipation and reading the game are central to effective goalkeeping.

• Developing goalkeeper decision-making within realistic contexts.

• The relationship between specialist goalkeeping work and integrated team practice.

• Why 11v11 might be the most representative practice — but does not always provide enough of the specific problems a goalkeeper needs.

• Breaking the game into smaller scenarios without removing the context that gives those actions meaning.

• The changing role of the goalkeeper coach within modern football.

• Whether specialist coaches risk becoming generalists by continually taking responsibility for more areas of the game.

• Why post-match analysis may sometimes benefit from allowing emotion to settle before reviewing performance.

One of the strongest messages from the conversation is the importance of continually questioning the practices we inherit.

Just because something has traditionally been part of goalkeeper training does not necessarily mean it is the best way to prepare goalkeepers for the game.

Justinas challenges coaches to keep asking:

What is the game actually asking the player to do — and does our practice genuinely prepare them for it?

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Continue the Conversation: The TCN Coaching Collective

Looking for a space to reflect on your coaching, work through challenges and learn alongside other coaches?

The TCN Coaching Collective brings coaches together for a monthly 90-minute online conversation facilitated by Coach Yas. Bring a real challenge from your coaching, explore it through questions and shared experiences, and identify practical next steps for your own environment.

You’ll also have access to our WhatsApp community to stay connected, share resources and continue discussions between sessions.

Whether you’re navigating a difficult coaching situation, questioning your approach or looking for fresh perspectives, you’re welcome to join us.

📩 To find out more or enquire about joining, email info@thecoachesnetwork.co.uk with “Coaching Collective” in the subject line.

The Coaches Network Podcast

Conversations that inform, challenge and inspire coaches.

Hosted by Coach Yas.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Imran Hamid for a conversation exploring his journey from grassroots football in South West London to coaching within the academy at Manchester United.

Imran reflects on the people, environments and experiences that shaped him as a young coach, from seeing coaches who looked like him growing up, to volunteering in grassroots football, travelling across London for opportunities and continually putting himself in environments where he could learn, experiment and make mistakes.

The conversation explores what it really means to develop players and people, the importance of understanding the individual behind the player, and why coaching cannot simply be reduced to what happens on the grass.

Imran also shares insight into his experiences at Manchester United, where developing technically confident, creative and courageous players was underpinned by an environment that encouraged players to take risks, express themselves and learn through mistakes.

💡 Key Talking Points

• How role models shaped Imran’s belief that coaching could become a career.

• Why grassroots football provides such an important learning environment for young coaches.

• The value of volunteering, travelling and putting yourself into different coaching environments.

• Why coaches need opportunities to experiment, make mistakes and discover what works for them.

• The importance of developing the person, not simply the footballer.

• Why understanding a player’s background and experiences can change the way we support them.

• The difference between developing players across grassroots, academy and elite environments.

• Why technical development should give players the tools to solve problems rather than simply reproduce movements.

• Creating environments where players feel able to take risks, make mistakes and go again.

• Developing brave, confident and expressive players.

• Why psychological and social development cannot be separated from technical development.

• The importance of understanding context rather than simply copying what successful academies do.

• Why different experiences can make coaches more adaptable and better able to connect with players.

• The realities of navigating opportunities within professional football.

• Why coaches should continue developing themselves beyond coaching qualifications and what happens on the pitch.

One of the strongest messages from the conversation is that becoming a better coach is not simply about collecting qualifications or reaching the next club.

It is about accumulating meaningful experiences, understanding people, remaining willing to learn and continuing to develop yourself even when the pathway does not unfold exactly as you imagined.

Imran leaves coaches with an important reminder:

Aim high. Keep learning. Develop yourself holistically… and don’t allow the obstacles in front of you to decide how far you can go.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Continue the Conversation: The TCN Coaching Collective

Looking for a space to reflect on your coaching, work through challenges and learn alongside other coaches?

The TCN Coaching Collective brings coaches together for a monthly 90-minute online conversation facilitated by Coach Yas. Bring a real challenge from your coaching, explore it through questions and shared experiences, and identify practical next steps for your own environment.

You’ll also have access to our WhatsApp community to stay connected, share resources and continue discussions between sessions.

Whether you’re navigating a difficult coaching situation, questioning your approach or looking for fresh perspectives, you’re welcome to join us.

📩 To find out more or enquire about joining, email info@thecoachesnetwork.co.uk with “Coaching Collective” in the subject line.

The Coaches Network Podcast

Conversations that inform, challenge and inspire coaches.

Hosted by Coach Yas.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Mark O’Sullivan for a wide-ranging conversation exploring ecological dynamics, learning, expertise and what all of this actually means for coaches working in the real world.

Mark describes himself as a “recovered expert” and throughout the conversation challenges some of the assumptions that can sit underneath traditional ideas of coaching, coach education and player development. Rather than presenting ecological dynamics as another methodology to simply copy, the discussion explores it as a lens through which coaches can better understand learning, behaviour, skill and the environments they create.

The conversation moves beyond terminology and theory into the practical realities of coaching: what we notice, what we choose to intervene on, how players learn, how context shapes behaviour and why becoming a better observer may be one of the most important things a coach can develop.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Why Mark describes himself as a “recovered expert”.

• Ecological dynamics as a way of understanding learning rather than a coaching recipe.

• Why there is no simple copy-and-paste approach to coaching.

• The importance of context when trying to understand skill and behaviour.

• What functional skill actually means in practice.

• Why coaches may need to become better observers before becoming better interveners.

• How perception, action and the environment interact during learning.

• The limitations of breaking learning down into isolated parts.

• Why player exploration can be an important part of development.

• The tension between nonlinear learning and the linear structures often found within coach education.

• How coach education can sometimes simplify complex ideas in order to make them teachable.

• The difference between knowing about coaching and actually being able to coach.

• Why expertise should not necessarily be viewed as arriving at a final destination.

• The value of curiosity, experimentation and remaining open to having your thinking challenged.

One of the strongest messages from the conversation is that good coaching is not simply about finding the right practice, the right intervention or the right answer. It is about developing the capacity to observe, interpret and respond to what is happening in front of you.

Mark leaves coaches with a simple but powerful challenge:

Be curious. Practise observing. Allow your players to explore… and allow yourself to explore.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Continue the Conversation: The TCN Coaching Collective

Looking for a space to reflect on your coaching, work through challenges and learn alongside other coaches?

The TCN Coaching Collective brings coaches together for a monthly 90-minute online conversation facilitated by Coach Yas. Bring a real challenge from your coaching, explore it through questions and shared experiences, and identify practical next steps for your own environment.

You’ll also have access to our WhatsApp community to stay connected, share resources and continue discussions between sessions.

Whether you’re navigating a difficult coaching situation, questioning your approach or looking for fresh perspectives, you’re welcome to join us.

📩 To find out more or enquire about joining, email info@thecoachesnetwork.co.uk with “Coaching Collective” in the subject line.

The Coaches Network Podcast

Conversations that inform, challenge and inspire coaches.

Hosted by Coach Yas.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Liam Bloye, Head of Coach & Player Development at Cambridge United FC. With experience across England, the US, and Australia, Liam shares honest reflections on leadership, learning through experience, and what it really means to support coaches, players, and parents within an academy environment.

This conversation explores the balance between professional identity and personal life, the value of varied experiences over time served, and the ongoing challenge of creating alignment without complacency in coach development systems.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Liam’s journey through coaching roles across different clubs, countries, and cultures.
• Why identity beyond coaching matters — fatherhood, perspective, and balance.
• The difference between years of experience and quality of experience.
• Why complacency is one of the biggest threats to development in football organisations.
• How exposure to different environments shapes adaptable, reflective coaches.
• Measuring whether coaching is actually “working” — beyond assumptions and tradition.
• Creating aligned identities without stifling individuality in coaches.
• Supporting parents as stakeholders in the player development process.
• Finding better ways to genuinely impact coach growth while keeping players at the centre.

🧠 “You can have 20 years of different experiences — or 20 years of doing the same thing over and over.” – Liam Bloye

📣 Whether you’re leading coach development, working in an academy environment, or reflecting on your own coaching journey, this episode will challenge you to think more deeply about experience, identity, and how we truly know development is happening.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — how do you know your coaching is actually working?

#CoachDevelopment #FootballCoaching #CoachEducation #LeadershipInSport #PlayerDevelopment #ReflectivePractice #TheCoachesNetwork

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In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Dr. Stephen Harvey, a globally respected coach educator and researcher known for his work on game-centred approaches, Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), and reflective practice in coaching.

Stephen brings decades of experience in sport pedagogy, coach education, and applied research. Together, they explore what it means to teach the game through the game, the value of inquiry and questioning in practice design, and how coaches can thoughtfully integrate theory into real-world coaching moments.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Stephen’s journey into sport pedagogy, research, and coach education.
• The principles and philosophy behind Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU).
• How TGfU shifts coaching from instruction first to problem solving through play.
• Designing practice tasks that reflect real game context and decision-making.
• The importance of questioning over telling — helping players think, not just react.
• How coaches can balance structure and freedom in practice.
• Integrating reflective practice and theory to improve coaching impact.
• Practical examples and Q&A driven insights on implementing game-based approaches.
• Why coach development should be rooted in curiosity, evidence, and ongoing learning.

📚 Resources & Further Reading

Explore Stephen’s work on Teaching Games for Understanding at the FIFA Training Centre:

👉 Science Explained — TGfU Overview

https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/environment/science-explained/high-performance/train/stephen-harvey-teaching-games-for-understanding.php

👉 TGfU Q&A with Stephen Harvey

https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/environment/science-explained/high-performance/train/stephen-harvey-teaching-games-for-understanding-qa.php

These resources expand on many of the ideas discussed in this episode and are excellent companion material for coaches looking to implement TGfU principles.

🧠 “The coach’s role is to open the game for the learner — not to close it down with instructions.” – Dr. Stephen Harvey

📣 Whether you’re a grassroots coach, academy practitioner, or coach developer, this episode provides actionable insight into teaching through play, fostering decision-making, and using questioning to unlock player understanding.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — how are you using game-centred approaches in your practice?

#CoachDevelopment #GameCentredCoaching #TeachingGamesForUnderstanding #TGfU #FootballCoaching #ReflectivePractice #CoachEducation #TheCoachesNetwork

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Ruben Ward-Lindsay, a coach working across academy football, semi-professional men’s football, and education. From his role with Watford’s U10s to his coaching at Biggleswade United and his full-time work as a PE teacher in alternative provision, Ruben brings a powerful blend of lived experience, empathy, and practical insight.

This conversation dives into what coaching really looks like on the ground — working with young people who’ve experienced adversity, navigating Foundation Phase priorities, and challenging traditional ideas around 1v1s and session design. Ruben shares honest reflections from both the academy and AP worlds, exploring transferable skills, behaviour management, and what young players actually need to grow.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Ruben’s coaching journey across Watford Academy, Biggleswade United and alternative education.
• What coaching in alternative provision teaches you about patience, empathy, and behaviour management.
• How working with excluded young people develops communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.
• Why understanding the “whole child” is essential in both teaching and coaching.
• The importance of context when coaching 1v1 situations — and why generic 1v1 boxes often miss the mark.
• Position-specific 1v1s: creating realistic, match-like pictures that reflect actual demands.
• Foundation Phase priorities:
• Passing & receiving as the most frequent action in the game.
• Consistency versus capability — and why U10s can do things but not replicate them yet.
• Finishing: unopposed, in the box, and from realistic scenarios like cutbacks.
• Comparing Foundation Phase (U10s) with YDP demands (U13s–14s): biomechanics, decision-making, and consistency.
• Why coaches must think beyond isolated practices and consider what players were doing before and what they’ll need next.

🧠 “Passing and receiving is massive — it’s the most frequent action in football. The difference at U10 isn’t ability, it’s consistency.” – Ruben Ward-Lindsay

📣 Whether you're a Foundation Phase coach, working in education, or navigating multiple environments, this episode offers grounded, practical insight that will help you rethink session design, player development, and how to support young people more effectively.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — how do you create realistic, position-specific pictures in your coaching?

#CoachDevelopment #FootballCoaching #FoundationPhase #CoachEducation #PlayerDevelopment #YouthFootball #TeachingAndCoaching #TheCoachesNetwork

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Kurtis Millan, an individual development coach currently based in Sweden at Hammarby IF. Kurtis shares his unique journey from coaching in Ireland and the U.S., to working with players across multiple levels and cultures, combining professional experience with a learner-focused coaching philosophy.

This conversation explores player autonomy, the value of different coaching approaches, and how focusing on relationships and individual needs can create meaningful impact. Kurtis offers practical insights for coaches looking to develop players holistically, refine their approach, and embrace diversity in coaching practice.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Kurtis’s journey: coaching in Ireland, America, Northern Ireland, California, and now Sweden.
• How personal experiences and unconventional paths shaped his coaching perspective.
• The importance of allowing players freedom and autonomy — football is a player’s game, not the coach’s.
• Why every coach brings a unique role and function — there is no single “right” way to coach.
• Focusing on the learner’s needs rather than imposing a coach-centric view.
• Practical examples of how to create impact through relationships and understanding individuals.
• Reflection on a sports psychology exercise highlighting what makes a coach memorable: respect, empathy, and personal connection over tactics alone.
• Encouraging coaches to embrace individuality — for themselves and their players — and to leverage their strengths for greatest impact.

🧠 “Don’t approach the session as a coach. Step into the mindset of what the learner needs. We’re lucky — we get to teach football.” – Kurtis Millan

📣 Whether you’re coaching youth, academy players, or individuals in development roles, this episode highlights the power of autonomy, relationships, and learner-focused coaching.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — how do you balance player freedom with structured coaching in your sessions?

#CoachDevelopment #FootballCoaching #PlayerAutonomy #IndividualDevelopment #YouthFootball #CoachingImpact #TheCoachesNetwork

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by John Murphy, a highly experienced coach and educator whose career spans MLS, US Soccer, and the UEFA pathway. With roots in both the US and UK, John brings a unique dual-perspective shaped by decades in professional environments, university soccer, and coach education.

This conversation explores the art of keeping coaching simple, designing meaningful player-centred sessions, and understanding what truly matters in long-term player and coach development. John’s journey offers powerful insight into the realities of elite sport, the importance of psychological safety, and how coaches can stay grounded in a profession full of complexity.

💡 Key Talking Points

• John’s journey from Boston to Scotland to MLS — and into coach education with US Soccer.
• Navigating coaching across elite, university, and youth environments.
• Why simplicity is a superpower in coaching: lessons from Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan, and other top influences.
• Designing a weekly rhythm: when sessions should be player-led vs coach-led.
• The “sandwich” approach to session flow — blending player-centred and coach-centred methods.
• Understanding the two tracks of sport: elite performance vs participation, and why both matter.
• Creating psychological safety and high-energy training environments.
• The role of curiosity, humility, and lifelong learning in coach development.
• How modern coaches can use readily available resources to grow in small, consistent steps.

🧠 “The best coaches I’ve learned from keep it very simple.” – John Murphy

📣 Whether you’re working in grassroots, academies, elite performance, or coach education, this episode will help you rethink how you design sessions, engage players, and build your own coaching identity.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — what does ‘keeping coaching simple’ mean in your environment?

#CoachDevelopment #FootballCoaching #CoachEducation #PlayerCentred #CoachingSimplicity #CoachingMindset #TheCoachesNetwork

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Danny Barham, a coach and performance analyst with over a decade of experience in professional football. From his early days in performance analysis at Birmingham City to coaching across multiple Academy setups, Danny shares his unique perspective on the game, the industry, and the mindset required to succeed in coaching.

This conversation dives deep into self-awareness, reflection, and learning to separate your identity from outcomes in a sport defined by unpredictability. Danny shares practical insights for coaches navigating the pressures of development, results, and personal growth.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Danny’s journey from performance analysis internships to coaching in professional football academies.
• The hybrid coaching role: balancing performance analysis and technical coaching across age groups.
• Why football is “the most complicated game of chess” and the industry an “impossible Rubik’s Cube.”
• Understanding what variables you can influence and what you cannot in coaching.
• The importance of self-awareness and reflection in long-term coaching growth.
• Detaching personal identity from outcomes to maintain perspective and well-being.
• Learning from mistakes: embracing the unpredictability of coaching and games.
• The role of continuous development, curiosity, and adaptability in professional coaching.

🧠 “As a coach, you cannot tie your success to the outcome of 22 random people doing random things.” – Danny Barham

📣 Whether you’re a coach, performance analyst, or aspiring professional in football, this episode will challenge how you think about success, reflection, and what truly matters in your development.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — how do you balance self-awareness with performance pressure in coaching?

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Richard Cheetham MBE, Senior Fellow in Sports Coaching at the University of Winchester and one of the most respected voices in coach development across the UK.

Richard brings decades of experience working across multiple sports — from cycling to rugby to high-performance environments — and offers a refreshingly human, reflective, and deeply practical look at what coach development reallyis (and what it isn’t).

From partnership learning to creating environments where coaches can truly flourish, this conversation is packed with wisdom, humility, and powerful real-world insight.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Richard’s journey into coach development and why working across sports shaped his philosophy.
• Why coach development is a partnership, not a transaction.
• How assumptions about how people should learn can limit growth.
• The importance of curiosity, feedback, and co-designing the learning process.
• Why great coaches need different environments — and how to identify what helps someone “come alive.”
• How to challenge coaches without overwhelming them (“not sunshine, unicorns, and chocolate cake”).
• The importance of doing the prep work before coach interactions — understanding individuals, values, and learning preferences.
• Why reflection is an active skill, not a passive diary entry.
• What Richard has learned from working with elite groups like the Royal Navy rugby team.
• What actually works in coach development — and why we still don’t ask this question enough.

🧠 “If you want people to flourish, you can’t assume they’ll flourish under your conditions.” – Richard Cheetham

📣 Whether you’re a new coach, an experienced mentor, or leading coach development programmes, this episode gives you a fresh way to think about learning, interaction, and what it means to truly support coaches.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 What environment brings you alive as a coach? And how do you help others find theirs?

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Ebun Thomas, Assistant Head of Academy & Head of Coach Development at Doncaster Rovers.

Ebun shares his journey from starting out as a grassroots coach at just 16 to now leading the development of coaches in a professional academy environment. This conversation dives deep into accountability, standards, mentorship, and what truly shapes a coach’s long-term growth.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Ebun’s coaching journey from grassroots volunteer to senior academy leader.
• The realities of holding coaches accountable — and why standards matter.
• The difference between experience and effective development.
• Why mentorship remains essential in producing adaptable, reflective coaches.
• How to build environments where coaches feel supported and challenged.
• Developing coaching behaviours—not just session plans.
• What Ebun looks for when identifying and growing coaching talent.

🧠 “If you want high standards in players, you need even higher standards in coaches.” – Ebun Thomas

📣 Whether you’re progressing on your coaching journey, supporting other coaches, or shaping development programmes, this episode will shift how you think about growth, accountability, and what defines a high-performance coaching environment.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 How do you hold yourself accountable as a coach or coach developer?

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In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Francis Aderiye, Academy Coach, Non-League First Team Coach, and lifelong student of the game.

From a knee injury that redirected his path into coaching at just 16, to now balancing roles across academy and senior football, Francis brings honesty, curiosity, and deep reflection to this conversation about coaching, development, and the ever-evolving nature of the game.

Together, they explore the grey areas of coaching — the bits that sit between philosophy, player freedom, performance demands, and what “good coaching” actually looks like in practice.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Francis’ journey: from injured young player to coaching at 16 and finding a new passion.
• Why football is never black and white — and how this shapes coaching decisions.
• The tension between academy development and non-league performance demands.
• Who really gets the credit for success: the player or the coach?
• Does coaching actually work — or does football simply go in cycles?
• The evolution of coaching: from command-style methods to autonomy and back again.
• Why players should be the “artists” and coaches the ones who give them the brushes.
• What a meaningful game model looks like and why clarity matters.
• How Francis approaches his own coach development and reflective practice.

🧠 “If the picture belongs to the players, your job is to give them the paint — not to tell them exactly what the painting should look like.” – Francis Aderiye

📣 Whether you're in grassroots, academy, or senior football, this episode challenges assumptions about coaching impact, player decision-making, and what modern development truly requires.

👉 Tune in now on all major podcast platforms.

💬 Drop a comment: What do you think coaching success really looks like?

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In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Sara Hilton, Senior Lecturer in Football & Coaching Science at Wrexham University, FAW Coach Educator, and UEFA A Licence Coach.

Drawing from her journey as a former international footballer turned coach developer, Sara offers an honest and insightful take on the realities of coach education, the importance of mentoring, and how the profession is evolving in a changing landscape of technology, learning, and human connection.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Sara’s journey from international player to academic and coach educator.
• Why coaching qualifications are more like a driving test than a destination.
• The difference between being a qualified coach and an effective one.
• Why mentoring—not just courses—creates deeper, lasting coach development.
• The need for reflective, critical thinking in coaches at every level.
• Balancing theory and practice: why great reports don’t always mean great coaching.
• The potential (and pitfalls) of technology and AI in the future of coach education.

🧠 “A qualification just shows you can drive on the day — it doesn’t tell you what kind of driver you’ll be.” – Sara Hilton

📣 Whether you’re on your coaching journey, mentoring others, or shaping education programmes, this episode will challenge how you think about learning, reflection, and what truly defines good coaching.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — what do you think is the future of coach education?

#CoachDevelopment #CoachEducation #Mentorship #LearningInSport #TheCoachesNetwork

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🎙 Episode 370: Jamie Bird | The Future of Performance Analysis in Football

In this episode of The Coaches Network Podcast, CoachYas is joined by rising performance analyst Jamie Byrne, a dynamic young professional carving a path in elite football.

At just 23 years old, Jamie has already worked with clubs such as Birmingham City Women, Crystal Palace, and currently supports AAFP in Colombia. With a First-Class Honours in Sport & Exercise Science and an MSc in Applied Performance Analysis underway, Jamie brings both academic insight and real-world experience to the conversation.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Jamie’s unique journey into football analysis and early career experiences
• The evolving role of the performance analyst in modern football
• Balancing individual vs. team analysis for player development
• How collaboration, challenge, and uncertainty foster better coaching outcomes
• Real-life stories of influencing tactical decisions and earning coach trust
• Why analysts must learn to communicate and challenge effectively within MDTs
• Jamie’s belief that “opposition is opportunity” — embracing feedback and critical thinking

💬 “People aren’t challenging you to spite you — they’re doing it to make you better.” – Jamie Byrne

🔗 This Episode Is Perfect For:

• Analysts and aspiring analysts in sport
• Coaches seeking better integration with analysis teams
• Students of sport science, performance analysis & coaching
• Anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes development of footballers

🎧 Listen Now: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all major platforms

📲 Follow us @TheCoachesNetwork for exclusive content, coaching insights & CPD opportunities

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🎙 Episode 369: Tony Caig | Developing Goalkeepers for the Modern Game

In this episode of The Coaches Network Podcast, CoachYas is joined by Tony Caig, current Head of Academy Goalkeeping at Newcastle United and National Team Goalkeeping Coach for Northern Ireland Men’s Senior Team.

With a playing and coaching career spanning decades, Tony brings a wealth of experience from both the pitch and the technical area. The conversation explores the evolution of the goalkeeper role, insights from his transition from player to coach, and the realities of coaching goalkeepers in the modern game.

🧤 Key Discussion Points:

• Tony’s journey from pro player to top-level goalkeeping coach
• How the goalkeeper role has evolved technically, physically, and tactically
• The challenges and nuances of coaching goalkeepers in today’s game
• The importance of understanding the individual’s physical and psychological profile
• Striking the balance between traditional techniques and modern approaches
• The value of feeling in goalkeeping: why some saves aren’t teachable
• Dealing with mistakes and using them as learning tools
• The role of comfort vs. discomfort in goalkeeper development

💡 “Prevention is better than cure.” – Tony Caig on the proactive evolution of the modern goalkeeper

🔗 Perfect For:

• Goalkeeping coaches at all levels
• Outfield coaches seeking a deeper understanding of the GK position
• Sports psychologists & coach educators
• Anyone interested in player development and position-specific coaching

🎧 Listen Now: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow us @TheCoachesNetwork for more coaching content, conversations, and CPD opportunities.

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🎙️ Episode 368 – Creating Football Learning Situations with Mark Schuur

In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Dutch coach Mark Schuur to explore what it means to create learning-centred, game-relevant environments for players. With a background in PE teaching and academy coaching, Mark shares insights from his journey through the Dutch coaching landscape, including his time at FC Utrecht and other professional setups.

Together, they unpack:

• How to design sessions that replicate the game
• The importance of clarity and simplicity in coaching
• Why asking the right questions can be more powerful than delivering information
• How to shift your mindset from planning drills to crafting learning experiences
• Balancing technical repetition with tactical decision-making
• Strategies for increasing player ownership and engagement

Whether you coach grassroots or elite players, this episode will spark ideas for how to enhance your delivery and impact through purposeful design and reflective practice.

🔍 What You'll Learn:

• How to create more meaningful and effective football sessions
• The benefits of using small-sided games and positional constraints
• Why variety isn’t always better – and how consistency builds understanding
• How to foster motivation and autonomy through reflection
• What Mark learned from coaching U13s through to senior pros

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🎙 Episode 367 – Dr. Peter Sear | Empathic Leadership, Ego & Coaching with Compassion

In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Dr. Peter Sear—founder of The Empathic Coach and a specialist in empathy, leadership, and high-performance environments. Together, they explore what it really means to lead with empathy in elite sport, and how ego, emotion, and compassion shape the environments we create.

Peter brings a unique blend of academic research and applied practice, breaking down how coaches can connect more deeply with athletes, build trust, and manage their own emotional landscape more effectively.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Why empathy is a skill, not just a personality trait—and how it can be developed.
• The difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion in coaching contexts.
• How ego shows up in coaching—and why awareness is the first step to managing it.
• Why understanding emotions (yours and others’) is essential for high-performing teams.
• The role of storytelling and reflection in enhancing emotional intelligence.
• Practical strategies to bring more empathy into your language, tone, and presence.
• What “empathic leadership” looks like in a results-driven, competitive environment.

🧠 “The best coaches are emotionally intelligent. They see the person, not just the performer.” – Dr. Peter Sear

📱 Whether you're a head coach, team leader, or just starting your coaching journey, this episode offers fresh insight into how emotional awareness can transform your leadership style—and the culture of your team.

👉 If this connected with you, tag a coach you respect and start a conversation around ego, empathy, and evolving your practice.

💬 We’d love to hear your thoughts—how are you developing empathy as a skill?

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🎙 Episode 366 – Danny Pilgrim | Commentary vs. Coaching, Self-Awareness & Using Coach Developers

In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Danny Pilgram (Birmingham City FC Academy Coach & Non-League First Team Coach) for a grounded, honest and insightful conversation about the journey of becoming a coach—and what it really means to coach, not just commentate.

Danny shares reflections from over a decade of experience across academy and senior football, breaking down the trap many new coaches fall into: mistaking talking for teaching. He explores the importance of clarity, intentionality, and the power of feedback in developing your practice.

💡 Key Talking Points

The difference between commentary and actual coaching—and why it matters.

How easy it is to lose focus mid-session, even with the best intentions.

Why having a "buddy coach" or trusted colleague can sharpen your practice.

Practical strategies to audit your own coaching language and interventions.

How to get the most out of working with a coach developer.

Why self-awareness and deliberate reflection must underpin your coaching identity.

🧠 “You can still develop yourself—even while delivering a session.” – Danny Pilgrim

📱 Whether you're new to coaching or mentoring others, this episode is packed with real-world insight and tips you can use straight away. From using your phone to record your own voice, to learning how to ask coach developers for specificfeedback—this one’s a practical deep-dive into becoming more self-aware, coach-aware, and player-focused.

👉 If this resonated, tag a coach you rate and start a conversation about commentary vs. coaching.

💬 Let us know your go-to tools for self-review—we’re all still learning.

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