FFS I was watching the 10s/11s being coached in my local club this evening whilst I was preparing drills for my session with my Youth team and one group were doing a penalty shoot and the other group were practicing throw in's

 

The standard of coaching in this country is very poor for the most part, now while efforts are being made it simply isn't enough.

 

I know its easy for an experienced coach like myself to stand back an criticize but something has to give especially at that age!

 

Would doing that at the end of training not make sense?

 

TBH, the two lads who were coaching the group are there to give a hand out and nothing more.

 

That sort of theme played its way through the session, think they went straight into a match then.

Baldoyle were an established AUL club, title challengers before Sheriff's dominance started yet all the younger 1st team lads, Saturday players and Under 18s at the club went off and started Grange United which started 4 or 5 leagues below Premier A. 3 years later, Grange field 2 senior teams and an under 19 side while Baldoyle effectively folded as senior club . This year Grange got promoted to Premier A and amalgamated with the ashes of Baldoyle United. Now they're at a higher level and the commitment grows, coupled with Sheriff never going to lose a league game ever again, I can see lads jacking it in

I honestly think its more to do with the quality of the coaches than the actual training they are given. 

Some think that doing a course or two makes you a coach all of a sudden but thats not the case at all. You need a rapport with whoever you coach. Most volunteers are lads who bring their kids down to the academy and get roped into doing it. . and a lot of them have never kicked a ball in their lives. Lads who have played for 20 odd years and would be able to offer something mostly f**k off out of the game when they finish playing and its hard to blame them at times . Its a huge commitment if you want to coach properly . I have seniors at the minute and I can honestly say coaching is taking up as much of my time as my real job is  - putting on training sessions , preparing / planning sessions , thinking of stuff to keep squad / individuals motivated , set-pieces , planning around absentees and injuries etc. . . . it 24/7 at times so its hard to blame lads with families who won't get into it because you don't or rarely get paid. 

Youths and schoolboy football is a different kettle of fish obviously but I honestly fear for the future of amateur football here. Junior clubs that have quality , dedicated coaches are not filling their teams in a lot of cases. What chance do the clubs have where the coaches are shocking ?!!

 

There's a competition which runs between the Kildare, Midlands, Carlow, North Tipp & Kilkenny leagues called the Midlands Cup. It runs along with the leagues own competitions but picks the top 2/3 teams from each league to compete against eachother and its a great success. There's Shield & Plate competitions too for the next tier teams. There's probably other competitions throughout the country like this but having seen how this works first-hand its a great insight into how joining leagues together on a fulltime basis could work (competitive & quality wise)