Mandating coach certification.....

When we wanted to teach our son Oliver to swim, we decided to take him along to our local recreation centre where a certified swimming instructor taught him to swim.  I can swim and so can my wife but we decided that it was best to let someone who has a little more knowledge in swimming instruction take the lead. I don’t think he is ever going to be the next Michael Phelps but we want him to enjoy swimming and I believe if you do something well you will do it more often.

Oliver also wanted to learn Kung Fu, now he will never be Bruce Lee and neither will his father, so it was a no brainer to sign him up for Kung Fu lessons from a certified martial arts instructor.

When we first moved to Canada our daughter Hope wanted to try gymnastics so we sent her along to the gymnastics centre in Kelowna where she was instructed by certified coaches.

Do you see where I am going with this… if it’s an acceptable practice in swimming, gymnastics and Kung Fu, then why is it not the same for soccer. Both Hope and Oliver have been involved in recreational soccer, and neither of them will ever play for Canada but their level of interest in soccer was the same as it was for the other activities.

Now, I have never coached my own children, soccer is my job and I have not had the time to be involved with their teams. Our experience with recreational soccer is no different to any other family in Canada; we rely on the luck of the draw when it comes to coaching.

Hope has been very lucky and has had some great coaches. Their technical knowledge has been of the standard expected and nothing more, but the experience has been a positive one because of how the information has been communicated to her. The coaches that she has played for have been great role models for her and I am sure at she will play soccer into her adult life. Oliver on the other hand has not been so lucky. His coaches ‘knowledge’ of the game has been no less than Hope’s coaches, the problem has been in the delivery. The outcome of this is that Oliver is still not sure about soccer as a sport that he is interested in and a as a sport we may lose a player. Maybe it’s not the end of the world for soccer and it certainly isn’t for Oliver, as a proud parent I hope he is destined for great things; it just won’t be in soccer.

Although it’s not the end of the world, its is a problem for me as I know that there are many similar stories in families across Canada

So what to do? For me it’s a simple answer to a simple question. Our number one priority has to be coach certification and, more importantly, continued coach education so that we can retain the good ones and work with the keeners who need help and support.

Coach education does many things;

It shows that the coach is interested in improving their skills

It shows that the club is committed to providing their players with a qualified instructor

It shows prospective new players and parents that the sport is serious about development

It provides opportunities for dialogue between coaches

It raises the bar, and in time will improve the level of play

It helps coach retention

It gives a club a measure of credibility

All of these are positives that our game needs right now. The impact of mandatory certification won’t be seen overnight and in the short term we may lose some coaches but in time it will become an acceptable part of the process, just like getting a criminal records check.

In my last blog I mentioned the thought of mandatory certification and I received more feedback on that topic than anything else. I agree that you don’t become a better coach just be attending courses, however it is a step in the process. The vast majority of clubs pay for their coaches to be certified so why wouldn’t you take a course.

In the Lower Island district we have certified over 350 coaches over the last three years which is just over  half of the 600 coaches in our area. I would like to think that we can have a fully certified district by 2015 but that is only half the battle. The real challenge is to then get a coach to stay involved after the first year and come back and take another course!

Having said all that there is still a nagging problem that exists.  It’s not just about the information that a coach provides, it’s the way that it is delivered that is the key. I once heard someone say, and I wish it was me as it is a great little phrase “people don’t care what you know, until they know you care” and it is so true.  Communicating our message to the players, and in turn, their parents must improve. For the vast majority of our players soccer is a recreational activity just as it is for my children.

Our challenge is to turn it from a recreational activity into a passion and we do that player by player, family by family and coach by coach. How many potential national team players do we lose each year before we ever get a chance to really work with them?  That thought is something that should keep us all up at night. Mandating coach certification increases our chances of providing a better experience for the players and in turn keeping them involved in the game for a longer period of time.

On a final note its soccer camp season and the great game of sharks and minnows has undergone a radical change on Mayne Island: it’s now called Deatheaters and Wizards, thanks to JK Rowling!