The ProPlayer Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

"tired of never getting to hear from the Ref!!!" Well, that all changes right now...

Mark R. Halsey is an English retired professional football referee who was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, later based in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Halsey primarily refereed in the Premier League from 1999 to 2013 and was on the league's list of Select Group Referees from its creation in 2001 until his retirement.

His first Premier League appointment was a fixture between Wimbledon and Coventry City in August 1999 and over the course of his professional career he refereed a number of notable matches, including the FA Community Shield in 2007 and the 2008 final of the Football League Cup.

In 2009 Halsey underwent chemotherapy to treat a cancerous tumour in his throat. He returned to refereeing in the top-flight in 2010. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2012–13 season.

Today he joins us on the Pro Player Podcast to give us the referees perspective or what it takes to officiate a Premier League football match. He also shares his honest opinions on technology in football, VAR and the future development of the worlds most popular game. Never one to shy away from his authentic self, Mark is a living, breathing lesson in the importance of knowing yourself and leading from the front. A must listen for aspiring coaches and those already in the industry.

Stuart McLaren is a Scottish-Australian football player and coach, who is currently assistant coach for the Northern Ireland national women's team. As a player Queensland Roar signed McLaren on a short-term contract in early November 2005. He was signed due to Josh McCloughlan's injury, playing as a defender as he did when he was a former player-coach with the Brisbane Strikers in the NSL in Australia. He was then signed as a permanent player and regularly played in the starting eleven, occasionally captaining the Queensland Roar. McLaren left Australia in early 2011 returning to the United Kingdom to be nearer his place of birth with his family. In June 2011, he was appointed as head of Football at the world renowned Loughborough University in England. Following a very successful stint in British University Sport, McLaren began his journey in mens professional football when he was appointed manager of Stirling Albion in November 2014, where he experienced relegation from Scottish League One at the end of the 2014–15 season. He left Stirling Albion by mutual consent in September 2016, following a 4–0 defeat by Elgin City. In October 2018, McLaren was appointed by the Scottish Football Association to be a national youth team coach, with responsibility for the Scotland U16 team. McLaren was appointed interim manager of the Scotland women's national football team in January 2021 where he remained in the role until the appointment of permanent manager Pedro Martinez Losa at the end of 2021. In January 2022, one of the legacy football clubs from Glasgow, Scotland called on him. Celtic announced McLaren had joined them as their under-18s manager. He is here to share all that experience and knowledge with aspiring coaches and to offer strength and support to people already in the industry.

The story of todays guest Chloe McBratney, is one that will inspire millions of people around the world in the coming. months and years. She has defied all expectations in her young life to date and continues to shine as a guiding light that your circumstances do not have to define your future. In her formative years, she was formally diagnosed with bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia at just 18 months old, a condition that under develops the optic discs causing challenges to vision. One day Chloe knows she will loose her sight all together and, as she faces that fact, she intends to do as much good as she can to leave the game in a better place than she found it for her and millions of others.

Now 27, today Chloe is an UEFA B coach, Welsh club Cardiff City's under-19s assistant goalkeeper coach, head coach of Barry Town FCs pan-disability team and a full-time special education needs multi-sport coach for Cardiff City Foundation.

Chloe, from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, first became aware of her visual impairment in primary school. She had a specialist teacher assigned to her to teach her and the teachers themselves.

"My eyes themselves are healthy, but it's the optic nerves that are damaged - the visual pathway from your eyes to your brain," she explains.

"As you get older you learn a lot more, I didn't understand really what a visual impairment was. To me it was just that I was half blind and couldn't see out of one eye and can kind of see out of the other. I adapted really well. I was always really adventurous, I would still go out. I would go to the park and climb trees," she said.

Her parents encouraged her to do everything every other child did. "They didn't stop me from doing anything," she says. "They said 'you have to experience the world like everybody else'.

"As I've got older my sight has deteriorated and I've lost more sight." Chloe has also been diagnosed with neurological condition Grey matter heterotopia, which causes her to have seizures, as well chronic illnesses including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which affects the connective tissue in her body. Chloe also lives with chronic fatigue, brain fog and chronic pain.

Notwithstanding all this, Chloe has coaching dreams and aspirations and wants to inspire and offer strength to the coaching community, so she shares her story and her philosophy with us today in this very special episode of the pro player podcast.

Emma is so much more than her Job Role. This is a special one for me as she is such a huge part of my own story and I am adamant she is responsible for some of my life's best work.

Her experience and expertise in the world of performance analysis are only eclipsed by her authenticity and commitment to her core values. In this episode Emma walks us through her career, her start, the changing times of being a female in a male dominated industry. Her love never shines brighter than when she talks about her babies, her family and her love of both England and Blackburn Rovers!! This episode has everything from advice to maintaining a work life balance, when is the right time to take stock in your career, how to sustain a decade at the highest level of performance in a national team MDT, learning Spanish from now premier Leauge superstar Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya,, that feeling when you pull on your first kit! It's all here. This episode is full of guidance designed to offer strength and support to you for your own journey; but more than anything its a lesson in engaging with your why, being true to yourself and the amazing things that can happen when you put players first.

Manchester United have named an academy graduate in their matchday day squad for the last 88 years...yes thats right 88 years...It's a record that began on Saturday 30 October 1937, when Manchester United youngsters Tom Manley and Jack Wassall sported the famous red in an away clash against Fulham. Since that momentous day at Craven Cottage all those years ago, United have continued to feature a youth player in their matchday squad for over 4,000 consecutive games.

Jennifer Mildenhall is the Academy Emerging Talent Programme Manager at Manchester United Football Club in the English Premier League.

She has previous experience working for the Premier League and the Football Leauge Trust. Her previous clubs include giants of the British game such as Wolves, Newcastle United & Sunderland. She has traveled and worked in South Africa and she is an expert in emerging talent programs. she shares amazing insight into one of the biggest football clubs in the world so you can take inspiration for your own journey. Jen shares with us how Manchester United approaches selecting and developing emerging talent like todays greats Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.

More that that Jen is an amazing person and she shares her personal journey in the game and why the culture of youth development is so important and how Manchester United work hard every day to ensure they breathe life into a working ecosystem of support and challenge to prepare players to function at the highest levels imaginable.

This is a special episode that we know will bring strength and inspiration to those in the industry and those aspiring to be...

Myles Smith is assistant Manager of Al-Ittihad (al-Ittyhad) Ladies in the Saudi womens Pro League,

Myles offers his insight and story so that you may draw strength and benefit for your journey in professional football. Today, he talks to us about his previous roles at West Ham United where he experienced everything from almost getting fired "twice" on his first day to walking out at Wembley for the FA Cup final and everything that comes in between. He also shares his views on his current role and the state of the union in Saudi Arabia when it comes to womens football and women attending matches as supporters. An enthralling listen from start to end as the Pro Player Podcast goes to explore soccer in Saudi...(On zoom anyway...)

David Garcia is the Owner and Founder of "its just a sport" (Ijas)

https://www.itsjustasport.com

The IJaS coaching academy is a collection of self-paced online courses to help you embark into coaching with confidence. The courses are developed to provide you with theoretical foundations alongside practical tools to help you develop problem-solving players, maintain composure in the face of adversity, and provide your players the best possible football experience.

Embark confidently in the chaos of coaching.

Today, David joins us and gives us his insight on the modern game, where it is going and he also talks openly and honestly about this youth playing days in North America's "Pay to Play" Model of youth soccer. An episode for anyone who loves the game itself and some amazing insight you can draw strength from also...

Tosh Farrell, a UEFA 'A' licensed coach and member of the Professional Football Coaches Association is described by Craig Brown CBE the former mens national 1st team head coach of Scotland as arguably, to be one of the foremost exponents of youth coaching in the game. He is the former Head of International Football Development and Technical Coordinator at the English Premier Club Everton FC. Tosh has spent 13 years developing his Soccer Development Methodology at one of the leading youth academies in the world, helping develop numerous players who have gone on to represent Everton FC 1st team. These players include Wayne Rooney,Ross Barkley, Jack Rodwell, Callum McManaman. The EPL's youngest ever goal scorer, James Vaughan (age 16yrs 270 days) and the youngest player ever to represent Everton in the premier league Jose Baxter (age 16 yrs,191 days) “The key to success lies in Tosh's knowledge, experience and understanding of the right way to develop soccer excellence in young players. Like all coaches he likes to win but his focus is exclusively on the process of development – he knows if he gets this right the score will take care of itself.” - Bill Beswick M.Ed. Former sports psychologist to Manchester United, Middlesbrough and the England National Team.

A man who needs no introduction...Paul McGuinness (born 2 March 1966) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra and Chester City. He is the current Head of Academy Player Development for Leicester City's under-18 team

McGuinness is the son of former Manchester United player and manager Wilf McGuinness who took overt he worlds most famous football club from the late, great Sir Matt Busby, Paul shares stories of an upbringing that nobody else in the world could imagine - Inside Manchester United Football Club. He holds a degree in physical education from Loughborough University and is today regarded as one of a select group of people who are shaping the national discussion around technical development in the UK.

As a player, McGuinness was a midfielder who made 20 Football League appearances with Crewe Alexandra and Chester City. He also spent time with Manchester United (where he progressed through the youth ranks).

Today you will likely find Paul, in person, in the corridors of the English National Football Center, St Georges Park. Delivering on the UEFA Pro Licence and UEFA A Licence courses and online delivering masterclass workshops on technical development. His seminars with the FA "Under he microscope" can be found on Youtube and once you find one you will watch them all. His soccer specific expert breakdowns of technique and skill, resinate in a way that nobody else quite can. His passion for a life spent entrenched in the game and his footballing heritage make an hour with him one of the best investments you can make in yourself.

Developing Observational Skills "Under the Microscope" - Paul McGuinness / Matt Bishop

https://youtu.be/xWrMFrqziFM?si=8w17ATCDr6ljDtoq

FA Learning Resource

Richard is perhaps one of the most prominent Womens Football Writers of the last decade. He has serious experience of working in the women's game, published in outlets such as FourFourTwo, World Soccer Magazine, ESPN, The Athletic, The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, OPTUS Sport and more.In 2023, He covered the World Cup for host outlet OPTUS Sport, as well as OPTA and across his own dedicated Substack - Women's Football Chronicles, after covering major tournaments in 2017, 2019 and 2022, including England's successful European Championship success on home soil he was also privileged to be a moderator of three panels at the 2023 "Thinking Football Summit in Porto". He has been instrumental in launching several special dedicated women's football projects, including The Guardian's Top 100 Female Footballers of the Year, and Messages from Home for The Times.

Rich is on hand to support and give the benefit of his experience for all aspiring coaches, helping you think about how you will work with the media when the time calls, players and even journalists wanting to work at the highest level of the Women game this one is also for you...

The Football Chronicles

https://richlaverty.substack.com