Explore every episode of the podcast Game Plan Coaching Podcast

Episode 1: Coaching's Quiet Superpower

Welcome to the very first episode of the Game Plan Coaching Podcast: where we share short, practical coaching conversations designed to spark ideas you can apply, adapt, or reflect on in your own coaching.

In this debut episode, I’m joined by Martin Dighton, a coach who’s spent the last 20 years helping players and coaches thrive.

Martin’s coaching journey started in a professional football club and later took him to 14 years at The FA in coaching and coach development roles. These days, he works at UK Coaching, supporting coaches in the performance pathway across a wide range of sports.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why helping young players feel they belong is at the heart of good coaching.
• How a simple voice note on your phone can transform your self-reflection.
• Martin’s game-changing advice for every coach: sometimes the best thing you can do… is stop coaching.

It’s an honest, down-to-earth chat with plenty of ideas you can take straight into your own sessions.

Connect with us:

• Tom Hartley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhartleycoaching/

• Martin Dighton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-dighton-62434666/

If you enjoy the episode, please follow the podcast, share it with a coach who might find it useful, and let me know what resonated most with you.

Welcome to the Game Plan Coaching Podcast. Led by me, Tom Hartley - an experienced Coach & Coach Developer - in each episode we will:

• Learn a little more about our guest, their background, and what has influenced the way they coach
• Ask our guest to add something to the 'Game Plan' - a shared playbook of idea, stories, memories and mindsets.
• Share some 'Game Changing Coaching Advice' that you could apply, adapt, or reflect on.

Episodes released weekly from October 2025.