The Soccer Coaching Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Send us Fan Mail

🎙️ Episode 122: Coach’s Voice (Episode 1)

Episode 122 marks the launch of our brand-new Coach’s Voice series — where the conversation starts with you.

In this first edition, Scott and Ray respond to four thought-provoking questions sent in by coaches who listen to the podcast. These are real challenges from real environments, and the discussion is honest, practical, and grounded in lived coaching experience.

This episode is less about theory — and more about the realities of coaching in today’s game.

🗣️ The four questions discussed:

⚽ 1. The Match Day Environment
How do we create a match day atmosphere that supports development rather than fear?
Scott and Ray explore the role of the coach on game day, emotional tone, parent behaviour, and how match day can either reinforce or undo the work done during the week.

💭 2. Building (and Protecting) Player Confidence
What does confidence really mean in young players — and how easily can we damage it?
The conversation explores the difference between praise and belief, the impact of language, and why confidence is often built through challenge, not comfort.

🎯 3. Over-Coaching
Are we saying too much?
Scott and Ray reflect on the temptation to control every moment, the dangers of constant instruction, and why silence can sometimes be the most powerful intervention a coach can make.

🧩 4. Tactics & Structure vs Freedom & Creativity
How much structure is too much?
Where is the balance between giving players a framework and allowing them to solve problems?
The discussion dives into whether rigid tactical systems can unintentionally limit game intelligence — and how coaches can design structure that still allows expression.

Throughout the episode, Scott and Ray share practical examples from their own environments, challenge common coaching habits, and encourage deeper reflection on how our behaviours shape player experience.

This is an episode designed to make you think about how you show up — on the grass, on the sideline, and in your communication.

🎧 Coach’s Voice – Get Involved

Coach’s Voice episodes are driven by you.

We invite coaches to:

• Send in a voice note (up to 2 minutes) sharing a question, dilemma, idea, or opinion
• Be reflective, honest, even challenging
• Help shape future episodes of the podcast

Selected submissions will be played on the show and used as the starting point for discussion.

A couple of simple guidelines:

• Please don’t use player names
• If discussing sensitive topics, avoid naming clubs
• If you’d rather not record audio, you can email your question instead

📩 Send voice notes or emails to:
 thesoccercoachingpodcast@gmail.com

Thanks for listening — and if one of these questions resonated with you, share the episode with a fellow coach.

Your voice matters.

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

🎙️ Episode 121: Coaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha Players – A Focus on Mindset

Episode 121 marks the first episode co-hosted by Scott Mowberry and Ray Power, launching a new collaborative chapter for The Soccer Coaching Podcast.

For this episode, Scott and Ray are joined by Phil Phillipou to explore the challenges and opportunities of coaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha players, with a particular focus on mindset.

As the game continues to evolve, so do the players we coach. This conversation dives into how today’s young players think, learn, communicate, and respond to pressure — and what that means for coaches working in modern football environments.

🧠 Key themes discussed include:

• Understanding the mindset traits of Gen Z and Gen Alpha players
• How social media, culture, and modern life influence young footballers
• Why traditional coaching approaches don’t always land with today’s players
• Creating environments that support confidence, resilience, and self-belief
• Practical strategies coaches can use to connect, challenge, and support players
• The balance between standards, empathy, and accountability

Phil brings a psychology-informed perspective grounded in real-world coaching and athlete development, offering practical insight that coaches can apply immediately — whether they’re working in grassroots football, academies, or performance environments.

📘 About the guest

Phil is the author of Inspiring Young Minds: The Psychology Mastery for Young Footballers, a book designed to help young players develop strong psychological foundations alongside their football ability.

🔗 Book link:
https://www.amazon.com/Inspiring-Young-Minds-Mastery-Footballers/dp/B0FN79FKV9

📲 Connect with Phil:

• Instagram: @mindsightsport
• LinkedIn: Phil Phillipou

Phils Webinar & Discount Code- https://www.tickettailor.com/events/raypowercoacheducation/2029162

The discount is PHIL10

🎧 Coach’s Voice – get involved

As part of this new phase of the podcast, we’re introducing Coach’s Voice episodes — and we want to hear from you.

Coaches are invited to:

• Send in a voice note (up to 2 minutes) sharing a question, idea, experience, or viewpoint
• Be as individual, reflective, or even controversial as you like

Selected submissions will be played on the podcast and used as the starting point for discussion with Scott and Ray.

A couple of simple guidelines:

• Please don’t use player names
• If your topic is controversial, avoid naming clubs
• If you prefer not to record audio, you can email your thoughts instead

📩 Send voice notes or emails to:
thesoccercoachingpodcast@gmail.com

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 112, 

Brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly (@SoccerCoachWeek)

Episode 112 - A Look At Grassroots Football, with Jason Carney, Director of Coaching at FC Portland and Author

In this episode we speak again with the wonderful Jason Carney, who is the Director of Coaching at FC Portland. We discuss his coaching background and updates since we previously spoke back in 2022. We discuss grassroots football, the obstacles to player development and some of the solutions. We also look at his latest book “US Grassroots Soccer, Great on Paper, S**T on Grass”

Please do leave a review, like and share the episode!

Jason Carney – https://www.fcportland.org/our-staff

US Grassroots Soccer, Great on Paper, S**T on Grass - https://www.amazon.co.uk/US-Grassroots-Soccer-Great-Paper/dp/1966442378 

The Soccer Coaching Podcast, Twitter - @SoccerCoachCast

The Soccer Coaching Podcast, Email - thesoccercoachingpodcast@gmail.com

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we chat to the wonderful Jamie Tompkins from Bretford FC and talk about his background and experiences. Jamie shares his thoughts on coaching and working with players in the foundation and youth development phases, as well his role as first team manager at Ascot FC.
 
 We hope you enjoy the episode and please do let us know by leaving a review.
 
 Thanks.
 
 www.thesoccerchoachingpodcast.com
 @SoccerCoachCast

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we discuss our experiences of coaching players 5 aside football at the foundation phase.

We share our thoughts on formations, rotation, the goalkeepers role and possible constraints.

Please do let us know if you have other thoughts on this format or if you've had success trying a different approach.

Website: www.thesoccercoachingpodcast.com
Email: info@thesoccercoachingpodcast.com
Twitter: @SoccerCoachCast

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we are joined by the wonderful and knowledgeable Kevin Green who is a UEFA A license coach who has been involved in coaching for over 20 years. Kevin currently works as an FA Regional Coach Mentor for Middlesex FA.

Kevin shares his thoughts on the important considerations for coaches when it comes to practice design.

We are extremely grateful to Kevin for giving up his time and hope you enjoy the episode!

@SoccerCoachCast
info@thesoccercoachingpodcast.com
www.thesoccercaochingpodcast.com

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we discuss player reviews, criteria, how they can be used and how they could link in to end of season awards.

We have shared some examples that we have created and use on our twitter feed @SoccerCoachCast.

We would love to hear you thoughts, so please do let us know how you use player reviews and manage end of season awards and if your happy to share your documents that would be great.

Thanks for listening.

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we discuss if going unbeaten all season is a good thing (or not). We talk about how you could measure success and the dangers of only looking at the results of matches. We also talk about how focusing on the results and `protecting` your win/lose record may impact on the development opportunities you `allow` for your players. Mark also shares his `final thought` and Scott has a couple of rants! ;)

We hope you enjoy the episode and would welcome your feedback!

@SoccerCoachCast
info@thesoccercoachingpodcast.com

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we chat with the wonderful Michael Hamilton (@mikehamilton_14) from AFC Wimbledon (@afcwimbledon) and discuss their approach to coaching at the Foundation and Youth Development phases. 

Michael shares with us his thoughts on working with coaches, the AFC Wimbledon philosophy and the importance of player ownership and working `outside` the session for both players and coaches...as well as lots more!

It was a privilege to spend time with Michael and to get an insight into the wonderful work hes doing with all the academy team to support their players development.

We hope you enjoy the episode and please share your thoughts.

@SoccerCoachCast
info@thesoccercoachingpodcast.com

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we discuss the importance of ball mastery and technical work with the wonderful Saul Isaksson-Hurst from the My Personal Football Coach (www.mypersonalfootballcoach.com). 

The conversation includes thoughts on homework, SSG's, layering sessions, linking physical literacy with ball manipulation practice, making technical work fun and lots more! We also try and clarify our thoughts on if you should prioritise 1v1 or passing and why we prefer a dual approach.

Thank you to Saul for giving up his time and his superb contribution to this important topic!

We hope you enjoy the episode and if so please give us some feedback and share.

Email - info@thesoccercoachingpodcast.com
Twitter - @SoccerCoachCast

Thanks and enjoy!

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!