In recent blogs I've spoken about training sessions and the development pathways at the club but for this edition I thought I'd look at the development of the club itself, so I spoke to Jim McMillan about his time as Club Chairman. Many of you may know Jim as a coach at the 2003 and 1995 age groups but Jim served as Chair for over 5 years, between 2004 and 2009. Here's what Jim had to say:

When I joined the club an enthusiastic John McDonagh was the chairman and the club had around 150 players. John was driving everything at the club but four years later we had grown to around 250 players but and John felt it was time to hand over the reins. As a club we had developed a superb ethos and discipline that all of us believed in, but John was doing almost everything on the committee himself with little help.  I took on the roll to allow John to step back, as I felt he deserved it and we may have lost him altogether if things carried on.

I took the view that we needed to get some motivated people into the key rolls and remove some of current committee; who had done a great job for the club but their lives had moved on and they didn’t have the time to apply themselves. Introducing guys to the committee like Brendan Murphy, Stewart Daniels, Bernie Airlie, and Tom Shearer, and ultimately, our current Chairman Joe McKerns, all who have maintained and promoted the same strong ethos has seen dramatic changes in the club.

When I took over I was aware of some scepticism towards the role of governing body within the club and this would hold us back. So, after discussions with the new committee we all agreed that we wanted to grow, with the help of the Scottish FA and Scottish Youth FA, and also to unify or rebrand the club; it was at this point that we agreed the new club colours and badge, as well as having all teams in the same kit. We also embraced SFA/SYFA initiatives such as Quality Mark, Positive coaching and minimum qualification criteria, all of which make the club the success it is today.

There were a few members that were worried about the rapidly increasing numbers, and when you look at the club as a whole it looks pretty daunting, but from the inside however it is less so.  When everything is broken into separate units and each unit is taking care of itself, it isn’t quite as daunting. Like building a house, you need a plan; although the task seems huge, focusing on one stage at a time until each task is complete makes the job much simpler. The key is managing the task and this is where the committees and in particular our current committee are excelling. Fortunately they are still all hands on but the key is that they do recruit very well indeed. This part is the key to the success of the club over the last 10 years.

The initial approach to meet with Jim Fletcher and the proposal for our new 3G Astro pitch was undertaken on my watch. When standing down after 5 years, I found it difficult not to be a part of things and unfortunately in the end I let this fade and didn't pursue being involved. None the less, I am very pleased that it wasn't allowed to drift and I think Bernie and Joe have done a superb job in realising what we set out to achieve. Bernie in particular attended the early meetings with me and in my opinion he is Giffnock SC’s strongest asset- in every department!

Giffnock SC is something I am very proud to be a part of. I originally got involved to help out and coach and being involved has taken up a huge amount of my time but the experience has given me knowledge in areas that just never occurred to me at the start. From my close relationship with my own boys to so many new friendships, I am truly grateful for the experience.

If I was asked to highlight the one change in my time as Chair that has had the biggest impact, it would be the introduction of the mini kickers (P1) at the Soccer Centre. I moved on with the teams from the original 2003s, but I believe this idea has had the biggest impact above anything else. The fact that it has been nursed along, year after year, by some of the clubs most committed people, such as Stewart Daniels and Tom Shearer, has made it the backbone of the club. The club should never take their eye off of this because if we get it right at this stage, we will always reap the benefits in the following years.

Sometime the amount of time and commitment can really get to you. However sitting thinking about all of this out has brought a smile to my face and forced me to think about the past and everyone involved with the club. We have created something absolutely unique and very special indeed. We have so many fantastic people involved and I am very proud to have played a part along the way.

As ever, please post your comments below. What did you think of this week's entry or what would you like to feature in the blog in the future?

Why do we keep players in mixed ability teams?

 

It's a question I've been asked regularly by parents and coaches over the past couple of years- 'why does Giffnock SC not stream players into teams by abilities? Surely putting the best players together will benefit them, and putting the weakest players together will benefit them also?'

Personally, I think that the club's size and success shows that the current approach of keeping players in mixed ability groups at a young age is the right one for our club. With this in mind I decided to tackle this question in this week's blog. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the approach in the comments section at the bottom.

Giffnock SC has long held the belief that all teams at 4 and 7-a-side football should be of mixed ability; with players being 'streamed' into teams based on ability at final year of 7s in preparation for 11s.

Being in mixed ability teams ensures that players and coaches focus on training and player development and not just results. Many coaches and parents get carried away when their 6 year-old's team wins a couple of games, unfortunately what a child achieves at 6 is no indicator of what they will achieve at 16.

In fact, a situation where players win regularly at a young age is possibly detrimental; losing is part of the game and learning to handle the result is an important part of the game and also life. If all the 'best' players were grouped together and won every week they would not be learning all aspects of the game.

Furthermore, I've seen many talented players at 7s fall foul of 11s football, which is a very different game. At small-sided games (4/7s) players can succeed with their own skill, dribbling is often a very successful tactic. However, at 11s the game becomes more tactical and physical- players have to run further and harder, and passing the ball becomes ever more important. An 11s team requires players to understand their position and role in the team as much as they can demonstrate individual technique.

Back to coaching- the focus at children's level (4/7s) is on learning the game and focusing on technical development. It is not the coach's role to develop tactics and formations- anyone can pick the 4 or 7 best players and beat weaker teams but to take a group of kids, of all abilities, and teach them skills and attitudes is a much more challenging role; a role which our coaches relish. Although challenging, the coach should make sure that any drills or practices are layered so that players of different abilities can develop as required.
When I'm training my team I challenge players on an individual basis within a team session by giving them goals such as 'after 10 successful passes make the playing area smaller so that passes have to be even more accurate or I'll make small blue gates and larger red gates in a dribbling drill- I can then allow player to pick their own level or I can suggest which gates a player should use.

Finally, as a club it is important to develop an ethos: a way of playing, of coaching and behaving. The 'football for all' message at Giffnock SC, where we aim to give as many players as many opportunities to be as good as possible is working. We have Scotland's biggest and best club and we attract players of all abilities and backgrounds. 

Inevitably players will leave for other clubs and a coach might well ask themselves- what have I developed in a player who has now left? But in my experience of players arriving from other clubs, I'm regularly told that my players have sold them on how challenging training is and how much we do for our players; or they have seen how we speak to and coach our players in games and decide that the way our club plays is the right way for them. So, as a coach, we are not just developing the best players to be even better at the expense of others and by looking at the longview our approach, our ethos, works.

For further details on what players should be working on at each level of children's football see the Player Development Plan on the Soccer Centre webpage.