Words & Image: Michael Flynn, Football Queensland

Redlands United are building a stronger club culture with first team players assisting the development of juniors across all the club’s age groups this season.

The Red Devils are one of Queensland’s largest clubs, with over 1,100 registered players across all age levels, and Technical Director Graham Fyfe says he is eager to create a true football family on the bayside, just south of Brisbane.

Fyfe, himself a regular first team starter, explained that both seniors and juniors are benefitting from the holistic approach to player and club development.

“With getting the first team players involved, more kids come to the games and the senior players get to feel what the club is like instead of just the first team,” Fyfe said.

“They don’t just turn up for training and go home, they come down early and see the kids play and get involved. They meet sponsors after the game and talk to parents a bit more so they get to see us as a club not just as a team.”

All NPL junior head coaches are required to hold ‘C’ license coaching qualifications or higher. As such, Fyfe explained the first team players currently work in assistant roles only with the NPL teams.

“The players don’t need a ‘C’ license to be an assistant but they’ve been coaching with me for a while and they will start doing their licenses at the end of the year because it’s hard to do it during the season.”

“So they are getting their badges and they will benefit from that, but they already have a fantastic manner with the kids and they really are getting the best out of them.”

Matt Chandler is Redlands’ senior head coach as well as General Manager. He said it was important that the players learn they are part of something bigger than themselves when they sign on with the club.

“I think that the younger players that are within the club need to have role models and people they can relate to rather than just watch them every other weekend,” Chandler said.

“It gives (senior players) an opportunity to understand how the club works from them down as well. I think some of the players that have been at other clubs haven’t realised just how big a club we are and what it takes to run a club of this size.”

“They appreciate it when they walk out on the ground on the weekend. They realise that people are there to see them because of the work they’ve done with our football community.”

One first team player who says he is truly enjoying the experience of coaching some of the club’s youngest players is England-born defender James Donnelly.

Donelly had previously tinkerd in coaching in the UK, as well as at school holidays camps in the United States, and said he recognised the benefits of first team players assisting with the club’s next generation.

“By having first team players coaching the kids you can have more of a connection. I coach some of the Under 12’s and a lot of them come and watch my games and they can see all the first team players doing the things I’m coaching them to do.”

“It backs it up that I’m not just saying it. These are the things that work and they will get you to that level.”

He said that while senior National Premier Leagues football remains serious business, the junior’s enthusiasm also offers a stress release from the rigours of the top division.

“You can have a bit of banter in sessions because kids have been watching you when you made a mistake. You can have a bit of a joke and it makes a great atmosphere at training as well.

“But they realise it is a serious game when you get to an older age, and whilst we have a laugh, they also respect you have to keep training hard to get things right.”

In addition to assisting with the Under 12’s and working with the club’s school holiday’s programme, Donelly also visits local schools, including bringing football to the region’s less fortunate.

“I coach kids with special needs, which is really enjoyable and it’s a different sort of challenge, so it mixes it up a bit. It’s great to see kids like that being able to enjoy a game of football as well.”