Sunday 6th March was all go at Fishermans Road as AFL Queensland delivered local Sunshine Coast coach accreditation courses. Accreditation is mandatory and once qualification is achieved coaches are right to ply their trade for the following four years. It is strongly suggested that in that time coaches take opportunity to do updates giving them opportunity to refresh their knowledge with the latest information and presentations.
So with a 9.00am start, 34 coaches from Bribie Island to Gympie undertook the Level 1 Youth/Senior course. Six presenters gave them plenty of skills and tricks to help with the job ahead, whilst challenging their thinking and giving them an understanding of the regulations and laws within our game. Coaches are role models to their players and from this base set the parameters to team rules and attitudes about our match play.
The day’s program saw AFLQ Sunshine Coast Manager Mark Kennedy outline the course requirements with an overview to coaching.
From this point 45 minute sessions were presented by Ben Stanley with “Teaching Skill”, Anthony MacDonald “Dynamic warm up – Injury Prevention” (this handy for the all the oldies in the group – although a few were still trading the odd friendly barb in reference to a senior practice match played the day before), Mitch Hyde “Preparation& Planning”, Darren Carlson “Developing Drills”, Rohan Briggs “Laws of the Game” and Mark Kennedy rounded the day out with “Tactics & Team Play’.
Much information was offered for all to take away and further digest, as they look to plan for their coaching role in 2011 and beyond. The days information should allow coaches to plan a weekly session with quality warm up activities, skill work focussing on the individual as needed whilst practicing some team set plays and then put all in to match play or scenarios. All this whilst having a sound knowledge of the “spirit of the game” and its laws that govern match play. A well planned coach will keep his charges well focussed, enthused for the task at hand both short and long term whilst having a set of standards (with player consultation) for the team and those about it known as to the team rules.
Amongst the morning’s activities AFLQ Auskick gurus Mal Pearson and Dayne Frew had eight motivated club AFL Auskick Coordinators from Noosa, Nambour & Hinterland, Glasshouse Hinterland, Maroochydore, Pomona and Kawana Park in for a two hour information session. We look to run club based AFL Auskick centres in-season for some 12 weeks offering 5 and 6 year olds a fantastic experience with sound skill development and game activity that ingrains their love for the game AFL. This allows clubs to give these youngsters their football experience down at your club with the view to aiding transition from Auskick to club football in a big way in the following years.
Following on from the clear information as to the sign up process of AFL Auskick and the goodies AFL Auskick registration brings with a football, back pack and many more contents, Mal and Dayne slipped into some physical activity. This activity was to show how a normal AFL Auskick session may run with fun activity, skill development and games aplenty as its structure. “Mad Eagle” is always a fun game for the kids, with footies in a row back some distance and you try and sneak up behind the coordinator “Eagle” to grab a footy and return to home – when the coordinator blows his whistle and turns about there is a need to instantly freeze and stay that way. Well let our AFL Auskick boys loose here and all hell breaks loose as they will try every trick in the book to make the poor unsuspecting Auskickers make unwanted movement – “back to the start you then go”. Yesterday I saw it all as one of the youngsters helping these games run was challenged with a stinky Mal shoe placed under his nose – still young ‘Spud’ held tight – something few adults could do!
So all in all whether coaching Auskickers or senior footballers the message was clear; be organised, operate within the laws of the game and make it enjoyable whilst setting goals of achievement.
For our Youth/Senior coaches currently undertaking accreditation they will return in some 6-8 weeks for a 3 hour session to finalise their accreditation. This will allow coaches to have gathered some in situ experiences and return to the course with some added knowledge and possibly questions they seek answers to.
Sunday April 3rd is set down for our AFL Junior level one course, all new under 8 and 10 club coaches are required to sit this course as accreditation is mandatory.
Follow these steps to register online:
1. Log on to www.aflq.com.au
2. Click Get Involved
3. Click Coaching
4. Click Accreditation
5. Click link to online registration & then follow the prompts.
Last Modified on 25/03/2011 15:50