Football Coach Restores Faith in Footy,,,written by Liam Holmes
Football Coach George Wakim is probably one of the most passionate people you are ever going to meet. I sat down with him to talk about his passion and how he goes about football and other aspects of his life.
It’s Sunday morning. The day after a game for the Northern Blues Amateurs Football Club. Most people would treat this as a day to rest after a big game. But for senior coach George Wakim, he treats it as just another opportunity to prepare for the following week. This type of attitude proves just how passionate he is about his football and other areas in his life, including his love of another sport, Dragon Boating.
As a coach, Wakim is driven by success and through the joy that he gets from being a part of the shaping of young footballers.
“I get a real buzz out of seeing people improve and grow as footballers and as people. I almost feel like it’s my responsibility that we’ve gone this far at this footy club and it’s my job to keep the club together,” Wakim said. “I like winning and I’m driven by seeing people work hard and want to improve.”
Wakim’s talents as a coach are proved by many achievements, such as winning the VAFA Coach of the Year Award last year.
He seemed almost embarrassed by the award. “I don’t even know how it happened.” While grateful, he believes deep down that the most important part about what he does is the players. To him, the award ranks nowhere near the winning of a premiership.
Speaking of premierships, Wakim has won five of them. This record speaks for itself. He also proudly states his record in finals series, which is making the grand final in seven out of his ten years as coach. His team finished in the top three in all of those years except one.
Along with his successes as a coach, he is also known to be a very friendly and approachable person. Someone who laughs at his own jokes and who treats every person the same.
Although he grew up following football and being a Collingwood supporter (he remembers sneaking into Victoria Park at a young age), it was not his first sporting love. He started out in the sport of Dragon Boating.
“I trained all my life as a Paddler, and competed at the elite level. I knew what it took to get the best out of yourself. So I probably came from a bit of a different angle. I didn’t come from a purely football background, I came from a sporting background.”
Given his huge interest in football and Dragon Boating, Wakim loves sport. Why? “I like doing things that other people find hard to do. I often say that nothing is worth achieving if it comes easily.”
Wakim recalls the time in which he first became involved in being a football coach. “At under-14’s the guy who was coaching [my son] wasn’t going to coach at under-15’s,” he said. “Instead of complaining and winging about who’s doing it, [I thought] I’ll put my hand up and do it myself.”
“I had not intentions for doing it for such a long time.”
Apart from premierships and awards, there have been some other events that have solidified Wakim’s reputation as a respected coach. One of these happened to be one of the reasons why he was selected as coach of the year in the VAFA.
“One of the things that they liked about me was when we had an issue last year with a player who got into trouble by striking an umpire in the under-19 level. I rang up the VAFA and spoke to the president,” he said. “I basically told him that at Preston we’re dealing with real kids with real issues. This kid really means well and I wanted something done to help this person. I didn’t want to kick this person out of the club.”
Wakim is also one of the rare coaches that can gloat about coaching footballers who have played at AFL level. He coached Kane Lambert, who now plays at Richmond, and Tom Hill, who played for the Western Bulldogs. “I probably didn’t think I was going to coach anyone that was going to play league footy.”
Wakim recalls the first day he coached at under-15’s, he knew both Lambert and Hill were going to be something special. “Both Kane and Tommy after the training session went for a run together. They were two fourteen-year-olds wanting to go for a run.” He believed that there wouldn’t be too many fourteen-year-olds wanting to go for a run after training.
With regards to coaching, he believes that to be truly successful at it, or anything else for that matter, you need to be passionate about it and spend a lot of time on it. “Time plays no factor in something [that] you enjoy.”
Wakim has many other elements that he uses when he goes about his coaching. He believes that he should treat every one of his players in the way that he would want his own son to be treated.
He does his best to care for every player. “My philosophy is that it’s how much you care more than how much you know. So I really think that if the players know that you care about them, [then] everything will be okay.”
Wakim also believes that an important part about coaching is setting an example for the players. This is evident when discussing the issue about getting paid.
“I don’t get paid, and I don’t want to get paid.” He believes that this is important given the players also don’t get paid. He tries to teach them to put in for the football club instead of for themselves. “I think it’s important to lead by example,” he said.
If that doesn’t show the passion that a football coach has for his players, then I’m not sure what does.
Liam Holmes is a La Trobe Melbourne student currently undertaking a Diploma of Mass Media and Communications.
Last Modified on 13/10/2015 05:13