If your club is out here releasing young kids ... you're part of the problem. Get over yourself and find a new line of work. This shouldn't really be controversial but we still have too many clubs and coaches cutting young kids. Mike & Jon look at the reasons why and what the long term problems are of this practice and why it needs to stop ASAP   ..read more

Fantastic episode with Rod Underwood. I got to discuss Rods thoughts on grassroots soccer and his experiences coaching grassroots all the way up to coaching in the professional game and with National teams. Very interesting to hear what stays the same and whats changes as you progress through the levels of Soccer and what Rod feels is still so important fundamentally for young players. We also managed to get some discussion on cows and Caribbean cuisine for good measure. Rod has coached with Portland Timbers (MLS) and head coaching roles with Cleveland City (USL), North East Stars (Jamaica), M ..read more

A real eye opener for me in this chat from a great coach who is always sharing and helping the football coach community on Twitter. Pete is involved in coaching both Blind and Deaf National teams in Australia and we discuss his learning curve and the challenges he has had to adapt to with coaching these players. We also dive into how Grassroots Soccer operates in Australia and what highlight some of the good initiatives and discuss some fo the changes that could be made to improve grassroots for young players ..read more

A fantastic chat with fellow podcaster Ibra Toure for the Coaching Puzzle. In this episode I quiz and learn all about what Soccer in Ivory Coast is like from Grassroots to Pro Soccer. Ibra shared his experiences growing up in Ivory Coast playing soccer as a young boy and then his transition to the USA at age 13. We also delve into the difference between coaching boys and girls and Ibra shares some of his observations and advice on how to coach girls more effectively ..read more

Hector Cano former military man and current Ysleta High School Lady Indians Head Coach and Host of the 50/50 podcast shares his experiences and knowledge on a broad spectrum of topics from coaching grassroots, taking the National Youth Licence all the way to coaching High School & College. 3.00 Where Is El Paso? 4.30 The National Youth License 19.00 Street Soccer & Free Play 31.00 Why Don’t Some Make High School Teams 40.20 What Causes The Physical Style Of Play In High School & College 107.00 Are We Developing Enough Players 1.17 Coming Down To Young Players Level ..read more

In this episode I get to chat to Mutanda about Rising Point which is a soccer program he started back in Seattle to serve his community. It's a soccer program unlike what we are typically used to seeing and Mutanda has applied a unique approach to building and running this program. Mutanda breaks down how it got started, how he has collaborated with partners and what his vision for a different type of soccer program/club could be ..read more

Been looking forward to picking Michael's brain for a while now, and this chat did't disappoint. In our 2 hour 10minute brief chat we examined a multitude of Grassroots topics and Michael breaks down his entire Grassroots model he has employed at the clubs he has led. So many ideas that you can learn from and implement at your club or team, Michael is one of the few people I have net so far that has a detailed plan and system that has proven to work in developing the skills and knowledge of young players. Don't miss this one ..read more

This is part 1 of my chat with Rob Porter. In part 1 Rob explains the set up in Oxford, England where he coaches from Grassroots to Development and Regional Training Centres and up to the Pro Club Academy Level. Very interesting chat learning about the structure and path for youth players in his part of the world ..read more

Want ideas on how to Grow your High School Soccer Program? In this short chat I speak with Mike Radlebeck and Dave Dunning about a variety of initiatives and programs that High School Coaches can use to partner with local clubs in their communities and ultimately help grow and improve their high school teams ..read more

Had to have Dave back on the podcast after his brief appearance on episode 2 I felt there was some unfinished business! Dave gives us an in-depth look at the structure of grassroots football in Ireland, he explains how clubs work, cost structure and fees. We also delve into the structure of Soccer in the USA and Canada and I get Daves take on our structure and some of the major differences. We broach the subjects of Early selection, tryouts, bests with best and get Daves feeling on how we as coaches should be doing things at the younger ages in Grassroots football ..read more