Coaching underage players an be a challenge

In his column in this week’s Gaelic Life, Steven Poacher recalled a recent coaching session he ran on the North Side of Dublin.

He explained the various challenges involved, including keeping younger players interested.

But he made an interesting point about the older group of u-14s and upwards, when he pointed out that at this age it is time to start addressing matters of tactics.

“After a warm up we moved into more game-oriented situations. I ran two break-ball games, and two tackling exercises with transition on both.

“At this age you need to start thinking a little bit more tactically, and start installing game sense into the players.

“It was a thoroughly enjoyable and productive morning and got me thinking, why couldn’t every club run mornings like this.

“The learning experiences and ideas that coaches would gain would be priceless.”

Read the full article in the current issue of Gaelic Life. Buy the online edition here.