Our thoughts, our words, our actions make a huge difference and we enjoy a special privilege – one where we can impact young lives on an every day basis. We shouldn’t see ourselves as anything less than that. Here’s something to remind you of that fact. We guarantee you, it will be 16 minutes and 17 seconds of your life well spent.
GFI had the opportunity to speak with Stevie Grieve, Head of Coaching & Education at Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) and Technical Director at Garhwal FC recently. During the conversation, Stevie shared his views on his journey into football coaching, his assessment of grassroots football in India and what BBFS are doing to positively impact Indian football. This is what he had to say…
GFI: What was the motivation behind getting into coaching?
Stevie: Initially when I was younger, it actually came about when I was playing futsal one night. I was teaching a kid how to do a skill, and then after a little while, the kid could do the skill. I think it was an elastico. And then from that, somebody asked me if I would be interested in coaching as a job. I was only 15 at the time, so when I turned 16, I went to the local community centre and became a coach and, over time, I decided that I would like to make it my career. It wasn’t something that was intentional; it was just something that kind of happened one evening and then I made it my life goal to do something.
There are many roles that coaches play in the development of footballers and there are a fair few qualities that coaches need to be successful. But there are some attributes that truly separate the best from the rest, and one such attribute is eloquence.
The ability to pick the right words, say them in the right way, deliver them at the right time, and, most importantly, to the right people sets a coach apart. There are times when players need a bit of tough lovin’, others when we need to go easy on the lads and still others when they need a bit of fun! Knowing what to say, when to say it, how to say it and whom to say it to makes all the difference.
One man who was capably eloquent was Sir Alex Ferguson. There’s a brilliant story that popped up on Reddit about how the great man, during his time at Aberdeen FC, disciplined the squad in a way that only he could.
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