Angus was one of the recipients of a NSFA Coaching Scholarship in 2018. Keep an eye out later this season for information on the 2019 NSFA Coaching Scholarship.
Since completing your NSFA Coaching scholarship, how has your coaching progressed?
The coaching scholarship changed many of the ways I thought about coaching. It helped me introduce more of a structure into the way I coach and taught me how to plan sessions that are more engaging for my players and help me be more effective in trying to get my ideas across to the boys. I definitely feel that overall, I’m much more confident as a coach now and more competent!
What would be your recommendation to any young coaches looking to get involved?
My advice would be to take the leap. I played for 12 years before the opportunity to get involved with coaching came up. It can seem scary and you may not be sure whether or not you’re suited to it, but you will start to view the sport you love in a different way and learn so much more about it. It’s very rewarding and teaches you skills that are relevant not just to football, but to other facets of life too.
Describe a moment that has challenged you as a coach, and how did you work around it?
There’s no one particular incident that comes to mind, but every game week presents the challenge of managing people’s expectations – playing time, who gets selected etc. It can be tricky, or even impossible, to make decisions that will please everyone, and it doesn’t feel good disappointing people. The key to overcoming challenges like these is communicating openly with all your players, and being able to explain the decisions you make.
What would be your advice to coaches and players that are striving to improve themselves?
Improvement doesn’t come from anywhere – you have to work hard. With football, the best way to learn is by doing – players, go and play or train whenever possible. Coaching is the same – embrace any opportunity to do more. It’s also important to utilise the resources available to you, and now is a great time to be an up- and-coming coach within the NSFA – Ed and the Inspire program are so helpful and always keen and eager to help anyone that asks. The CCC program being implemented across all clubs is also so beneficial for everyone involved.
What is your best football memory?
It’s hard to choose just one as football has been my passion for as long as I can remember! However, last year was particularly special. My club, North Turramurra Football Club, asked me to coach the Men’s All Age team. It was a daunting task, particularly as I had to transition from being one of the team’s players into their coach, but luckily I had a great bunch of lads. We needed to win the last game of the season to win the league, we went down 2-0 in the first half and came back 3-2 to win it. It was a great day and made me instantly feel like all the hard work I had put in had paid off. The Under 15’s I coach also managed to win their competition that season too, so it was a really awesome year for me.