A COACHES GUIDE TO GAME DAY AND HALF TIME PROTOCOL’S
Information, guidelines and time frames for match day and half time protocols and procedures;
All participants must adhere to the FFA Codes of Conduct
MATCH DAY GUIDELINES:
Youth coaches should avoid the following behaviors:
• Avoid shouting too many instructions to your players (let them play, while you observe)
• Don’t criticise your players on the field
• Don’t abuse opposing players and staff
• Don’t complain about decisions and/or berating Match Officials
• Avoid reacting to every incident on the field, whether positive or negative
• Avoid knee-jerk substitutions
Youth coaches should aim to demonstrate the following behaviors:
• Appear calm and composed
• Observe what is actually happening in the game and record your observations
• Focus on individual and team performances and progress
• Give praise to good football, whether by your team or by the opposition
• Show respect and appreciation to Match Officials, and insist on the same from your
players
• When a refereeing decision goes against you, ‘focus on what you can control’, ‘leave
the past behind’ and teach players to do the same (eg, prepare for the resulting set play)
• Show patience and persistence; if a player is having difficulty, help him to deal with the
situation, rather than substituting him immediately
PRE-MATCH
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Avoid long-winded speeches. Let the players focus
Give key tasks based on current training sessions
Clarify Team Tasks and Player Tasks of importance
Refresh and reinforce the Key Principles from “how you want them to play”
Consider less time delivering grand addresses to whole squad, and more time in
dialogue with individuals and small groups
Provide a ball-centred warm-up
FROM MATCH KICK-OFF UNTIL FINAL WHISTLE
(Remind yourself of the key behaviours to avoid and to try to create a positive and enjoyable
atmosphere)
First Half
• Analyse! Observe and record the key points
• Look for 2 or 3 team tasks (what/how you want your team to perform)
• Look for 3 or 4 individual player tasks (what/how you want your players to perform)
• Main points of reference are “how you want them to play”
• Try to observe and assess individual performances against expected outcomes and results
• Write some main points of feedback to give players at half-time (Team tasks and player tasks)
Half-time
• It is a good idea to divide the half-time window into three 5-minute blocks
• First 5 minutes: the players will need to attend to certain personal things, and it is also
wise to encourage them to discuss the issues from the first half. The coach can address
certain individuals and/or prepare the key points of their team talk
• Second 5 minutes: a team talk focused on learning from the first half and preparing
for the second half. Don’t dwell on the past, try to affect the future
• Third 5 minutes: final preparations before leaving dressing room, player interaction,
coach discusses with individuals/small groups
• Avoid substituting a player who has had a difficult first half. It is much better to provide
the player the information they need to take on board, and then see whether they
improve in the second half. This will tell you a lot about the player and their
development potential.
• Older players will of course require some team-focused and result-focused guidance
as they move closer to the Performance Phase. This is in addition to, not in place of,
individual feedback.
• Avoid too much talking and too many messages at half time; concentrate on 2 or 3 team
tasks and 3 or 4 player task only; sometimes less is more!!
Second Half
• Again, the coach should focus on individual performance. This is a good opportunity to
see how players respond to half-time feedback, as well as how they respond to changing
game situations
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Avoid the temptation to transform into a results-driven coach as the game progresses;
this is especially apparent when the team is losing and the coach starts shouting all sorts
of advice to try to get a goal. Two key points to bear in mind here: 1) observe how the
players respond, eg: to being a goal down: this tells you a lot about them, 2) maintain
the Playing Style, don’t throw it out the window and play ‘short-term winning’ football
Continue with observation and note-taking
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Post match
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Focus on the positive aspects of the game (not the result)
Give the appropriate praise to the team and individuals
Remember winning is the objective of the game, but not at all costs !!!
Finish on a constructive upbeat note
Remember it is only a game
GAME DAY TIME FRAME GUIDANCE FOR AN 11.00AM KICK OFF
• 9.45am-10am – Arrive at the ground
• 10.10am – Gather team together.
Name starting XI and substitutes
• 10.15am - Players get changed.
Team sheet filled out, checked and handed in.
• 10.30am – Team talk – Tactics - individual and team
Start warm up.
• 10.50am – Finish warm up
Final team talk
• 10.55am – Players organised-focused and ready to play
Player’s team huddle (self motivation)
• 11.00am – Kick off
Hopefully all of the above may be of some help when it comes to game day.
Yours in Football
Scotty Grimshaw
Football Queensland Development Officer
Sunshine Coast Football Zone
462 Maroochydore Rd, Kuluin Q 4558
P: 07 5456 2727
M: 0417 724 220
W: www.sunshinecoastfootball.com.au
email: [email protected]
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