OVER eighty coaches from the Lanarkshire area attended the first National Player Pathway inservice at Ravenscraig. Those who attended were delighted with what was delivered and you can hear from them in our video (right). Thanks to our partners McDonald's, Ritchie Wilson, manager of the south west region, and Alan Taylor, the central region football development manager, were able to deliver two, 2-hour sessions focussing on the 4v4 and 7v7 game formats of the pathway and covered topics such as the role of the coach, skills practices, codes of conduct and positive coaching. The launch of the National Player Pathway means from March 2011 all youth leagues across the whole of Scotland will operate 4v4, 7v7 and 11-aside games in accordance with the age of the children playing. The Scottish Youth Football Association who administer the leagues will put these formats into operation across the country over the next six months. The Scottish FA will help support the transition and the development of the players involved with coach education courses, Positive Coaching Scotland workshops and more of this type of in-service to show coaches the benefits of the pathway. To learn more about the National Player Pathway watch our exclusive video with Ritchie Wilson here.
The next National Player Pathway inservice dates for the central region as as follows:
Development 4s In-Service
Knoxland Primary School
Dumbarton Sunday 20 February
10.30 to 12.30pm
Apply to Mark Spalding - West Dunbartonshire Council
mark.spalding@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Soccer 7s In-Service
Kirkintilloch Leisure Centre
Saturday 5th March
9.30 - 11.30am
Apply to Stuart Alexander - East Dunbartonshire Council