In this episode of Deep Dive Drive, recorded on my morning commute, I explore a question that many coaches — especially in grassroots football — need to ask themselves:

Are you coaching the game… or are you coaching the score?

It’s easy to become focused on the scoreboard. Winning the match, avoiding mistakes, protecting a lead, chasing a result. But when the score becomes the main focus, the game itself — and the learning inside it — can get lost.

In this episode, I talk about:

• The difference between developing players and chasing results
• How coaching decisions change when the scoreline becomes the priority
• Why players sometimes stop taking risks when results dominate thinking
• The importance of staying committed to development principles
• How focusing on the game itself leads to better long-term outcomes

This episode isn’t about saying results don’t matter. They do. But if the scoreboard becomes the centre of your coaching, it can limit creativity, learning, and growth.

Great coaches understand that the score is just one moment in the journey — while development lasts far longer.

Coach the game. Let the score take care of itself.

One drive at a time.

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