In this Q&A, PDP Co-founder, Dave Wright is joined by PDP Coaching Advisor, James Coutts to discuss some of the core skills that are critical for young players to develop, how we can support them and some practical ideas for you to implement.

Don't forget you to head over to playerdevelopmentproject.com to find out more about our new online courses or to sign up for a monthly or annual membership to access all of our coaching content.

The Foundation Phase broadly covers the ages of 8-12 in youth soccer and is a crucial period of experimentation and skill acquisition for young players. So what game formats should we use in order to give them the best opportunities to learn, enjoy the sport, and develop? Below, we look at the range of formats available to coaches and consider how we can incorporate them into our training and games programs to give kids a variety of positive experiences playing soccer.

Read more here.

Leadership is an inherent part of coaching. In this Masterclass Discussion, PDP Co-founder, Dave Wright is joined by father and son coaches, Keith & David Mayer for an in depth discussion on the topic of authenticity and leadership.

Keith and David Mayer have just released their second book, The Lone Wolf: A Story About Assumptions, Authenticity & Action.

Some of the key concepts from the book underpin this conversation with Keith, David and Dave diving into the following areas:

• What is authenticity?
• The coach as a role model
• How can coaches be authentic in their approach?
• The importance of self-awareness
• Mental health and it's place in sport
• Plus much more

If you enjoy this discussion, you can buy Keith & David's book on Amazon and don't forget to check out their previous PDP Masterclass Discussion on Building Connections by clicking here.`

Become a better coach by joining a supportive global community of coaches sharing ideas and learning together. Check out the PDP Membership here.

In this podcast, PDP Co-founder, Dave Wright sits down with Andrew Watt, Youth Development Phase Manager at Fulham FC, to discuss how the Premier League club supports players across the U9-U16 age groups.

Andrew provides insights into the Fulham Academy’s principles, his views on talent identification, the different approaches to coaching children from U9s all the way through to U16s, and how to manage the transitions to different game formats.

For the full video discussion head to playerdevelopmentproject.com or click here to be taken straight to the post and don't forget you can sign up to PDP on a monthly or annual membership to access our huge range of learning resources.

The question this week comes from Gav through the PDP Slack Community:
Gab asks, “How do you support players with self reflection?”

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The question this week comes from the PDP Slack Community: How do I help teenage players value defending?

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Professor Stephen Rollnick is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years experience. In this Masterclass Discussion, Stephen joins PDP Co-founder, Dave Wright for an in depth discussion on coach communication, the skill of motivational interviewing and much more.

Stephen is a truly world-class thinker and practitioner who is applying his extensive knowledge to sport. This conversation covers a range of topics around connection, communication, tradition and relationships which will help coaches improve their ability to build effective relationships in their coaching.

Watch the full conversation here.

The question this week comes from Tom through the PDP Slack Community:

Tom asks, "How do you support players with self reflection?"

In our latest masterclass PDP Coaching Advisor James Coutts is joined by former QPR player and current Bristol City FC u18 lead coach Trevor Challis.

In this discussion Trevor shares some invaluable stories from his playing days and in particular the late great Ray Wilkins that has helped shape how Trevor coaches now.

A great discussion around 'guiding' players through their journey and ensuring that being honest along the way is very important.

Warren Grieve is an AFC Pro License holder and Technical Director at Football NSW in Australia. In this interview, PDP Editor, Dave Wright sits down with Warren to talk coach education, learning environments and more.

This conversation covers a range of topics including:

• Insights into Warren's experience doing the Pro License
• Advice for coaches undertaking courses
• Tackling the question, "What is Coaching?"
• Common misconceptions on coaching courses
• Session design
• Creating learning environments
• Plus much more

This is an insightful discussion for developing coaches, particularly those who have an interest in pursuing formal courses and qualifications.