We kick off the new series of The Inner Huddle podcast with 10 questions sent in by parents & coaches from around the world answered by Pez, Geoff and new resident Sports Psychologist, Betsy Tuffrey...

How’s the book coming along & what’s the hardest chapter you’ve written in the book?

I saw a Facebook post you put out about intrinsic and extrinsic motivators - can you explain more?

My child is junior school age and plays for a local team in the Junior Premier League. We’re informed by text on a Friday if he’s been selected to play in the team at the weekend. He gets real anxiety about being selected to the point where he even has to sleep in our bed on the Thursday evening. We like the team but we’re worried about the impact it’s having on his mental health. Do you have any thoughts or advice that can help?

My son was on trial at a pro club. Although he did very well, he wasn’t offered a place at the academy. He goes on constantly about trying again with an academy but after the experience he had I am very apprehensive about ever letting him try again. Do you think 9 years old is too young to be thrust into such a high-pressure environment?

I enjoyed your quote about reframing your praise to include the back story. Can you give me some examples?

Is the rise of so-called academy teams killing off grass roots football?

Is the pressure at a young age leading to kids burning out sooner which is putting them off the game and adding to the demise of the local amateur game?

When the boys get older and squad sizes increase i.e moving from 9 a side to 11 a side at u13 do academies also increase their squad numbers or will they already have the players they need for 11 a side? I guess what I’m asking is do they have a “recruitment drive” and scout new players for the bigger squads?

My daughter has been playing football with you at Pezzaz for some time now. She absolutely loves it and now feels she’s ready to join a team. Do you recommend a girls only team or a mixed one?

If a parent doesn’t know how to find the right environment for their child, or where the right place is & what that looks like. How can a parent help themselves & their children to make good choices on clubs, coaches, teams?

This episode was sponsored by Seed Psychology - https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/