The Coaches Network Podcast

In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Danny Barham, a coach and performance analyst with over a decade of experience in professional football. From his early days in performance analysis at Birmingham City to coaching across multiple Academy setups, Danny shares his unique perspective on the game, the industry, and the mindset required to succeed in coaching.

This conversation dives deep into self-awareness, reflection, and learning to separate your identity from outcomes in a sport defined by unpredictability. Danny shares practical insights for coaches navigating the pressures of development, results, and personal growth.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Danny’s journey from performance analysis internships to coaching in professional football academies.
• The hybrid coaching role: balancing performance analysis and technical coaching across age groups.
• Why football is “the most complicated game of chess” and the industry an “impossible Rubik’s Cube.”
• Understanding what variables you can influence and what you cannot in coaching.
• The importance of self-awareness and reflection in long-term coaching growth.
• Detaching personal identity from outcomes to maintain perspective and well-being.
• Learning from mistakes: embracing the unpredictability of coaching and games.
• The role of continuous development, curiosity, and adaptability in professional coaching.

🧠 “As a coach, you cannot tie your success to the outcome of 22 random people doing random things.” – Danny Barham

📣 Whether you’re a coach, performance analyst, or aspiring professional in football, this episode will challenge how you think about success, reflection, and what truly matters in your development.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — how do you balance self-awareness with performance pressure in coaching?

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Richard Cheetham MBE, Senior Fellow in Sports Coaching at the University of Winchester and one of the most respected voices in coach development across the UK.

Richard brings decades of experience working across multiple sports — from cycling to rugby to high-performance environments — and offers a refreshingly human, reflective, and deeply practical look at what coach development reallyis (and what it isn’t).

From partnership learning to creating environments where coaches can truly flourish, this conversation is packed with wisdom, humility, and powerful real-world insight.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Richard’s journey into coach development and why working across sports shaped his philosophy.
• Why coach development is a partnership, not a transaction.
• How assumptions about how people should learn can limit growth.
• The importance of curiosity, feedback, and co-designing the learning process.
• Why great coaches need different environments — and how to identify what helps someone “come alive.”
• How to challenge coaches without overwhelming them (“not sunshine, unicorns, and chocolate cake”).
• The importance of doing the prep work before coach interactions — understanding individuals, values, and learning preferences.
• Why reflection is an active skill, not a passive diary entry.
• What Richard has learned from working with elite groups like the Royal Navy rugby team.
• What actually works in coach development — and why we still don’t ask this question enough.

🧠 “If you want people to flourish, you can’t assume they’ll flourish under your conditions.” – Richard Cheetham

📣 Whether you’re a new coach, an experienced mentor, or leading coach development programmes, this episode gives you a fresh way to think about learning, interaction, and what it means to truly support coaches.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 What environment brings you alive as a coach? And how do you help others find theirs?

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In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Ebun Thomas, Assistant Head of Academy & Head of Coach Development at Doncaster Rovers.

Ebun shares his journey from starting out as a grassroots coach at just 16 to now leading the development of coaches in a professional academy environment. This conversation dives deep into accountability, standards, mentorship, and what truly shapes a coach’s long-term growth.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Ebun’s coaching journey from grassroots volunteer to senior academy leader.
• The realities of holding coaches accountable — and why standards matter.
• The difference between experience and effective development.
• Why mentorship remains essential in producing adaptable, reflective coaches.
• How to build environments where coaches feel supported and challenged.
• Developing coaching behaviours—not just session plans.
• What Ebun looks for when identifying and growing coaching talent.

🧠 “If you want high standards in players, you need even higher standards in coaches.” – Ebun Thomas

📣 Whether you’re progressing on your coaching journey, supporting other coaches, or shaping development programmes, this episode will shift how you think about growth, accountability, and what defines a high-performance coaching environment.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 How do you hold yourself accountable as a coach or coach developer?

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In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Francis Aderiye, Academy Coach, Non-League First Team Coach, and lifelong student of the game.

From a knee injury that redirected his path into coaching at just 16, to now balancing roles across academy and senior football, Francis brings honesty, curiosity, and deep reflection to this conversation about coaching, development, and the ever-evolving nature of the game.

Together, they explore the grey areas of coaching — the bits that sit between philosophy, player freedom, performance demands, and what “good coaching” actually looks like in practice.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Francis’ journey: from injured young player to coaching at 16 and finding a new passion.
• Why football is never black and white — and how this shapes coaching decisions.
• The tension between academy development and non-league performance demands.
• Who really gets the credit for success: the player or the coach?
• Does coaching actually work — or does football simply go in cycles?
• The evolution of coaching: from command-style methods to autonomy and back again.
• Why players should be the “artists” and coaches the ones who give them the brushes.
• What a meaningful game model looks like and why clarity matters.
• How Francis approaches his own coach development and reflective practice.

🧠 “If the picture belongs to the players, your job is to give them the paint — not to tell them exactly what the painting should look like.” – Francis Aderiye

📣 Whether you're in grassroots, academy, or senior football, this episode challenges assumptions about coaching impact, player decision-making, and what modern development truly requires.

👉 Tune in now on all major podcast platforms.

💬 Drop a comment: What do you think coaching success really looks like?

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In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Sara Hilton, Senior Lecturer in Football & Coaching Science at Wrexham University, FAW Coach Educator, and UEFA A Licence Coach.

Drawing from her journey as a former international footballer turned coach developer, Sara offers an honest and insightful take on the realities of coach education, the importance of mentoring, and how the profession is evolving in a changing landscape of technology, learning, and human connection.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Sara’s journey from international player to academic and coach educator.
• Why coaching qualifications are more like a driving test than a destination.
• The difference between being a qualified coach and an effective one.
• Why mentoring—not just courses—creates deeper, lasting coach development.
• The need for reflective, critical thinking in coaches at every level.
• Balancing theory and practice: why great reports don’t always mean great coaching.
• The potential (and pitfalls) of technology and AI in the future of coach education.

🧠 “A qualification just shows you can drive on the day — it doesn’t tell you what kind of driver you’ll be.” – Sara Hilton

📣 Whether you’re on your coaching journey, mentoring others, or shaping education programmes, this episode will challenge how you think about learning, reflection, and what truly defines good coaching.

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 Join the conversation — what do you think is the future of coach education?

#CoachDevelopment #CoachEducation #Mentorship #LearningInSport #TheCoachesNetwork

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🎙 Episode 370: Jamie Bird | The Future of Performance Analysis in Football

In this episode of The Coaches Network Podcast, CoachYas is joined by rising performance analyst Jamie Byrne, a dynamic young professional carving a path in elite football.

At just 23 years old, Jamie has already worked with clubs such as Birmingham City Women, Crystal Palace, and currently supports AAFP in Colombia. With a First-Class Honours in Sport & Exercise Science and an MSc in Applied Performance Analysis underway, Jamie brings both academic insight and real-world experience to the conversation.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Jamie’s unique journey into football analysis and early career experiences
• The evolving role of the performance analyst in modern football
• Balancing individual vs. team analysis for player development
• How collaboration, challenge, and uncertainty foster better coaching outcomes
• Real-life stories of influencing tactical decisions and earning coach trust
• Why analysts must learn to communicate and challenge effectively within MDTs
• Jamie’s belief that “opposition is opportunity” — embracing feedback and critical thinking

💬 “People aren’t challenging you to spite you — they’re doing it to make you better.” – Jamie Byrne

🔗 This Episode Is Perfect For:

• Analysts and aspiring analysts in sport
• Coaches seeking better integration with analysis teams
• Students of sport science, performance analysis & coaching
• Anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes development of footballers

🎧 Listen Now: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all major platforms

📲 Follow us @TheCoachesNetwork for exclusive content, coaching insights & CPD opportunities

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🎙 Episode 369: Tony Caig | Developing Goalkeepers for the Modern Game

In this episode of The Coaches Network Podcast, CoachYas is joined by Tony Caig, current Head of Academy Goalkeeping at Newcastle United and National Team Goalkeeping Coach for Northern Ireland Men’s Senior Team.

With a playing and coaching career spanning decades, Tony brings a wealth of experience from both the pitch and the technical area. The conversation explores the evolution of the goalkeeper role, insights from his transition from player to coach, and the realities of coaching goalkeepers in the modern game.

🧤 Key Discussion Points:

• Tony’s journey from pro player to top-level goalkeeping coach
• How the goalkeeper role has evolved technically, physically, and tactically
• The challenges and nuances of coaching goalkeepers in today’s game
• The importance of understanding the individual’s physical and psychological profile
• Striking the balance between traditional techniques and modern approaches
• The value of feeling in goalkeeping: why some saves aren’t teachable
• Dealing with mistakes and using them as learning tools
• The role of comfort vs. discomfort in goalkeeper development

💡 “Prevention is better than cure.” – Tony Caig on the proactive evolution of the modern goalkeeper

🔗 Perfect For:

• Goalkeeping coaches at all levels
• Outfield coaches seeking a deeper understanding of the GK position
• Sports psychologists & coach educators
• Anyone interested in player development and position-specific coaching

🎧 Listen Now: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Follow us @TheCoachesNetwork for more coaching content, conversations, and CPD opportunities.

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🎙️ Episode 368 – Creating Football Learning Situations with Mark Schuur

In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Dutch coach Mark Schuur to explore what it means to create learning-centred, game-relevant environments for players. With a background in PE teaching and academy coaching, Mark shares insights from his journey through the Dutch coaching landscape, including his time at FC Utrecht and other professional setups.

Together, they unpack:

• How to design sessions that replicate the game
• The importance of clarity and simplicity in coaching
• Why asking the right questions can be more powerful than delivering information
• How to shift your mindset from planning drills to crafting learning experiences
• Balancing technical repetition with tactical decision-making
• Strategies for increasing player ownership and engagement

Whether you coach grassroots or elite players, this episode will spark ideas for how to enhance your delivery and impact through purposeful design and reflective practice.

🔍 What You'll Learn:

• How to create more meaningful and effective football sessions
• The benefits of using small-sided games and positional constraints
• Why variety isn’t always better – and how consistency builds understanding
• How to foster motivation and autonomy through reflection
• What Mark learned from coaching U13s through to senior pros

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🎙 Episode 367 – Dr. Peter Sear | Empathic Leadership, Ego & Coaching with Compassion

In this episode, Coach Yas sits down with Dr. Peter Sear—founder of The Empathic Coach and a specialist in empathy, leadership, and high-performance environments. Together, they explore what it really means to lead with empathy in elite sport, and how ego, emotion, and compassion shape the environments we create.

Peter brings a unique blend of academic research and applied practice, breaking down how coaches can connect more deeply with athletes, build trust, and manage their own emotional landscape more effectively.

💡 Key Talking Points

• Why empathy is a skill, not just a personality trait—and how it can be developed.
• The difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion in coaching contexts.
• How ego shows up in coaching—and why awareness is the first step to managing it.
• Why understanding emotions (yours and others’) is essential for high-performing teams.
• The role of storytelling and reflection in enhancing emotional intelligence.
• Practical strategies to bring more empathy into your language, tone, and presence.
• What “empathic leadership” looks like in a results-driven, competitive environment.

🧠 “The best coaches are emotionally intelligent. They see the person, not just the performer.” – Dr. Peter Sear

📱 Whether you're a head coach, team leader, or just starting your coaching journey, this episode offers fresh insight into how emotional awareness can transform your leadership style—and the culture of your team.

👉 If this connected with you, tag a coach you respect and start a conversation around ego, empathy, and evolving your practice.

💬 We’d love to hear your thoughts—how are you developing empathy as a skill?

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🎙 Episode 366 – Danny Pilgrim | Commentary vs. Coaching, Self-Awareness & Using Coach Developers

In this episode, Coach Yas is joined by Danny Pilgram (Birmingham City FC Academy Coach & Non-League First Team Coach) for a grounded, honest and insightful conversation about the journey of becoming a coach—and what it really means to coach, not just commentate.

Danny shares reflections from over a decade of experience across academy and senior football, breaking down the trap many new coaches fall into: mistaking talking for teaching. He explores the importance of clarity, intentionality, and the power of feedback in developing your practice.

💡 Key Talking Points

The difference between commentary and actual coaching—and why it matters.

How easy it is to lose focus mid-session, even with the best intentions.

Why having a "buddy coach" or trusted colleague can sharpen your practice.

Practical strategies to audit your own coaching language and interventions.

How to get the most out of working with a coach developer.

Why self-awareness and deliberate reflection must underpin your coaching identity.

🧠 “You can still develop yourself—even while delivering a session.” – Danny Pilgrim

📱 Whether you're new to coaching or mentoring others, this episode is packed with real-world insight and tips you can use straight away. From using your phone to record your own voice, to learning how to ask coach developers for specificfeedback—this one’s a practical deep-dive into becoming more self-aware, coach-aware, and player-focused.

👉 If this resonated, tag a coach you rate and start a conversation about commentary vs. coaching.

💬 Let us know your go-to tools for self-review—we’re all still learning.

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