South London rightly generates a lot of clamour in recognition of the players it produces but what about it's coaches? Harry Watling joined me this week as we dove in deep into the secrets behind the rise of one of the UK's top coaching exports. At 31 Harry was appointed as the head coach of USL team; Hartford Athletic, in the process becoming the league's youngest. Coaching at prestigious academies such as Chelsea, Millwall & West Ham provided Harry the ultimate education in talent development. His experience as an elite developer alongside a healthy dose of emotional intelligence with some old school values added into the mix stacked the odds in his favour. Not knowing when the opportunity is coming but doing everything to be ready. This is Harry's journey to date and there is something here for everyone to take away. Among what we discussed included;

- What did Harry do in his first off season in management?

- Learning the art of balancing performance and education within Chelsea's academy.

- The rising tide of young English coaches breaking down barriers to enter the game.

- How understanding business dynamics smoothed Harry's transition from coach to manager?

- The steps taken to achieve buyin amongst a new group of players before inspiring the execution.

- Generalist v Specialist coaches (and the art of delegation).

- Where Harry looks for inspiration?

Timestamps;

00:00 - 05:14 - A coach's life

05:15 - 13:25 - Breaking down walls

13:26 - 16:30 - Talent development

16:31 - 22:57 - Management

22:58 - 29:26 - Generalist v Specialist

29:27 - 36:16 - Inspiration & Advice

Harry's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-watling-060623123/

Harry's Instagram ; https://www.instagram.com/h_watlingcoach/?hl=en