Working with the same players over the last 2 years has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. There has been ups and downs as there is in any endeavour but the rewards are massive when you see what’s starting to occur within the group. I started at the beginning of 2014 with 70 boys working 4 mornings a week. They start training at 6.45am and generally finish around 8.10am. They do that for all 4 school terms and it has worked out that they train at least 160 times a year with the same core group and coaches.

The aim at the beginning of the project was to create:

• Players of significance
• Teams of significance; and a
• Culture of significance

I was hugely impressed and influenced by a presentation I attended at the Greater Auckland Coach Unit (GACU) by Ralph Pim.

“Dr. Ralph Pim is an inspirational teacher and a dynamic team builder. At the United States Military Academy, he oversees athletic programs for over 3,300 cadets consisting of 27 collegiate club teams and 12 company athletic sports.

Pim introduced a values education sport curriculum that produced phenomenal results and received global recognition. In 2008, Ralph and his staff were selected one of the “15 Most Influential Sports Education Teams in America” by the Institute for International Sport.

In 2009, Pim was one of only 12 educators chosen as a Sports Ethics Fellow by The Positive Coaching Alliance and the Institute for International Sport.”

The words that resonated the most with me and underpins everything I do with these players is “Create a Culture of Signficance” — and don’t leave it to chance. His presentation covered the entire gambit of the coaching process and development of the “how” in regards to developing the team/culture ethos.

My vision or mission for these players is (a direct mission from Ralph’s presentation):

To develop warrior athletics of character and build teams of significance.

This certainly isn’t for everyone. In fact a small group of talented players have decided that working 4 mornings a week and needing to own and control their own learning processes isn’t for them.

There is no right or wrong way to develop talent there is just the way that works for the individual and if something isn’t working for them then they should leave with no hard feelings on either side.

We often talk about “talent”, “skill”, “technique”, and other abilities as core to a player’s development. In my opinion the core values of:

• Character and being accountable to yourself and others
• Willingness to become a team player
• Total commitment to the key goals
• Competitive Spirit and striving to always do your best
• Competency and continuing to be in the growth mindset
• Communication both on and off the field with a range of verbal and physical skills
• Caring for themselves and for the others that are within their circles

Are of greater importance for a player to become a “player of signficance”. The moment a young players believes they are “brilliant” they start to become fixed in their mindset.

The greatest joy I get often in the morning is when I question a young player on what they should do, or could have done, I get a well thought out answer that reflects the type of player they are.

Regardless of the final level they achieve whether its playing for the school first XI or playing professionally I will take more joy out of the fact that I might have created individuals of signficance that understand what it takes to be “successful” with a team group.

To download the presentation that was given to the parents and children in 2013 click here: SPFA Presentation to parents