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🎙️ Episode 114 – What Makes Great Coach Development? (with Ray Power)
Brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly (@SoccerCoachWeek)

What really makes coach development effective?

In this episode, Scott is joined by coach educator, author, and Head of Football at Bangladesh’s National Academy, Ray Power, for a deep dive into the principles that truly help coaches grow.

Forget ticking boxes and CPD hours — this is about developing thinking coaches who can reflect, adapt, and lead.

🧠 Topics include:

• Why context matters more than any single qualification
• The difference between improving sessions vs. improving coaches
• How to create safe environments for experimentation and reflection
• The power of mentorship — and what makes a great mentor
• Ray’s take on coach-led learning and real-world application
• How to filter the noise of webinars, books, AI, and social media
• What Ray would keep, drop, or radically change in coach education

This episode is full of honest insights and practical advice — perfect for coaches at any stage of their journey.

🔗 Connect with Ray Power:
Twitter: @power_ray
Coach Ed webinars & resources: Click here
🎟️ 15% Discount Code: PODCAST

💬 Let us know what you think!
Twitter: @SoccerCoachCast
Email: thesoccercoachingpodcast@gmail.com

🙏 Thanks for listening – please follow, rate, and share the episode!

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Episode 113,

Brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly (@SoccerCoachWeek)

Episode 113 - Formations and Playing Positions, a conversation with Ray Power

Football formations mystify many coaches – are they essential blueprints or merely starting points for something more fluid? Ray Power, Head of Football at Bangladesh's National Academy (BKSP), masterfully deconstructs this question through the lens of both elite and grassroots football development.

Power introduces the refreshing concept of a "base formation" as simply your team's home – a familiar structure players return to when uncertain, rather than a rigid tactical straightjacket. This perspective immediately transforms how coaches might approach formations with their teams. "Your formation is like home," Power explains. "When you're struggling or not quite sure what to do next, you have home base."

The conversation illuminates crucial distinctions between formations and playing styles, using the example of Mourinho's Chelsea and Guardiola's Barcelona both using 4-3-3 formations but producing dramatically different football. This reveals why cookie-cutter approaches to tactical systems inevitably fall short – each team's unique player attributes create entirely different dynamics within the same numerical structure.

For youth coaches transitioning players to 11-a-side football, Power offers particularly valuable insights. Rather than being wedded to a single formation, he advocates cycling players through multiple tactical approaches throughout their development journey. This builds more versatile footballers with broader tactical understanding – like Michael Carrick who surprisingly admitted never playing center-back despite his physical and technical suitability for the position.

Power's analysis of in-game formation changes reveals the psychological component often overlooked in tactical discussions. When players are comfortable with multiple formations, they adjust more seamlessly during matches without the anxiety that typically accompanies positional shifts. This psychological comfort allows teams to adapt to opposition threats or exploit emerging opportunities with confidence.

Whether you're a grassroots coach seeking to navigate the complexities of formations or an experienced tactician looking for fresh perspectives, Ray's practical wisdom and accessible approach make this episode an essential tactical masterclass. By understanding formations as dynamic frameworks rather than rigid systems, coaches at all levels can develop more adaptable, tactically intelligent players ready for football's ever-evolving demands.

Please do leave a review, like and share the episode!

Ray Power - @power_ray

Formations and Player Positions Webinar - https://www.tickettailor.com/events/raypowercoacheducation/1480696

15% Discount = PODCAST

The Soccer Coaching Podcast, Twitter - @SoccerCoachCast

The Soccer Coaching Podcast, Email - thesoccercoachingpodcast@gmail.com

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!

Send us a text

Episode 112,

Brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly (@SoccerCoachWeek)

Episode 112 - A Look At Grassroots Football, with Jason Carney, Director of Coaching at FC Portland and Author

In this episode we speak again with the wonderful Jason Carney, who is the Director of Coaching at FC Portland. We discuss his coaching background and updates since we previously spoke back in 2022. We discuss grassroots football, the obstacles to player development and some of the solutions. We also look at his latest book “US Grassroots Soccer, Great on Paper, S**T on Grass”

Please do leave a review, like and share the episode!

Jason Carney – https://www.fcportland.org/our-staff

US Grassroots Soccer, Great on Paper, S**T on Grass - https://www.amazon.co.uk/US-Grassroots-Soccer-Great-Paper/dp/1966442378

The Soccer Coaching Podcast, Twitter - @SoccerCoachCast

The Soccer Coaching Podcast, Email - thesoccercoachingpodcast@gmail.com

This episode was brought to you in association with our friends at Soccer Coach Weekly.

Established since 2006, Soccer Coach Weekly is a leading source of inspiration and advice for all grassroots coaches. Join thousands of youth soccer coaches, just like you, saving time and effort in their goal of having the most effective, enjoyable and successful coaching journey for them and their players. – https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the episode!