APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021 , Vol . 7
Although attending the football sessions was the hook for this individual , it became apparent that other opportunities were on offer to support his personal development as well as career progression .
While the project aims to be supportive of all young people , there is no tolerance of gang culture , in order to preserve the core ethos of the project :
" We have guys who come down and say ' we ’ re a gang '. We say ' no , not in Benson you ’ re not . You leave that out there . Come in , enjoy the football and meet other people or you don ’ t come .'" ( Leon )
Yet it is important for the project to ‘ focus on what the community problems are ’ and work with individuals and families to achieve positive outcomes :
" Each family , each individual has their own dynamic . What we don ’ t accept is bad culture from home coming to Benson . We ’ ve exploded all across the community because we were just supposed to be a football club and to be brutally honest it is the open transparency , the listening skills that make us a community project . Benson ’ s philosophy is to holistically approach every individual and its person-centred . I know people say that but they don ’ t take in the dynamics of the extension of that person and that includes family . The coaching actually coaches the family ." ( Mark )
Developing transferrable skills through BCP In addition to the four core themes that were identified , staff at the project also consider how they can support participants to recognise and develop transferrable skills .
While BCP clearly provides diversionary activities , they don ’ t assume that playing sport on its own is transformative in terms of personal development . Although it is introduced in a low key and subtle way , staff in the sessions make the most of opportunities to emphasise particular values and support participants to develop skills that are transferrable to other areas of their life :
" We say to the kids , you ’ ve got to remember that you ’ re a unit . I always use this car business . I say , ' if I take out the engine what will happen , the car can ’ t go anywhere can it ?'" ( Leon )
The importance of teamwork was highlighted by Sarah who emphasised how everyone in the team contributes in football to achieving an end goal :
" One girl in my female football session was getting upset because she had never scored a goal . But it ’ s like I said to her , ' How did that ball get to the goals in the first place ? You passed it to the striker , and then it ’ s gone in , so you ' re a part of that goal .' You are always reinforcing team , team , team ." ( Sarah )
Teamwork was further reinforced by Matt who discussed how he uses peer coaching to encourage teamwork :
" If I get a little kid that has just started football , I ’ d say , ' Come over here and help this one . Can you work with him ? I ' m going work with you , but work with him . Help him , show him where to stand and show him what to do .' They do that as well , so it ' s teamwork on the pitch at the same time ." ( Matt )
Another developmental area the coaches were keen to promote was inclusion and an appreciation of diversity . For Sarah , reinforcing the importance of inclusivity involves stepping in and using questioning if someone is being derogatory about someone else in the group :
" You want them to value the differences and the diversity of everybody else . We ' re all different individuals . When they first come to us , they don ' t realise other people and their opinions matter too . Some people come to us quite selfish but when they go on to progress through so many sessions , they change and they realise . I would say that probably doesn ' t happen automatically though . When working one to one I ' ll call them aside and say , ' Is that really the right way of behaving ? That person has feelings just like you .'" ( Sarah )
Sarah ’ s approach reflects the view that positive development is something that should be taught . Through reinforcing these values and using questioning to encourage young people to see the world from someone else ’ s perspective the development of empathy is being encouraged .
Conclusions Consistent with previous research , there are a number of factors that led to individual development through participating in the project . The project provides a safe space to play , not only in terms of the facilities , but also the culture that is created by the coaches . The culture of Benson connects with the needs of young participants , giving them a space to have fun and develop friendships . Coaches are present for support and to reinforce the core values of the project but crucially they are not agents of
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