Management styles and player happiness
As I reach the end of my 3rd season as a community coach, I can happily look back at the many dozens of matches and training sessions that we went through as a team. So many positives of course, and the usual hiccups.
But also quite a few thoughts about the styles of management I have come across (including my own!), and what it means to make young football players happy. So see below… Maybe this echoes your own experience?
Types of management
Thinking about it, I seem to have come across 4 broad styles of management:
Manager first
Manager-first coaches see themselves as ‘the boss’ and very much behave in a command-and-control mode, simply because they think they know best.
Focus: Winning, to prove to everyone, including themselves, that they are a great manager
Benefits: Quickly change the team culture and style of play
Symptoms: Manager boasting about personal successes, moaning at players and coaches; Prioritising winning over the wellbeing of players
Top players first
This second group of managers realise they need the best players to improve their chances of winning. So they focus on these, at the detriment of others.
Focus: A few specific players in the team (the ‘superstars’), in order to win
Benefits: Achieve ‘wins’ more often and quickly, at least initially
Symptoms: Some players being told early on that they won’t play as much as others; Exceptions being made for certain players; Finding excuses for some players giving up on the team and leaving, and hastily recruiting new, stronger players
Working for the whole team
In this style of management, the idea is to improve a set of players as one single, whole unit. For example, by planning training sessions so they benefit the ‘average’ player, by building up a strong team spirit, etc.
Focus: Developing a team of players, as one whole unit
Benefits: The whole team developing and improving in a sustainable manner; All players being included in both training and matches
Symptoms: Specific players (say, at the top and bottom of the range of ability) can feel ignored
Working for all and every player
This mode of management aims to improve whole teams, yet it does this by looking at every single player as an individual, with his / her own needs. Adopted as a key principle of coach education in Belgium.
Focus: Developing every individual player in the team
Benefits: Every player feels listened to, and his / her needs are catered for; The team as a whole progresses well
Symptoms: Requires a lot of management time and effort
All of this is not to say any one of these styles is inherently wrong or evil. It really depends on the context, and many coaches will show a combination of styles rather than just one.
Personally, being a community coach with a team of players with various levels of development and playing in a lower division, the first 2 styles feel really inappropriate. And while at the start of this season I was very much adopting a ‘whole team’ view, I now think the ‘every player’ approach makes even more sense for us.
A pyramid of happiness
What do players want from playing in a football team, and what makes them enjoy it?
Talking to coaches and reading quite a lot online (for the 5-Minute Football Coach newsletter), there’s no shortage of advice… From the ‘it’s all about fun’ (which I find at best simplistic, at worst careless), to ‘safety, learning, fun’ (good and simple advice from a mentor), via FA surveys which show that it’s not about winning, although talking to certain players, it actually is - it can all be a bit confusing.
All of which kept reminding me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, often used in business circles to understand how to motivate employees and help them be productive. If we were to transpose this into a Pyramid of Happiness for young football players, could it look like this:
The basic needs are:
Be safe: this is too often taken for granted. As coaches we have a duty of awareness of poor practice and neglect issues. And take care in planning sessions, refraining from taking part in games, and avoid having a shooting session against a young goalkeeper!
Play (proper) football: players wouldn’t have joined a football team if they didn’t want to actually play organised football, especially in matches. They didn’t sign up to sit on the bench!
Have fun: all training sessions and matches should be fun to take part in. That’s not to say they can’t be challenging at times, but having fun is essential
The psychological needs are:
Be with my (new) friends: It’s impressive how often this is what players like the most about being in a team - the simple pleasure of being with their friends, and making new ones. They need time to socialise!
Being a team: That unique feeling of being part of something bigger than just a few individuals, with all its anecdotes, failures and successes
Impress: Players naturally want to do well, and get a great sense of satisfaction from impressing their parents, family, coaches and ultimately themselves
Finally, the self-fulfilment needs are:
Learn and improve: What a great feeling to get better and better at what you like doing! Developing that sense of mastery may take time, but every little step of progress can put a smile on someone’s face
Compete and win: And by extension, taking part in competitive matches and tournaments, and coming out on top, winning trophies. Some players will want this more than others, but it’s always a nice thing, isn’t it?
So what do you think? Did I miss anything, or got something completely wrong? Let me know!
