Discipline, persistence, emotional regulation, goal setting and hard work. The critique of technique, the internal challenges that you must overcome in your own mind so that your body can follow and manipulate the ball the way it needs to.
The level of effort that you decide to put in. Unfortunately, talent is never enough.
is to provide your child with the best opportunity to develop, critique and refine their skills so that they have the tools they need in order to excel within the sport, both physically and mentally.
Through the implementation of four varying programs, each session will be carefully constructed to be both age-appropriate and engaging. The future of football is changing, as it will demand technical players who have the ability to not only execute the fundamentals efficiently but do so in a clever and fast manner; this is the foundation of which our programs are developed under.
The Academy will work to promote the fundamental skills that children will need in order to be successful on and off the field; focusing on football, respect, discipline, perseverance, emotional regulation, inclusivity and honesty.
Conventional education relies on sitting, observing, being present in a closed environment such as a classroom, being heavily dependent on a daily timetable and structure; because that is how people learn.
Here’s a thought-provoking question for you: Do sports and education work hand-in-hand?
Universities and Colleges promote scholarships within sports, simply because they teach. But, what exactly?
my homework and school assessments used to suffer because of this lack of focus, and the last-minute rush to complete a task successfully.
During these years, I also played football at a high level, along with various other sports. Most of my week nights revolved around training and car trips back and forth from football training, school basketball games and swimming lessons.
Due to my young age, I couldn’t identify what types of lessons or virtues these sports were teaching me. It wasn’t until I matured and solely focused on football that it all dawned on me, and my procrastination began to disappear.
Perseverance, resilience, effort, discipline, sacrifice, team work and honesty; I found myself identifying these qualities I possessed through playing the single sport I love the most, and began applying them to the rest of my life.
My fine and gross motor skills improved, my effort toward my education improved, my communication with my peers, my relationship building with people I had never met, my confidence to be an individual and most importantly, the different outlook I received on life, improved.
The good, the bad, the failures and the successes. Children these days don’t know how to deal with these outcomes because of so many complexities and factors. My experience as a teacher has allowed me to witness such a lack of emotional regulation in young children, along with the inability to overcome mental and physical obstacles.
Additionally, as technology continues to move forward in our world, the fine and gross motor skills of many young children and some adolescents continues to move backward. Need I mention the importance of exercise for the developing mind and body; all being substituted or forgotten about because of screentime. I find myself constantly battling with why this may be the case.
The Play Football Academy is here to provide each and every child with the opportunity to develop physically, emotionally and mentally; just as they should be. No technology required, no screen time. Just a passionate physical education teacher who has played and coached the sport of football at various levels; trying to promote the fundamentals of the game to help develop athletes, but more importantly, even better people.
I want to create a pathway for young children and adolescents, to not only build their footballing skills, but their individual character, through the practice of the beautiful game. All at an affordable cost and in a safe and controlled environment, where diversity and inclusivity are fostered.
Welcome, to the Play Football Academy.