The Inner Huddle - The Football (Soccer) Development Podcast for Parents & Coaches of Young Aspiring Players

Series 2 - Episode 10 - The Ultimate Guide for Football Parents!

In the final episode of season two Perry & Geoff look at various chapters from Perry's new book, Did You Win, Did You Score...? (How to Help Your Child Succeed at Football & Life). Loads of great snippets and takeaways to be had for parents and coaches alike. Please see the book synopsis below.

 

The book is available on Amazon (link below). 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Did-You-Win-Score-football/dp/1913012980/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1L40Q60J7BGAF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IALWCNLKc8VUdoAof6op4w.ZlNsCgeAVASh3lsxRnxrvy2jGF4UWMxD61hXaCjdeBA&dib_tag=se&keywords=perry+cocking&qid=1704965403&sprefix=perry+coc%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-1

 

The book is also available from The Great British Book Shop (link below)

https://www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/did-you-win-did-you-score?_pos=1&_sid=f61fd5abb&_ss=r

 

“From what I’ve seen so far this book is something special” - Andy Reid (former Republic of Ireland & Premier League player)

“This could well become the youth football bible for parents everywhere” - Dan Harding (former Southampton FC, Brighton and Leeds Utd player)

“I think all coaches and managers should read this book as well as parents” - Danny Mills (former England international & Premier League player)

 

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR FOOTBALL PARENTS!! - OUT NOW!! 

How can parents help their child to fulfil their potential both on and off the pitch and get the most out of our national sport?

Every parent wants what's best for their child. Unfortunately, with very few resources available, parents of youth football players have had to mainly rely on guesswork, until now!

Did You Win, Did You Score? has 150 chapters to help guide parents through every step of their child's football journey and personal development both on and off the pitch. This book helps parents to understand the impact they can have, both positively and negatively, along with providing practical advice for helping their child to fulfil their potential and learn valuable life skills.

This book will help parents facilitate a positive experience for their child and avoid the many unintentionally damaging behaviours that can lead to problems. It guides parents to help their child build positive characteristics for life such as resilience, confidence and a growth mindset along with helping them to be the best player they can be.

It is as much about life as it is about football. It will help parents to enable their child to get the most out of the game to not only be the best player they can be on the pitch but also the best person they can be off it.

Perry passes on his extensive knowledge and experience of working in grassroots and professional football for over twenty years and at every level of the game from beginners to Champions League winners. It can be read from cover to cover or used as a reference book to be delved into time and again throughout a child's football journey.

Series 2 - Episode 9 - Youth Football Parents Q&A With Pez & Geoff

In the penultimate episode of series two, Pez and Geoff answer more questions from parents to do with youth football. The following eight questions were used to trigger many different discussion points and is a must listen for all parents and coaches!  There's lots of great advice for parents & coaches to help children fulfil their potential. Please subscribe, share and rate the podcast to help us grow and reach more like minded parents around the world.  

1. My son plays for a team with his friends, many of them have also started playing for another team. He’d really like to go along with them and play but by his own admission, he’s not as good as them. Do you have any tips on how he can improve quickly to help catch up…?

2. I have run an U10 team for two seasons and have really enjoyed it. However, I’ve found it hard to keep players for this season as many left to join another club that play in a more glamourous league. One of the player’s dads literally “tapped” them all up towards the end of the season (having joined us at the start of the season) and they left in the summer. Although one has already come back as it was far too serious and not much fun. It’s really knocked my confidence and the way I’ve been treated has had an effect on my enthusiasm, to the point I’m not sure I want to do it anymore. Is tapping up a normal part of children’s football and should I quit if my enthusiasm has gone?

3. My question is about academy football- my son loves to find space and pass and move, but when he’s at academy training and they do small sided matches…no one else passes. In fact you see players running into 6 opponents with their head down. And it’s encouraged. I get the 1v1 idea, beat the man etc. but even this surely needs coaching? Do I get my son to come and snatch the ball and copy others trying to take on the team untill they lose it or stick to making the choices he wants on standing off the play yelling for the ball which inevitably never comes! And will those coaches recognise his spatial awareness or see it as him not being involved?

4. I have a daughter that plays u12’s football for a grassroots side. In pre-season a local academy held ‘elite’ trials, recommended to us by her coach she did them and was successful. The coach did not realise at the time that the ‘elite’ training clashes with her team training. She’s been doing half of her club then onto the elites straight after (her choice) now it’s dark that’s not possible and the coach has said if she chooses elites she will have to start on the bench come game day. Ultimate question is what should she do? She will improve with the elite training playing with better players but miss out on starting games. I’ve left all this up to her and she’s made all of the decisions around it so far.

5. What is/are the biggest misconceptions about coaching youth football that you hear all the time?

6. If my child wants a career in football (not necessarily as a player), other than the FA qualifications, what should they do to help support their future career?

7. Why does playing Futsal enhance your football training?

8. Who do you think is the best Futsal player in the world and why (past or present)

Please send any questions you want answered/discussed to Pez at perry@pezzazstreetsoccer.com or 07818225592 

 

This episode was sponsored by SR Health, Safety & Engineering Ltd:

https://www.srhse.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Series 2 - Episode 8 - Youth Football Parents Q&A With Pez & Geoff

In the eighth episode of series two, Pez and Geoff answer more questions from parents to do with youth football. The following seven questions were used to trigger many different discussion points and is a must listen for all parents and coaches!  There's lots of great advice for parents & coaches to help children fulfil their potential. Please subscribe, share and rate the podcast to help us grow and reach more like minded parents around the world.  

1. My son has suddenly decided that he wants to stop playing football. He’s 12 years old and a pretty decent player. I don’t want him to quit and nor do his coaches but he’s made up his mind. It’s caused quite a bit of friction between us. Can you give me some advice please…?

2. My son doesn’t like watching football with me. He plays in a team but when a big game is on he’d rather go upstairs and play on his Xbox. I feel I learned the most about the game by watching all the time. What are your thoughts?

3. I live in an area where we have lots of football clubs, franchises and soccer schools. How do I know which one might be best for my child to attend…?

4. Do you think that mindset is more important than talent?

5. What do you think the future of youth football will look like in terms of developing players and what would you like to see?

6. Do you think it’s more important to play more matches than it is to train?

7. Please can I have some advice. Before my son started playing Futsal he was a very steady footballer. He would work hard, win the ball back and look for the best pass. He very rarely put a foot wrong but never really did anything to stand out! Since futsal he’s become a lot more confident on the ball and is happy to try and beat a man, however, he will now at times get himself in trouble during football matches by trying something new. Is that a normal part of his development?

Please send any questions you want answered/discussed to Pez at perry@pezzazstreetsoccer.com or 07818225592 

 

This episode was sponsored by SR Health, Safety & Engineering Ltd:

https://www.srhse.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

Series 2 - Episode 7 - Youth Football Q&A With Pez & Geoff

In the seventh episode of series two, Pez and Geoff go deeper into youth football subjects than ever before! The following six questions were used to trigger many discussion points, many hard hitting, on a variety of topics. Lots of great advice for parents & coaches to help children fulfil their potential. 

1. With only a limited amount of time for my child to practice, do you think he is best off practicing his strengths or his weaknesses…?

2. In a previous episode you talked about the power of visualisation. Can you explain more?

3. What are your top tips for parents that have young children just starting playing football?

4. I saw the quote from Arsene Wenger about technical skills that you sent out. Please could you elaborate more on the subject…?

5. My son plays for his local team and used to really enjoy it. A lot of the players from his team now play for a Saturday team as well, and they’ve started to make fun of my son for not being good enough as they are now in an academy. Can you offer us, his parents, any advice to help him…? We’re new to football and don’t fully understand the differences in the teams and how to explain things to him.

6. Our son’s U11s manager continually coaches the team throughout the match. I understand that children need some guidance but he talks them through every play and every situation. It’s got the team quite well organised but none of the players take risks or express themselves. Other parents seem to love it as results are good but I get very frustrated with it. Am I right to think that their creativity is being coached out of them or should I accept that this is how most managers operate and get on with it…?

Please send any questions you want answered/discussed to Pez at perry@pezzazstreetsoccer.com or 07818225592 

 

This episode was sponsored by SR Health, Safety & Engineering Ltd:

https://www.srhse.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

Series 2 - Episode 6 - Youth Football Q&A With Pez, Geoff & Betsy

The sixth episode of the new series has Pez, Geoff & Betsy answering and discussing more questions sent in from parents and coaches. They needed to draw upon all their years of professional coaching and sports psychology experience to answer some of these belters...

1. My 6-year-old recently got scouted for a professional club whilst playing in a tournament. The scout has asked 3 of the players, including my son, to attend a training session. The two others are going but we (his parents) are worried that he’s too young. We want him to simply enjoy playing football without any pressure. However, we are concerned that he might not get another opportunity. What are your thoughts?

2. I’m considering paying for some one-to-one coaching for my 10-year-old son. Do you think they are worth it…?

3. I love watching my son play football. I take him to every match and training session and stay to watch it all. I just wanted your thoughts as I’m concerned that I might not be giving him enough space. He’s 8 years old and seems to enjoy having me there.

4. My son is fairly small and sometimes struggles in matches against the bigger, faster players. Can you give me some advice to help him not lose confidence?

5. My son plays for a local Under 9 Sunday team. A few of his friends from the team have joined a Saturday team and he’s expressed an interest as well. We’re worried that it might be too much for him to play twice a week and all the training but don’t want him to fall behind the players that are playing more. Do you have any advice?

6. Hi guys! I see that you are holding an Elite Training Camp this summer. Are you looking forward to it and what type of things will the players be doing?

7. I run an under 11 team and I’ve had a couple of players miss games due to being punished for their behaviour away from football. Although I appreciate that children need discipline it can be very frustrating as we only have a small squad and I’ve had to change training sessions at the last minute. What are your thoughts on taking away football as a punishment?

8. I recently read that there’s not much point practicing penalties and free-kicks as the same pressure can’t be replicated in practice. Do you think that’s true?

 

Please send any questions you want answered/discussed to Pez at perry@pezzazstreetsoccer.com or 07818225592 

 

This episode was sponsored by SR Health, Safety & Engineering Ltd:

https://www.srhse.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

Series 2 - Episode 5 - Youth Football Q&A With Pez, Geoff & Betsy

In the fifth episode of the new series Pez, Geoff & Betsy tackle 10 more questions from parents and coaches. Probably the most diverse list of questions of this series so far and a fantastic amount for parents and coaches to take away:

1. My daughter likes to use her toe a lot, especially to shoot at goal, but a few of her teammates have teased her about it and saying she shouldn’t “toe punt” the ball. Should I be encouraging her not to do it?

2. What is spotlight profiling?  

3. The manager of my son’s U8 team has had to step down. I’ve been asked to take over and I have accepted. Although I played quite a decent standard myself, I am nervous taking over the team as it’s a bit out of my comfort zone. I really want to do a good job though and help the children develop. Have you got any advice for me?

4. My son is 14 and plays at decent standard of grassroots football. He’s had a few scouts come to watch him and he’s progressing well. However, he likes to play in the centre of the park and often tries quite difficult passes that often result in him giving the ball away, much to the frustration of his manager. Is there any way I can help him to understand when to do difficult passes and when to keep it simple…?

5. Should youth players be coached for positions, in terms of individual skills and tactical awareness, or allowed to roam free and find their own "cool”...?

6. Is there a way to help children who struggle to retain information learn what skill to use, what touch to try and when to use them? (We have a boy who is dyslexic and struggles with the how’s and the when’s but ultimately always tries and never gives up. He sometimes gets deflated as he knows he can do more)

7. How can I help my child go to the ball more?

8. My son is 12 and has been diagnosed with Osgood Schlatter’s disease. He’s been recommended to stay off sport for a while and take it easy. He’s a very active child who is always playing football/sport and is finding it really frustrating, especially as there’s not any definite recovery period and sometimes it’s not painful and he could participate. Have you any advice for how I can help him through this difficult period as he gets very down?

9. From your experience is there much aftercare after a child has been released from a pro club. 

10. Do you think there’s a good age for a child to join a pro club or does it depend entirely on the individual? 

 

Please send any questions you want answered/discussed to Pez at perry@pezzazstreetsoccer.com or 07818225592 

 

This episode was sponsored by SR Health, Safety & Engineering Ltd:

https://www.srhse.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

Series 2 - Episode 4 - Dan Magness Special Guest Interview (TV presenter, football freestyler and world renowned football entertainer)

Dan Magness is a TV Presenter, football freestyler and one of the world's leading football entertainers. He talks to us about his life growing up, the importance of practice, developing resilience in children and how he once juggled a football 210 miles from Wembley to Old Trafford without dropping it once! 

Question List:

1. What was life like for you growing up?
2. Was football a big part of your family life?
3. Were you always dedicated to football?
4. Who has been the biggest star you’ve met?
5. What’s the biggest achievement of your life?
6. What are your views on youth football today?
7. Is there anything you would have done differently in regards to your son’s football?
8. How many hours do you have to practice now and what’s different to when you started?
9. How important is it for children to develop resilience and how can we help our children to develop it?
10. What advice would you give to children about the importance of making mistakes and how they deal with failure?

 

Please send any questions you want answered/discussed to Pez at perry@pezzazstreetsoccer.com or 07818225592 

 

This episode was sponsored by SR Health, Safety & Engineering Ltd:

https://www.srhse.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

 

 

 

Series 2 - Episode 3 - Youth Football Q&A With Pez, Geoff & Betsy

In the third episode of the new series Pez, Geoff & Betsy tackle 10 more questions from parents and coaches. 

1. I heard you mention that it’s not a good idea to pay for goals. I’ve stopped doing it but my son’s granddad, and sometimes my wife, still continue to try to motivate my son in this way. Please can you explain in a bit more detail why it’s not a good idea?

2. What are your thoughts on clubs holding trials...? My son is 7 years old and I’m weary of taking him to club trials as it sounds quite daunting.

3. I'm a handball coach in Copenhagen, Denmark and love your show. Even though handball is a totally different game there are so many things you talk about that can be transferred. Do you have any advice for a coach on how to learn the tactics of football (Or in this case handball. I believe the learning process will be somewhat similar) and how to handle topics where you lack some insights? 

4. How much of a young footballer’s journey (Foundation/early Youth Dev phase) should be player led and how much should be parent led and how much does this relationship change with age?

5. On a previous show I heard you talk about social media and how it’s not always a good thing to be posting about our children’s football. I regularly post when my boy has scored or his team has won and I’ve not noticed anything detrimental yet. Can you please discuss the positives and negatives of regularly posting…?

6. My son has been showing a keen interest in football and would like to join a team. Have you any advice on what to look for when choosing his first team…?

7. My child really suffers with low confidence on the pitch. Is there anything I can do to help…?

8. My son always gets put in defence for his team. He’s an Under 10 player and plays well there but I’m worried he’ll get pigeonholed there and eventually lose interest. Have you got any advice…?

9. My son loves to play a variety of different sports. Football is his favourite and we (his parents) are wondering if he should start specialising in football and dropping some other activities if he’s going to progress further. We’ve noticed that the teammates he has that only play football tend to be the more dominant players and we’re worried he might get left behind. He’s an Under 11 player. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

10. If/When does coaching your own child become a negative influence rather than a positive one?

 

Please send any questions you want answered/discussed to Pez at perry@pezzazstreetsoccer.com or 07818225592 

 

This episode was sponsored by Dimensions Carpentry & Construction:

https://dimensionscarpentry.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

 

Series 2 - Episode 2 - Youth Football Q&A With Pez & Geoff

In the second episode of the new series Pez & Geoff tackle 10 more questions from parents and coaches. 

1. My son is fantastic in training but doesn’t have the same impact in his matches. How can I help him to reproduce what he does in training in matches?

2. Charlie Webster continues to impress - do you think you’ll see the likes of him again?

3. What’s better for my child’s development, playing with the best players & winning or playing with players with less ability & struggling?

4. I saw a great video online of a basketball coach telling parents off for shouting out from the side line – what are your thoughts about parents shouting instructions?

5. What have you seen change over the years you’ve been coaching and is it easier or harder now than when you started?

6. I’ve seen an ad for a training app that comes with a mat so that children can practice at home. Do you think this type of training works?

7. Geoff, do you have ideas on how futsal could be grown in this country?

8. My child is 8 years old and regularly gets left on the bench for his team. He’s quite small for his age and often doesn’t get as much playing time in the bigger games. His friends all play there and he wants to stay but we’re worried about his development. Can you give me some advice please?

9. Which is better for a child’s development - a new coach at the start of each season or the same coach all the way through the youth age groups?

10. My son loves futsal and we can see the benefit it has had on his football development. He’s going into secondary school next year and we’re worried that if he wants to fulfil his dreams of being a footballer then he should now focus solely on football and join a second football team. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

This episode was sponsored by Dimensions Carpentry & Construction:

https://dimensionscarpentry.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

 

Series 2 - Episode 1 - Youth Football Q&A With Pez, Geoff & Betsy

We kick off the new series of The Inner Huddle podcast with 10 questions sent in by parents & coaches from around the world answered by Pez, Geoff and new resident Sports Psychologist, Betsy Tuffrey...

1. How’s the book coming along & what’s the hardest chapter you’ve written in the book?

2. I saw a Facebook post you put out about intrinsic and extrinsic motivators - can you explain more?

3. My child is junior school age and plays for a local team in the Junior Premier League. We’re informed by text on a Friday if he’s been selected to play in the team at the weekend. He gets real anxiety about being selected to the point where he even has to sleep in our bed on the Thursday evening. We like the team but we’re worried about the impact it’s having on his mental health. Do you have any thoughts or advice that can help?

4. My son was on trial at a pro club. Although he did very well, he wasn’t offered a place at the academy. He goes on constantly about trying again with an academy but after the experience he had I am very apprehensive about ever letting him try again. Do you think 9 years old is too young to be thrust into such a high-pressure environment?

5. I enjoyed your quote about reframing your praise to include the back story. Can you give me some examples?

6. Is the rise of so-called academy teams killing off grass roots football?

7. Is the pressure at a young age leading to kids burning out sooner which is putting them off the game and adding to the demise of the local amateur game?

8. When the boys get older and squad sizes increase i.e moving from 9 a side to 11 a side at u13 do academies also increase their squad numbers or will they already have the players they need for 11 a side? I guess what I’m asking is do they have a “recruitment drive” and scout new players for the bigger squads?

9. My daughter has been playing football with you at Pezzaz for some time now. She absolutely loves it and now feels she’s ready to join a team. Do you recommend a girls only team or a mixed one?

10. If a parent doesn’t know how to find the right environment for their child, or where the right place is & what that looks like. How can a parent help themselves & their children to make good choices on clubs, coaches, teams?

This episode was sponsored by Seed Psychology - https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/

 

Your hosts are:

Perry Cocking (Pezzaz Street Soccer & formerly Southampton FC) - 

www.pezzazstreetsoccer.com

https://www.facebook.com/perrycockingauthor

 

Geoff Bonner (Wessex Futsal Club) - 

https://www.facebook.com/wessexfutsal

 

Betsy Tuffrey (Seed Psychology) - 

https://www.seedpsychology.co.uk/