Youth Footballers Characteristics and Motivators Football Victoria Development

Youth Footballers Characteristics and Motivators Football Victoria Development acknowledges the contribution from the AFL Game Development Department, George Patterson Bates, Lyn Stevenson, Yvette Shaw, Sian Lloyd and Kate Wilson (Centre for Adolescent Health) and Deakin University

Is this familiar? Cats & Dogs "I just realised that while children are dogs, loyal and affectionate, teenagers are cats. It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it. Then, around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your doorstep, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry. It then pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before. "

Segmenting Youth EARLY ADOLESCENCE 12 -14 Females 13 -15 Males MIDDLE ADOLESCENCE 14 -17 Years LATE ADOLESCENCE 17 -21 Years

Early Adolescence 12 – 14 for females 13 – 15 for males • • Incorporates puberty Pre-occupation with “normalcy” Same sex friends Mastery becomes a key driver – the need to be good at something • Changes in thinking style • Start of autonomy

Middle Adolescence 14 – 17 years • Major concern – the opposite sex and separation from parents • Peer group importance expanded • Egocentric – they are the centre of the universe • Risk-taking behaviour is common • “I don’t need an adult’s control or support • Caretaker relationships become strained

Late Adolescence 17 – 21 years • Seeking to create and define their role in life • Confront their identity and values • Relationships become based on mutual respect and affection • Increased commitment and responsibility • Planning for the future becomes established

Identity Under Construction Who Am I ?

Aspirations Youth. SCAN 1999

What young people want • To be appreciated for themselves – not just when they are “good” • To feel they have some control over their lives • To be successful at something • To belong • To have people other than their parents care for and support them

What youth see as “fun” • High priority on enjoyment of activities • More immediate gratification • Like things light • Love stimulation of the senses, chaos, colour and movement

Six out of ten boys 14 -17 claim that they love to do as many sports as possible. How can you, as a coach, manage this? Source: Roy Morgan, March 2001

Life’s a buffet, not a menu. Self-serve Try everything Stack my plate

Helpful Communication Techniques • Keep calm, use humour • Don’t talk too much – listen more • Regularly give positive feedback • Speak only two sentences at a time – keep it short • Set very clear boundaries • Only argue over things that matter • Avoid confrontations or ultimatums • Help them to define the problem and options • Don’t constantly remind them of past mistakes • Talk while doing something together • Significantly reduce the use of questions or explain why you are asking them

Please listen … • When I ask you to listen to me and you start to give me advice, you have not done what I asked • When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me that I shouldn’t feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings • When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me – strange as that may seem • Listen! All I ask is that you listen • Don’t talk or do – just hear me

The Darker Side • Heighten feelings of hopelessness, despondency and uncertainty about their future (National Drug and Alcohol Campaign Research) • High youth unemployment and youth suicide rates

What to do … when to refer • Evidence of self-harming behaviour which may lead to: • • • Reckless activities Drug and alcohol use Careless sexual activity Eating disorders / poor nutrition Self mutilation

When referring try to avoid … • • Panic Preaching Challenging Ignoring Name calling Criticism Punishment • Blame • Being appalled or offended • Dramatising • Getting angry • Using a “quick fix” approach • Blaming yourself

When referring • Ask • identify the problem • Listen • pay attention, don’t judge • Act • seek support, don’t become part of the problem • Involve others • don’t try to handle a crisis on your own

Young Footballers • Why they do and don’t play • Deakin University research • In conjunction with the AFL

Discussion • List the three aspects of your coaching program that are: • Most motivating for youth players • Least attractive for youth players • As a coach, what are the top three actions you could take to increase the attractiveness of your program for youth players?

Gatekeepers and Dropout Zones

The Competition • Other team sports • Individual sports (tennis, swimming, extreme sports) • Opportunity to play for Australia • Duration of AFL versus other sports • Participation • Growth in “informal” activities (e. g. skateboarding) • “Play. Station effect”

The Motivators • • • Fun, fast High scoring Football is considered a very skilful game Social interaction, team-based Community orientation (regional) Self-esteem and recognition Physicality Tough AFL glory Beating boredom

Coaches • Perhaps the most important variable • Nothing is more directly linked to quitting than ‘abusive’, ‘angry’, ‘too serious’ coach • Coaches are knowledgeable technically • Perhaps too knowledgeable in some cases • Coaches seriously lack social skills for managing 10 -16 year olds • More technical training needed in some areas • Coaching plans/preparation critical

Participation • • • One of the most serious de-motivators Not enough time on ground No opportunity in glamour positions Exclusively in backline Too many players in some teams and too few in others • Advantages of other sports

Training & Games • Games can be fun and rewarding BUT if training is dull, too hard or too serious then dropout occurs • Games are often not competitive (more important to parents than players) • Parents are concerned about grading • Dropout can occur when better players leave club for representative footy

Social Issues • Fewer physical education teachers in schools • PE diminished in size, frequency, quality and range • Majority of teachers are female • If teachers take sport outside, other sports are preferred • Single parents • Social pressures on 14 – 16 year olds

Other factors in drop-out • • • • Simply too lazy Getting up early (parents as well) Driving to games and training Duration of commitment (parents) Violence / perception (also an issue for mothers) Serious injury Feeling unimportant Want to play in games but not train Relocation – new housing estates (facilities) or don’t rejoin Value of unscheduled, informal “play” Become better at an individual sport Clubs are amalgamating School commitments Natural Attrition