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Football season has begun and, for the top youth teams at the Hibiscus Coast Football Club, this means working with a professional coach.
It is the first time that this level of coaching has been provided to all the club’s youth A teams, and parents are funding it, paying $200 per child to cover coaching, a fitness programme and video analysis. This is on top of the club’s annual fee of around $194.
President Scott Beard says that the club is applying for NZ Football’s Talent Development Programme Licence and to achieve this, and so that teams can play in the top leagues, the club has to meet criteria, which includes having qualified coaches.
He says there are also benefits for players, parents and the club as a whole from having professional coaches.
“Parents appreciate that they are getting quality coaching,” Scott says. “It also removes the perception of a parent picking teams based on their child or other parent relationships. Expectations from parents whose child is in the top team can be high. In the past, we have had parents move clubs because they perceive that the coach is not up to the level their child needs. Providing a paid coach, who is completing coaching courses and well supported by the Club has improved this.”
The club relies on fees, sponsorship, grants and fundraising so the executive committee had to decide how best to fund qualified coaching fees.
Scott says there are Auckland clubs charging as much as $1000 annual fee to all members to cover paid coaching and other costs.
However, he says as 90 percent of the Hibiscus teams are coached and managed by volunteers, the executive committee decided not to raise the annual fee, but instead opted for a user pays system so that only the teams getting the qualified coaches pay.
“We believe that the players who are benefiting directly should cover the cost, and that the rest of the club should not have to support our elite players,” Scott says.
The club’s top men’s and women’s teams also have paid coaching, but this is covered by the club.
While use-pays coaching is common in individual sports it is less often seen in clubs. Parents approached for comment were all in favour. Jeremy Fourie, whose son plays in the U14 team, says the majority of parents are willing to pay for better coaching.
The fee is not due until June and there is an assistance grant that can be applied for.
Jeremy says it remains to be seen whether paying for coaching will mean some parents put more pressure on the coach regarding the team’s performance – and therefore on the teenage players.
“Having fun is the most important thing in sport at this age,” Jeremy says. “But we are finding that a qualified coach can tailor coaching to this age group, making the team more competitive as well as fun.”
