THE Ulster Championship last weekend felt like an extension of the National League – poor crowds, soft pitches and windy, wintery conditions. It was a far cry from the summer sod, when the sun is shining, the straw hats are out and the football is fast and intense. Down’s game with Antrim on Saturday was […]
IF you go to a coaching course looking for ideas on developing the punt pass you will be extremely disappointed as there is very limited material or ideas for coaches regarding the punt pass. If you go to a coaching course or witness a sample session you will see multiple games and drills that use the […]
I HAVE been asked the same question on numerous occasions recently by people who are getting into coaching for the very first time, particularly at underage level, and it is very simply ‘have you any advice for me?’ Well, apart from buying yourself some very thick skin and a crash helmet, I always reiterate the […]
WE are now three weeks into the National League and out of 32 teams, we have only seven on maximum points – Derry, Armagh, Donegal, Down, Westmeath, Laois and Leitrim. The competitive nature of Division One has only Derry on maximum points, but interestingly everyone has at least picked up a point, with Roscommon v Monaghan […]
I HAVE long been an advocate of trying to create overloads in a game of football. What I mean by overloads, is trying to manipulate a situation within a game where you create a 2v1, 3v2, 4v3 or even 3v1, 4v2 type situation anywhere on the field where you try and overload the opposition and […]
COACH Education is a subject very close to my heart, it’s a huge passion of mine, as a coach I never want to stop learning, in fact I have a small black note book I carry everywhere with me, quite a bit of my week seems to be spent in a car, so therefore the […]
All our schools are in full flow now and school training for most age groups has started across the province. I have mentioned the importance of school football before and how schools work in tandem with the clubs. As the club season comes to an end, the school season just starts and it is so […]
THERE we have it, the end of the inter-county season and the Dubs are the 2023 All-Ireland champions for the 31st time. Not many would have envisaged this coming after a National League defeat in Celtic Park back at the start of March, 1-11 to 0-13, in a Division Two clash. When Dublin got relegated […]
THIS weekend sees the showpiece in our football calendar: the All-Ireland SFC final and what is perceived to be the rivalry of all rivalries, 30-time winners Dublin versus 38-time winners Kerry. There are so many facets to this game that make it intriguing and we will have the usual preview talk of key match ups, potential […]
TWO weeks ago, before the real knockout action started in the intercounty championship, I spoke about the importance of teams limiting turnovers and how costly turnovers would be when it came to clutch moments in big games. The quarter finals were littered with them particularly in the opening game of the weekend when Kerry’s defensive intensity […]
