MWFA

Mark Scognamiglio has been involved with football on the Northern Beaches for the best part of his 40 years. First as a local player with the Cromer Football Club, St. Augustine’s and the Cromer Collaroy Strikers, then as a coach with Pittwater and now Avalon football clubs. Over his 20 years of playing the game, one coach sticks out as having a significant impact on him as a player.

“In my first ten years of playing, I always chose to be in defence and was never confident when I found myself upfront. But then my coach Rene challenged me by keeping me upfront and kept reinforcing that I had the skill and knew what to do, but I needed to find the self-confidence. After many woeful games, one day something just clicked. I had a cracker, and I left the pitch on top of the world and never looked back as an attacking player. I reflect on this a lot. Rene didn’t make me focus on technique or developing skill or just keep me out of the way — his focus for me was to be challenged and develop self-belief and self-confidence. This is something I try to keep front and centre of my coaching. Each session may have a different focus in terms of skills, but I always support and develop self-belief and challenge players to be confident in everything they do.”

Mark’s coaching journey started in 2015 at Pittwater FC, coaching his son’s U6 team. He has coached every year since.

“I started coaching my son’s team without really thinking about it. My family has always been involved with MWFA clubs, either playing, coaching or within club committees. When it came to putting my hand up to coach, it was a no brainer. I quickly realised how enjoyable it was, even at a junior level. It’s quite a rewarding challenge.”

In 2017 Mark and his family moved to Avalon FC and he started coaching both of his son’s teams in the U6s and U8s. It was there that he started investing a bit more into his development as a coach and attended a few courses with MWFA. He quickly realised that there is so much to learn, even at junior level.

“Since the first few MWFA coaching courses, my interest and passion for coaching has increased. Coaching the U10s in 2020 I was fortunate to have some real quality players within the team, and I quickly realised that I needed to develop my knowledge and confidence to keep pace with them. I also was given the opportunity to pull together the top U8 players into one team. Experiencing two teams, where each player is focused and throwing themselves into training and games, gave me a glimpse at coaching above social football, and it’s certainly a pathway I am interested in.”

In 2021 Mark will keep coaching both his son’s teams, now in the U9s and U11s, as well as his daughter who will start her own football journey in the U6s. Alongside that, Mark has put his hand up to work with Avalon as a CCC (Club Coaching Coordinator) and being part of the Avalon 2030 plan. It looks like being a busy year from him, but he is excited to see what the club can achieve and developing his three teams into confident footballers.

“I also need to keep learning as a coach. The Future Coaches Program came along at the right time for me, given my increasing involvement in coaching, The experience and knowledge, as well as the network of coaches and mentors, will certainly prove to be a wealth of support.”

MWFA is looking forward to seeing an ever growing number of confident footballers coming out of Avalon in the coming years.

Look out for more articles on other MWFA Future Coaches over the coming months.

MWFA is pleased to announce FFA Community Coaching Course dates for the 2021 season, offering coaches the opportunity to develop their skills and pick up some ideas to help organise fun, safe and engaging training sessions.

MWFA is committed to making coach development flexible and accessible to all of our stakeholders, with a variety of dates and locations available across the Northern Beaches over the next few months, along with other coach development opportunities being offered throughout the season.

More courses will also be added during the pre-season period and early season as they are confirmed.

MiniRoos Certificates

This course is designed for coaches/managers/volunteers and even parents involved with age groups U6 to U11.

The 3-hour course is fully practical and encourages the coach to develop practices that are based on FUN. The emphasis is on natural development i.e. learning by PLAYING football. No coaching but organising FUN football exercises is the key to helping players build a love for the game. Another highlight of the course is that the coaches are exposed to basic rules of the game as well as tips and hints on building a football culture in a completely practical setting.

The MiniRoos Certificate is FREE OF CHARGE for all participants, but online registration is still compulsory.

COURSE STRUCTURE

MWFA runs a flexible 14-hour format for the FFA Skill and Game Training Certificates to make it more convenient and also more realistic for coaches to develop their knowledge and skills while working with their own team at their club. This incorporates a minimum of 7 hours on-course time, followed by post-course support including online self-reflections and feedback, being mentored by their club CCC, and attending at least one MWFA coach workshop of their choice either at their club or at Cromer Park.

Skill Training Certificates

This course is designed to up-skill coaches of age groups U8 to U13.

In the Skill Acquisition Phase, the coach MUST focus on building a solid foundation of technical skill. Candidates will also learn about session planning, organisation, coaching methodology, as well as match day coaching.

The course is conducted over 14 hours, is fully practical and deals with the development of the 4 Functional Game Skills: First Touch, Striking the Ball, Running with the Ball and 1 v 1.

PAYMENT INFORMATION

The upfront cost of the Skill and Game Training Certificates is $90 which should be paid directly to MWFA, not through playfootball, and sent before the course start date. If you are an MWFA registered coach in the 2020 season, we will fully refund the course fee to you upon completion of all post-course tasks mentioned above. The $90 course fee should be sent via bank transfer to the following account:

Account Name – Manly Warringah Football Association
BSB – 633-000
Acc Number – 142619261
Reference STC or GTC plus your surname e.g. STCLAWRENZ or GTCLAWRENZ

Game Training Certificates

This course is designed to up-skill coaches of age groups Under 14+.

In the Game Training Phase, the coach’s aim will be the development of tactical awareness, perception and decision making through a game related approach to training. Candidates will also learn about session planning, organisation, coaching methodology, as well as match day coaching.

The course is conducted over 14 hours, is fully practical and provides the coach with training sessions designed to help the players apply the Functional Game Skills in a team setting using the FFA endorsed 1-4-3-3 formation.

John Dennison has been playing and coaching football for his whole life. He grew up in England, but after being offered a job in Sydney, John and his family moved to Australia in 2005.

The first thing he did was to enroll his eldest son at their local club, Seaforth FC.  This is where his coaching journey began and he has not looked back, coaching every year since.

Over the past 15 years, John has coached in every youth age group ranging from U6s to U18s. In 2020, he coached the U14 Division 1 Academy and U18 teams, as well as with the Sydney FC Skills Training Program. For the 2021 season, he will be coaching three teams, including the Seaforth U15 Division 1 Academy team. One of John’s proudest achievements was winning Seaforth’s prestigious ‘Coach of the Year’ award in 2018, and he strongly believes in developing himself as a coach.

“It is important to develop and maintain knowledge, and through my passion for football, I am committed to being the best coach and role model I can possibly be. I have regularly participated in MWFA coaching courses over the years and have the FFA ‘C’ License. I also supplement my football knowledge by reading books and watching matches.”

John also believes that coaching with a positive approach is important.

“I encourage and support the players at every opportunity. Every player is different in terms of ability, confidence and personality, so I adapt my approach and communication to best suit each individual. This leads to a positive team environment in which every player can develop and reach their potential.”

John is also an CCC (Club Coaching Coordinator) and member of the Seaforth ‘Coaching Development team’, as he wanted to share his experience by supporting players and fellow coaches across the club. During the football season, he can always be found at Seaforth Oval running a session!

He also some advice for anyone, including parents, considering coaching a team.

“Coaching and developing players to reach their potential within a positive team environment has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life, and I actively encourage everyone to give it a go. It can be time consuming, but is definitely worth it!”

MWFA is looking forward to seeing John continuing to create positive football environments for both players and other coaches to develop.

Look out for more articles on other MWFA Future Coaches over the coming months.

Patrick Tagliazucchi grew up in Modena in the North of Italy, an area they call the ‘Motor Valley’ due to the popularity of motor sport. Despite having a passion for car racing himself since he was little, as well as a dad who was a rally driver, he soon realised it was never going to be his future, as it was more of a sport for rich kids. Instead, most who grew up in the late 70’s and early 80’s in middle class rural parts of Italy spent their days kicking a ball around anywhere that looked like a soccer field, and Patrick enjoyed connecting socially through the simplicity and spontaneity of football.

Today, those values are still at the core of what he coaches his U8s and U9s.

“My motto is ‘keep it simple’ as much as you can, but also be spontaneous when you play football. I encourage them to create things out of nothing. It’s like painting something beautiful that you are not aware of until you see the end product. Seeing the surprised looks on their faces when they score a goal is my inspiration as a coach. At that young age it is amazing to see how much benefit playing a healthy football game can have on shaping their characters.”

Patrick fell in love with coaching the way many do: coaching his young son and seeing him progressing to the next level.

“Year after year I have been blessed to be part of his journey, something I was not lucky enough to have as a kid. I believe that at a young age, the right sporting structure, in whatever code it is, hand to hand with building a hard work mentality and strong role models to refer back to, will make these kids become stronger human beings at a later stage, not only in sport but also in life. It is a fine line though, as you have to respect and understand their different characters to be able to bring the best out of them. This is my role as a coach: helping them become the best they can be, whether that’s the next superstar or just loving the game and playing football until they are 50 years old with their friends.”

Patrick would like to be remembered as a coach the way he remembers his own coach.

“When I was a teenager all the way through to my 20’s, my coach was a hard bastard, but he made me a tougher man in life. For what he passed on to me about how to deal with whatever happens on the pitch, I will always look up to him and be grateful. The values he passed on to us were above all respect, perseverance and hard work with a group ethic.”

Similarly, his main goal as a coach is to be loved as a person first, and as a coach second.

“I need that intimate connection with my players so I can transmit the message across to them in the most effective way. Trust and respect, as well as a common belief in what we are working towards even when things get tough is my coaching backbone. I found in these last few years of coaching that a tight group of players are much harder for an opposition to break down, and they give a lot more to the cause of winning the game together.”

Patrick has a lot of hope for the future of Australian Football, with a talented and multicultural generation coming through. He is currently planning to coach an U9/U10 team this year, but he is also looking for opportunities to become an assistant coach at higher level, whether SAP or NPL Youth,

“I would like to progress and improve my experience in coaching training sessions and match day, and to be able to constructively learn new methodologies from professional coaches. I am also planning to do my C-Licence this year and will keep working on my main training tool – watching football games, because I love it!

MWFA is looking forward to seeing Patrick continue to have a positive influence on the next generation of footballers.

Look out for more articles on other MWFA Future Coaches over the coming months.

MWFA is continuing to develop the coaches of the future.

After the success of the 2019 Future Coaches Program, the level of interest increased in 2020, with 12 new coaches deciding that they wanted to undertake an intense and challenging experience, while 6 coaches from last year’s program have returned as mentors.

Like last year, the new group includes people from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages and levels of experience, as well as different ambitions and motivations for being involved in the program. The common theme between all of them is their attitude and desire to improve as a coaches, which means the bar has been set very high throughout.

8 sessions covering a variety of areas have been completed so far, with another 4 to take place early next year, before the program moves more into a 1-on-1 mentoring format during the 2021 season. A lot of the content was chosen by the participants, including video analysis, leadership and culture management, tactical understanding, and understanding how the brain works; while a lot of self-reflection and peer feedback has been taking place as coaches present about themselves and where they want to go with their coaching.

Several special guests were invited to share their experiences and advice to the group, including Sydney FC Technical Director Kelly Cross (pictured above), Sydney FC NPL Head Coach Jimmy van Weeren, and former Manly United Women’s Head Coach Chris Williams. MWFA would like to thank these guests for giving back to community football and sharing their knowledge, as all of the coaches very much appreciated their professionalism and openness.

Look out for profiles on each of the Future Coaches on the MWFA website in the coming months.

Another FFA C-Licence course has been completed in MWFA, with 23 senior coaches undertaking 7 days of intense education. It was a big challenge for everyone, but also a lot of fun with a lot of learning taking place, which they will now be able to pass on to their players and also other coaches.

The majority of participants were from within MWFA, with a good spread across several clubs, including 2020 Female Scholarship winners Tess McGrath and Sai van Wegen, and 6 coaches from the 2019 Future Coaches Program.

“It was a demanding but awesome course that significantly exceeded my expectations in terms of structure, knowledge and quality of delivery. For me it was equal parts enlightening and inspirational to experience first hand the commitment of FNSW and MWFA to driving world class coach development at all levels of the game.

And as a passionate lover of football, it also gave me a lot of confidence in the robustness of the underlying approach, directionally where FFA are taking things, and the quality of the people seeking to drive this change.  

Congrats to Eugene Lawrenz from MWFA, Drew Taylor & Chris Adams from FNSW – this is a fantastic foundation course that should be celebrated, with huge value being provided. Brilliant!”

• Greg Chipman (Wakehurst)

MWFA would like to wish all of these coaches the best with their coaching moving forward, and commend them for their commitment to the never ending process of learning and personal development.

MWFA will be hosting another FFA/AFC Youth C-Licence coaching course in February 2021.

See here for more information: https://www.mwfa.com.au/2020/10/20/mwfa-to-host-another-youth-c-licence-in-february-2021/