Coach's Philosophy

Gerard, Bruce, Kirrily and I have been heavily involved with the Gungahlin Jets Junior AFC in a variety of appointments for a number of years. This has included work both with the Club Executive and in a coaching role extending back a number of seasons, which culminated with our involvement on the coaching panel for the Gungahlin Junior Jets Under 14s side during the second half of the 2007 season.

What you can expect from us
As a coaching and management team, all players and parents can expect the following from us:

• A passion for the game. Kirrily, Bruce, Gerard and I were all brought up in an environment where we were taught a real passion for the game of Australian Rules. We also continue to follow the game closely and with the same level of passion. Gerard, Bruce (an Ex Jets Senior) and I also played the game for a number of years at a variety of levels, with Gerard in particular having played at a senior level in Western Australia. Such a passion for the game is, in our opinion, increasingly critical to success in the game as the boys move into the more senior levels, where skill alone will not be enough to get them through. We believe that teaching such passion is critically important in a place such as Canberra, where the boys have often not experienced the same sort of almost 'religious' fervour surrounding the game as those of us who grew up in places like Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth where the game was (and still is) everything.
• Loyalty to the Club. Kirilly, Bruce and Gerard have been long time, loyal members and supporters of the Gungahlin Jets. They have been regularly involved with the Club both in an Executive, coaching and/or management role and via support for their sons as they have learned the skills and love of the game whilst progressing through the under age levels. Moreover, although my involvement with the Club probably pales by comparison, I committed myself to a coaching role with the under 11s during 2004 and then returned to the Club as an Assistant Coach with the under 14s after being posted back to Canberra in January of this year. Such demonstrated loyalty to the Club is, we believe, critical to credibility as a coach or manager, particularly at the more senior under age levels where the players tend to focus heavily on coaches and managers 'walking the walk' rather than simply 'talking the talk' about things such as loyalty, commitment, passion and discipline.
• A 'hands on' approach to coaching. We believe in a 'hands on' approach to training, by regularly involving ourselves with training drills in an effort to engender enthusiasm and to demonstrate some of the finer aspects of the game to the players. We consider that this approach is vital when dealing with older under age footballers, as they want to know that the coaches themselves possess many of the same skills that are being demanded of them and that the coaches are willing to set the example. It is also important for the players to see that their coaches are not infallible (we can do this without effort), whilst at the same time seeing them taking responsibility for mistakes and fixing any damage (no not talking injuries here to coaches either) that their mistakes might have done to the game plan. We also embrace an inclusive approach designed to allow player input to training and performance improvement aimed at making players take responsibility for their own fault finding and development. Finally, we have sought to actively encourage parental involvement both at training and on game day.
• A commitment to self-improvement. All four of us have an abiding interest in and passion for both the game of AFL in general and the Gungahlin Junior AFC in particular. This naturally extends to a desire to improve our performance at every opportunity by seeking feedback from players, parents and the Club concerning our performance and that of the team. It also includes embracing suggestions regarding training drills and game plays. To this end Gerard, Bruce and I will complete the Level 1 AFL Coaching course in February 2008. Kirrily is also committed to completing the Sports First Aid Course and the Sports Trainers Level 1 course through Sports Medicine Australia in the early part of 2008, which will benefit the team greatly in terms of injury prevention and management. We strongly believe that, by making the effort to improve our performance and skills as a coaching and management team, we will set a positive example to the boys in terms of their own self-improvement.
• A commitment to meet training and game commitments. All four of us have demonstrated an enduring commitment to attend training and games since coming together as part of the coaching and management panel of the Jets Under 14s last year. Indeed, on a number of occasions, we have had to take on responsibilities such as boundary and goal umpiring in addition to our coaching roles during games. This sense of responsibility and commitment to the Club, team and players is, we believe, vitally important to establishing strong relationships with the players and setting an example based on commitment, discipline and teamwork.

  What we expect from you
  In return for our commitment and enthusiasm we expect the following from team members:

• Commitment. This includes attending all training sessions (including pre-season and during school holidays) and games unless prior arrangements have been made (even when injured). It also includes a fierce attack on the ball, a 100% desire to gain or retain possession at all times and giving 100% effort at training as a constant.
• Teamwork. This means never leaving a team mate alone to gain or regain possession and doing the small things to help our team mates out such as shepherding, calling loudly and tackling with commitment. It also means not being critical of team mates or engaging in bullying behaviour towards them but rather giving plenty of encouragement or positive advice both at training and in games. (We all make mistakes; it is all about how as a team we recover and make reparation for them that is important).
• Discipline. This starts with arriving at training and games on time, following instructions and concentrating on drills at training and doing assigned jobs in accordance with the coaching panel's instructions on game day. It also means remaining focussed on the football and not the man, avoiding the use of bad language and not arguing with the umpires or opposition players or supporters. Any player that engages in any of these types of behaviour can rest assured that he will quickly find himself on the bench at the very least. There is a club and AFL official code of conduct that all players, parents, club administration and supporters are expected to abide by (there is no wiggle room on this).
• Acceptance of responsibility. This includes a commitment to self-improvement, not blaming others for your own mistakes and accepting that everyone, regardless of their position in the team, has a leadership role to play. It also includes a willingness to exercise initiative at all times.
• A desire to have fun. Australian Rules is without question the greatest of all games. It excites levels of passion and commitment amongst players, coaches and supporters that most other sports can only dream about. It is a highly skilled, exciting and fast moving contest that requires both physical and mental toughness. Training for and playing Australian Rules should therefore be enjoyable and rewarding, not a chore. This is not to say that training will be easy (because, especially during pre-season, it won't be). But it does mean that we want all team members to take a positive attitude to their football based and really enjoy it.

  In addition to our requirements of the boys, we would also like to strongly encourage parents to come along and assist at training, attend the scheduled information sessions, provide strong and vocal support at all games and help us out by volunteering to act as goal or boundary umpires, time keepers etc on game day. This will ensure that the coaches are able to concentrate fully on looking after the side. We would also ask that you provide every encouragement to the boys to get out and improve their football skills and fitness away from training and games.

  Conclusion

  During 2008, the boys that played Under 14 football last year will be required to make the demanding transition to Under 16 level football, which brings with it a increased requirement for physical fitness and toughness, discipline, teamwork and desire. Each of us are committed to assisting the boys, both individually and as a team, to play the best football they can, improving our own performance and skills, engaging with parents and supporting their involvement with the team and providing the right kind of leadership based on setting an example and 'walking the walk'.

  Go Jets!