The majority of soccer players worldwide are male and the majority of coaches worldwide are male, so they already have an understanding of the needs of their players. However there may occur times when the coach is not the same sex as the players or that the players have a disability which results in the requirement for slight adaptations to occur within the session.

Different Sex : Minor adjustments may have to occur during sessions that have a coach that is of a different sex to the players. Read On*

Transgender / Transexual Players : There may become a time when a coach may encounter an individual who has altered their gender. Therefore coach's should be aware of and fully appreciate the guidelines in place. Read On*

Coaching those with disabilities

Introduction Article
Further introductory articles that are designed to provide fundamental information to assist understanding the procedure of coaching players with disabilites.

Accepted Terminology : Often coaches as well as people involved in football require information and updating on what terminology is appropriate to use. Read On

Child Protection Considerations : We all have a moral and legal responsibility for the safety and protection of sick and healthy children, young people and people with a disability, within football. Read On

Communication : A major element of successful coaching is effective communication, this means passing on and getting back information.. Read On

Ensuring Inclusive Coaching : We all like to believe we are inclusive but there are many issues that will need to be addressed before this question can be answered honestly. Read On

Personal Feelings : Good coaches want to see everyone participating and hopefully improving but how can you be expected to be able to deal with integrating a disabled footballer(s) into your coaching programme. Read On

Types of Disability

Amputee Players : There are currently a number of amputee players who are playing in mainstream football. These are upper body amputees with arms or parts of arms amputated. Read On*

Asthma : The causes of Asthma are unknown despite vast quantities of research being done. There are a number of contributory factors such as allergies and genetics. Asthma can get worse for no apparent reason but just as easily disappear completely.  Read On*

Cerebral Palsy : As brain damage is the cause, and generally this occurs prior to or during birth or in infancy or childhood, each individual will develop differently. Read On*

Diabetes : Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to make use of glucose. Glucose usually referred to as sugar can then rise to high levels in the blood.  Read On*

Downs Syndrome : Nothing done before or during pregnancy can cause Down’s syndrome. It occurs in all races, social classes and in all countries throughout the world. It can happen to anyone. Read On*

Epilepsy : The proper working of the brain depends on a balance therefore too many nerve cells sending messages at once without enough being blocked can produce a sort of electrical storm - or a seizure. Read On*

Hay Fever : The symptoms of Hay fever can be similar to a cold, and include a runny nose, watery eyes and repeated sneezing attacks. Read On*

Hearing Impairment : Whenever dealing with any of the conditions mentioned there are guidelines to follow which will make your coaching safer for all concerned. Read On*

Learning Disability : Basically a learning disability is a condition where a player’s brain does not develop as fast or as fully as it should. Read On*

Speech, Language and Communication Impairments : Coaches are not expected to be experts in this highly specialised field but to understand that sensitivity and common sense should be used.  Read On*

Visual Impairment : When dealing with players who may have a Visual Impairment it is paramount that coaches do not assume that all visual impairments are the same. Read On*

* the link from here has been disabled, as this is as the user has limited access in this version.

In the full version, Coaches Colleague has been designed to assist individuals with their football (soccer) grassroots coaching and as a result contains over 2000 pages and in excess of 500 football (soccer) coaching sessions.

This version of Coaches Colleague is a restricted access version. In order to gain full, unlimited access to this football (soccer) coaching resource you will have to log in or sign up. To sign up please click here to navigate back to the front page. Sign up today to experience the complete service of Coaches Colleague - the most comprehensive football (soccer) coaching website available.