Putting children first: fun and engagement

In this episode, I sit down with Scott Benbow, a Football Fun Factory franchise owner in West Cumbria who's on a mission to transform grassroots coaching through learning science. After an 11-year break from coaching and a deep dive into neuroscience and learning development, Scott returned to football with a radically different approach—one that prioritises how children learn over traditional coaching methods. We explore his journey from burnout to breakthrough, discussing how Lauren Waldman's 'Joining Forces with Your Brain' course completely changed his understanding of what coaches should actually be doing. Scott challenges the isolated drill model, shares practical techniques like his 30-second focus activation method, and makes a compelling case that children don't need us to learn—they need us to enhance learning that's already happening naturally.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Focus is the gateway to learning - Scott explains how he uses simple techniques (like writing children's names with a luminous football) to activate focused attention for 30-60 seconds before any instruction, dramatically improving engagement and learning outcomes.
2. Children don't need coaches to learn, but coaches can enhance or hinder the process - By understanding neural network development and how the brain naturally learns through environmental interaction, coaches can step back from prescriptive teaching and design richer learning environments instead.
   
   
3. The grassroots coaching crisis is a systems problem, not a coach problem - Volunteer coaches are giving their time but receiving minimal support and outdated training. Better understanding of learning science could revolutionise how we support both coaches and the children they serve.

This is a good faith discussion between practitioners with complementary philosophies about the sport experience for children but some different perspectives on the underpinning learning mechanisms that drive practice design. 

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Ready to explore these ideas further? Join The Guild of Ecological Explorers – a community of practitioners committed to deepening their understanding of ecological dynamics and constraints-led approaches. Head to www.thetalentequation.co.uk and click the 'Join a Learning Group' button to become part of this transformative conversation