The Sports Initiative Podcast

Steve Guinan is a former professional footballer with over 450 apperances at a selection of clubs including Nottingham Forest, Plymouth Argyle and Cheltenham Town. Now working for the F.A as the player to coach lead, Steve focuses on aiding players with their transition away from playing and into the coaching domain. Working with such individuals as John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, Steve has a vast array of experience assisting elite player with the beginning of their coaching journey. Also formally of the PFA, Steve has completed a number of study visits to international tournaments such as the 2018 World Cup and 2019 U21 Euro Championship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Ball is the Lead Professional Development Phase coach at Bristol City FC. Working mainly with the U23 age group, he focuses on aiding players in their transition into the first team environment. Formally the Lead Foundation phase coach at Southampton FC, Alex has over 20 years experience of working with player across a variety of age groups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Bednash is a Youth Development Phase coach at Crystal Palace. Focused mainly with the U15's, Josh provides support to players as they transition into their scholarship decision making year. Alongside his coaching role he also works as a technical analyst for Spielverlagerung. This in-depth analytical work, in which he breaks down intricate parts of the game such as showing inside during counter attacks or receiving positions as a 4, can be found on his social media accounts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Hughes is the Vice President of player, coach and curriculum development at Steel Sports. Formally a tutor for FAW, Ian has worked with some of the most well respected coaches and coach educators in the game such as Osian Roberts, Roberto Martinez and Patrick Vieira. He also worked for the FAW as a analyst in the lead up to the historic Euro 2016 tournament and world cup qualifiers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Wright is a Youth Development Phase coach at a Cat 1 Premier League academy. A Uefa A licensed coach who is well known for his work around constraint based coaching, Dan has also recently published a book focusing on the delivery of Small Sided Game in Youth football. Also a coach mentor for the Player Development Project, Dan works internationally supporting coaches in their delivery to players of all ages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rod Underwood is a former professional footballer who now coaches in professional football across the globe. A club advisor, Rod spends much of his year travelling globally to help clubs set up infrastructures for long term player development at both the first team and youth levels. Also a coach in his own right, Rod has experience working for such clubs as Portland Timbers and Montego Bay United. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leanne Skarratt is the founder of Manchester Futsal club's women's team and has experience of playing in the top futsal leagues nationally in the UK. Richard Ward is an England international futsal player who has represented his country on over 50 occasions. Both are currently trying to raise awareness of the English F.A decisions to cut the futsal funding by a reported £900,000 in light of the Covid -19 pandemic, Highlighting the potential pitfalls not providing a sustainable model for futsal could have in players around the country, They hope to gain support in calls for the F.A to fulfil their 2018 6 year Futsal development strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darren Higgins is the Head of Youth performance at Castleford Tigers RLFC. Part of the Betfred Super League, Castleford Tigers are known for their expansive style of play and player which is also exhibited further down their pathway in the development teams. Darren's role is to oversee players holistic development from initiation into the club right the way through to the first team environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Moody is the Lead Foundation phase coach at Coventry City Fc. A Uefa A licensed coach, Joel has experience of working in some of the top clubs across the country including Southampton, Swansea City and Newcastle United. He also spent time over in North America working for Vancouver Whitecaps. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Megan Hill is a PHD student out of the University of Bath. Her research project for her thesis focused on 'growth and maturation in talent identification in an elite football academy'. During this period, she studied how growth and maturation affects players within a Cat 1 academy and how using processes such as Bio banding and growth related individualisation can support players in their long term development. Field expert Sean Cummings was her supervisor on this project and helped sculpt her work in the field. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.