Keeping it Fresh

A soccer season is a lengthy drawn out affair. If I look at the club I play with here in Brussels, FC Irlande, their training starts in July and can continue into May depending on how many games fall victim to the winter weather. Last season, I was asked to take the lead in training and I accepted. There are 5 teams and the club is not your standard model whereby by each team has a trainer and individual training times. Instead, the trainer and first team captain lead a kind of mass production training regime.

When the sun shines and the pitch is decorated with plush green grass, numbers can sore up to 60 on a good night. However, when you hit the depths of winter and the knee deep mud, we average out at around 32 on a normal night. It could literally be +/- 20 on any given evening so it makes planning very difficult. Additionally, players show up for many different reasons; some seeking a healthy pastime, some looking to get involved in a social network and others who are eager to test themselves against the top teams in the league.

Last year, the first team won their Division at a canter, racking up huge scores and gaining many plaudits for their fitness and quality of football. This season started in similiar trail blazing fashion and they were soon top of the league. A mid-November defeat to defending champions Brussels British didn't derail them and they went in at the Christmas break in a healthy position.
However, before and after Christmas, many games were cancelled and the disruptions seemed to start taking their toll in early February. Defeat against one of the main contenders was followed by an unexpected away defeat to the team bottom of the league. Then, last Saturday, they fell at the hands of the British again, so slipped further off the pace.

I played in a share of those games and was struck by how flat things have become. When the first points started being dropped there was alot of b1tching and moaning but as the weekends went by even that became more subdued. Training attendance, my own included, lacked consistency and the style of play has changed from direct (not long ball, but quick ball) up to our capable strikers, to a slower passing game. I was struggling to see signs of life left in the team. Our Chairman Denis sent a mail last weekend explaining the current league table situation and painted a very positive picture of what could still be achieved in terms of points.

Then, on Monday night, there was a very good attendance at training from the first team which indicated that the heart was still beating. My own committment to training has suffered this year as i have spread myself too thinly across hurling, gaelic football, soccer and hockey. Alec has been left with alot of the burden and its hard to keep things fresh and upbeat over such a long season. However, if the heart monitor was to show life, Monday night was a great night to do it and I felt the energy and enthusiasim filter back into my veins.

We stopped training at one point, with the first team isolated from the rest of the group. I have seldom replied to or sent rallying call emails this year or dished out motivational rants. However, if you wear the title, you are entitled to wear the hat so Monday night i felt the time to share my thoughts. I'm not sure of the reaction, some looked quizically at me, surely wondering how I could say such things even though I had chosen to play Gaelic football the previous weekend instead of making myself available for the crucial game against Brussels British. Others looked like they were struggling to restrain an uncomfortable smile as the f-word was bandied about like Cork hurling strike propaganda. And of course there were the foreign lads who didn't understand a word. The drills recommenced and my focus turned to the rest of the group. the firsts were doing a shooting drill down the other end but the noise emmanating from them suggested some release of tension and realisation of enjoyment again. Hopefully, this is the case, the clock is ticking on their season but the race is not run yet.

Why am I talking about soccer when this is a staunchly G.A.A. orientated blog. Well, its the first time I've recognised this situation in a team I have been involved with. Of course, looking back now, I can remember when teams I played on were on their last legs, flogging the same thing night after night with a bunch of weary lads going through the motions. As a younger player, you don't even think about how to address it. It sometimes seems too big an issue to be able to tackle. You tell yourself its natural, after a succession of long successful seasons where the team reached is peak, its acceptable and understandable that these standards cannot be maintained?
But it can be addressed and its the job of the players and the mentors to make sure it happens. As trainer of the soccer team, I felt some guilt for the flat feeling which crept in. My committment took an enforced dip but also my methods had become known and repeated and maybe lacking the stimulation that something 'new' brings. I was demotivated coming to training and was nearly watching the clock until the end. However, from this week, I've committed to doing everything I can on the training pitch to win the league. The trainer dictates training and his mood can dictate that of the players too.

It a good learning point going into Year 2 with the Gaelic Football team. Our success last year mirrors that of FCI and the trainer occupies both set of shoes. He needs to bring the positivity and energy to the sessions to motivate those around him. The players of course need to buy in and give the committment in return. Training should be hard and your body may show displeasure at the pain it endures but inside the heart should beat strongly.