Elliott Ward, the former Norwich City and West Ham United defender, joined us in the Coaches Coffee Club to discuss his progression from player to coach.
Having started out on his coaching journey at Chelmsford City, where he hung up his boots as a player, Elliott combined that with a role at West Ham’s academy.
Now, though, he is head coach of the U18s at League Two club Colchester United. When he caught up with MiMentor’s Ross Embleton – also head of recruitment at Colchester – along with Jamie Godbold and James Baker, Elliott shared a key piece of advice for coaches just starting out.
“I just think with young coaches, it's about being on the grass as much as you can,” he said.
“And just understand that it won't always be perfect, so even when it doesn't go well, sometimes the players won't know it's gone well or not.
“So, you'll be able to get away with a few bits where you think, 'oh no, that didn't actually work.'
He added: “Sometimes you need someone else to tell you: 'Well, what about this and that?'
“And then, if you have the right people around you, to maybe focus on certain little bits that you might have missed, or get someone to feedback your sessions.”
You can watch the full MiMentor Coaches Coffee Club with Elliott in the player below.