Sarah was the perfect candidate. Brilliant analytical mind, stellar track record, glowing references. She'd thrived in similar roles at two previous companies……

Playable? Yes or no?

#grassroots #lido #routeone

We can talk differential learning, tactical periodisation, ecological dynamics, cognitive maps, inverting full backs and overloads in the channels. But often a coaches job comes down to simply clearing dead rats off a pitch.

#grassroots #nevertoobigforyourboots #coaching #football

Did you know that Disney movie releases strongly correlate with motor vehicle theft rates? (r=0.864, if you're curious)

What’s this got to do with HR in 2025…….

An annual round up of the best HR, Leadership and Organisational Development articles from 2024…

open.substack.com/pub/davehodg...

This is the U15+ pitch.

Today’s Grassroots pitch. One of the few in the region which is playable. The biggest challenge for me as a coach is infrastructure.

Anyone know the official stats for cancellation rates of #grassroots football last season?

See the other pitch below 👇

Pushing the IQ validity debate to one side. Let’s say you value it, alongside consciousness and emotional stability in recruitment.

Let’s say you are only interested in potential. So years of experience, industry or occupational expertise is not asked for.

You just want exceptional raw talent

Okay, I admit it. I have an issue with the term “culture”.

Why, well as a HR practitioner, I’ve never found it practical.

Cultural change is only indirectly possible. We should focus on the individual-environment relationship. Biologists and Ecological Psychologists call this the “econiche”.

Todays grassroots pitch, nested at the bottom of the South Downs in Amberley. Can imagine on a sunny day there are fewer nicer pitches.

#grassroots #coaching #football

Fact or Fiction? "Feedback is a gift"

It depends, some gifts go straight into the bin. How do we ensure our feedback is a lasting gift?

Although this does have its place. It can build confidence by creating higher levels of self-efficacy. This is why we see a lot of this before matches, with players warming up. This is then often misinterpreted as their version of deliberate practice, which it is not.