Lockdown Part II: Finding ways to shine during lockdown

I hope everyone is well and is staying safe at home. Again, we find ourselves in a second lock down with football suspended for at least a month. Hopefully, we will be able to play again from the 3rd December. With football only suspended for a month it is important that we find ways to keep ourselves both mentally and physically fit, healthy and prepared for when we can go back to some kind of normality again.

In the first lockdown from March our players saw real-life responsibilities, specially tailored individual programmes, challenging football quizzes and even magic tricks... our players were keeping themselves in shape physically and mentally during that 6-month uncertain period.

Government restrictions and social distancing measures designed to combat the coronavirus have seen football players at all levels resort to exercising individually at home but, by liaising with our coaches and managers and employing basic technology and equipment, those within our club are able to maintain their work ethic, team spirit and competitive edge – and in some cases, show their character away from football.

At Southport Athletic JFC we recognize that it’s important that we’re quite sensitive to the players’, parents and general communities’ situations. Obviously everyone wants to be on the training field, everyone wants to be back at work but the players are finding ways to grow whilst ensuring they adhere to the stay-at-home measures in non-essential situations that are currently in place, which we all know are paramount. In these times, even though it’s difficult, there are still opportunities for them to develop and the players are making the most of that. Examples of this can be seen with players looking after sibling whilst parents, especially those that are key workers are having to work and take on extra working responsibilities, the recent food donations and helping families and individuals who are finding challenges and extra pressure during this uncertain time.

As a club we want to plan  and keep the main element of the football part,  by keeping things fresh, giving them new ideas, new techniques, new skills and asking players to work on areas of their game where they can use this time individually to keep practicing. Coaches will, be able to devise the football sessions and tasks that are all possible within the confines of their houses or gardens – players will be able to deliver back to the coaches and team via whatsapp. Obviously, the players will not be training at the intensity they would be if they were with the group.

Among the football-related challenges that can be set for the players by the coaches can be skills tests, ball-and-a-wall control techniques, headers and balancing drills. Activities can include players being tasked with presenting their best Premier League XI with detailed reasons behind their choices, posting a video in their group and giving a presentation about it, attempting the social media ‘ball in the bin challenge’, taking part in video call quizzes led by the coaches and even attempting magic tricks – all inventive ways of invoking competition while operating from separate locations.

Another example of an activity taking is, asking the boys to write up their own football coaching sessions and use the boys to show, teach and coach each other with tricks, skills, turns and challenges. This way we can keep trying to keep activities and ideas fresh, keeping the players’ minds active as well as their bodies.

Obviously this is a tough time for everybody, but if there’s one thing that could possibly come from this, maybe it’s that our players, as young men and ladies, will have to grow up slightly quicker than they would do normally, because what we’ve also got to be mindful of is that football is secondary to family and making sure that everybody is safe. Ultimately, it’s all about us all staying safe and looking out for each other as a club and our local community.