Tesco Player Welfare Podcast Series
The Coaching Bubble, in collaboration with Tesco Ireland, launched the Tesco Player Welfare Podcast Series in August 2021. This podcast series aims to provide guidance, advice and practical tips for those involved with youth players.
We have seven fantastic discussions with guests which will inform players, coaches, parents and guardians in empowering players to take care of their own health and wellbeing.
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Presenter – The host of the Coaching Bubble Podcast, Stephen Behan joins us to steer the ship in the brilliant discussions which occur over the course of our Player Welfare Podcast Series. Stephen is a Business Development Manager at The Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics and works as an Assistant Professor in Elite Performance in the School of Health and Human Performance in DCU. Stephen has plenty of experience as a coach himself, working as a GPO in Dublin for nearly a decade, holding a MSc in Coaching and Exercise Science and a PhD in the area of physical literacy, fundamental movement skills and physical activity.
Episode 1 – Retaining Young Women in Sport
Guests – Lynne Cantwell & Nora Stapleton
Episode Description – Lynne Cantwell, Women’s High-Performance Manager with South Africa Rugby and Nora Stapleton, Women in Sport Lead with Sport Ireland, discuss the importance of organised sport and barriers to lifelong participation. They talk about the challenges of balancing fun and competition and the role parents and coaches play in creating an environment to help retain women in sport.
Episode 2 – Healthy Habits Around Nutrition & Hydration
Guest – Emma Brennan
Episode Description – On episode 2, Emma Brennan, Academy Performance Nutritionist with Connacht Rugby, sheds light on some common misconceptions around nutrition. She discusses what parents need to know around Nutrition and Hydration and how coaches can support players to build healthy habits. We also touch on the importance of language and how we talk to female players about nutrition.
Episode 3 – The Young Female Athlete
Guests – Catriona O’Halloran and Ciara O’Flynn
Episode Description – On this episode we are talking about the young female athlete with Catriona O’Halloran and Ciara O’Flynn, who are both Team Leads with Anytime of the Month – a student-led social enterprise aiming to alleviate the effects of period poverty. Cathriona and Ciara give great guidance to parents and coaches on periods, period poverty, and how they can impact sport participation
They give practical tips on supporting players when it comes to creating a safe and open environment.
Episode 4 – Talent Academy Pathways and Avoiding Burnout in Youth Players
Guest– Orlaith Curran
Episode Description – Orlaith Curran is a PhD Student in DCU and Athletic Development Coach with the IRFU and she joined us to chat about what Talent Academy Pathways are in relation to high achievers but also how these look with a participation focus. She talks about the role of coaches in keeping players on the pathway and avoiding player burnout and touchs on the gender gap in the research regarding player pathways.
Episode 5 – Injury and Injury Prevention
Guest – Rena Buckley
Episode Description – Rena Buckley, an 18 time All Ireland winner with Cork Camogie and Ladies Football is a Chartered Physiotherapist and joins us to if we can in fact prevent injuries. She explains the most prevalent injuries among youths and how we can reduce the risk of them occurring. We also talk about the importance of recovery when it comes to injuries and performance and Rena gives us some practical strategies to help support that recovery.
Episode 6 – Being a Good Sports Parent
Guest – Gordon MacLelland
Episode Description – Gordon MacLelland is CEO of Working With Parents In Sport, an organisation who supports other organisations, parents and coaches in working together to provide children with the best possible sporting experience. Gordan gives insight to the challenges parents in sport face. He talks about building positive relationships between coaches and parents and the importance of maintaining fun in sport for our youth players with long term participation being the key priority.
Episode 7 – Coach Support
Guest – Des Ryan
Episode Description – On our last episode of the series we are joined by Des Ryan, Director of Coaching and Performance with Setanta College. Des highlights the challenges that coaches face, including coach burnout and strategies to avoid it. He also speaks of the value of building strong relationships with parents, players, and fellow coaches in order to continue learning and developing as a coach.
