It was a quiet one for ‘Well ladies last weekend, with only the Under 9s and under 11s in action.
Under 9s
The Under 9s were at K Park taking part in a tournament with five other teams. A confident and clinical first game saw the girls beat Gartcairn 3-0. Their second match was a much tougher test, but the girls managed to sneak a win, beating East Kilbride 4-3. The next two games saw defeat for the young Wells girls, losing 5-2 to a more experienced East Kilbride team and losing 1-0 to East Kilbride Thistle, however a 1-0 win to Rossvale added to their win tally.
The girls once again played their socks off and made their coaches proud. Laura Daley said: “(It was) another fantastic tournament for the girls to be part of, I can definitely see improvement as the weeks go on; the future definitely looks bright.”
Under 11s
The Under 11s won 4-1 on Saturday against Gartcairn. They played some fantastic football and demonstrated just how the old ‘give and go’ technique should be played. A solid win for the girls with only one wee flaw in the ‘Well defence, as fatigue saw an unfortunate goal lost in the closing stages of the game.
This weekend’s fixtures:
• Under 9s vs K Park Festival: Sat 4th October 2014, K Park, East Kilbride, 12noon – 1.30pm.
• Under 11s vs Central Girls: Sat 4th October 2014, Fir Park Astro, 9am KO
• Under 15s have no game this weekend due to the Scottish Cup Semi Final.
• Motherwell Ladies FC v Bishopton: Sunday 5th October, Daisy Park (Cathedral Primary), 12noon KO.
With a vast range of player pathway age groups ever growing at Motherwell FC, I thought I would see where it all starts at the club. In this week’s focus I had the privilege of speaking with Lead Coach of the Under 9’s and 11’s, Laura Day.
Name: Laura Daly
Nickname: ‘Daly’, ‘Shavey’ and my mum has always called me ‘Ludgey’! (Don’t ask, I have no idea why?)
Job title: Lead Coach at Motherwell FC and Child Protection Officer
Qualifications: SFA Early Touches, SFA Coaching Youth Footballers, SFA Coaching Young Footballers, First Aid, Safe Guarding & Protecting Children
Did you play football? Yes
What was your playing position? I started as striker but ended up working my way back to Right Back.
Who are the previous clubs you have played for? East Kilbride, Motherwell, Glasgow Girls, Scotland Development and a few games for both Rangers and Celtic.
What age group do you coach? The Under 9s and Under 11s and help at the senior Ladies team.
How long have you coached them for? I have coached the younger age groups since I arrived at Motherwell nearly two years ago, and actually started the Ladies team after only a few months of being part of Motherwell FC.
What made you decide you wanted to coach football? I wanted to help improve the number of girls participating in football and to help encourage them to take their talent as far as possible.
What inspires you to coach football? To see the difference and effect I can have on someone, not only as a footballer, but as a person in general, is an amazing feeling. My key word is confidence and it makes me happy to see the girls all enjoying themselves and positively interacting with each other.
How did you get involved at Motherwell? I just tried my luck and emailed Motherwell FC after a spell at Glasgow City and met (MFC Community Trust General Manager) Charlie Bennett for a coffee. After hearing his plans for the club and us having the same views on girls’ football, I had no doubts I wanted to be a part of the club.
How does it feel to be a part of Motherwell FC? It’s amazing! Very demanding at times as we have a quality set up and are always attracting new players for all age groups. But we also have a great bunch of coaches, who are all very knowledgeable, so it’s always good to learn new ideas from them and see the club growing in numbers.
What do you and your team do to prepare for each game? We gather round the tactics board to discuss our aims for the upcoming match. Between fellow coach Pamela Liddell and I, we choose one specific area for the girls to work on during the game and discuss how to get success in that area. We then do a warm up and some stretching before a wee ‘cuddle’ to gather our confidence.
Who’s coaching career do you admire the most? I would say Shelley Kerr. She’s achieved so much and is now the only female coach to go on to coach men’s football.
Would you trade football to coach in any other sport? You couldn’t pay me enough to leave football. It’s my life and what I always wanted to do.
Is it hard to juggle coaching with other commitments? Sometimes it is difficult to manage my college course with coaching, but I have great team around me who always help out and always keep me focussed. Big shout out needs to go to Linda Gibson for that one! Thanks buddy.
In your opinion, what’s been your favourite coaching moment? It has got to be when our Under 11s won their first game after the Performance Centre only been up and running for just one week. The girls and coaches walked off the pitch to a big cheer from our fans, so it was a great atmosphere and a great piece of history for the club. It’s a memory that will last a lifetime.
What do you love most about coaching at Motherwell? The girls I coach are always looking to improve, regardless of what they are learning. They turn up for football with a smile on their face and are always focussed which makes my job easier.
What makes a great football player? I think a lot of key areas make a great football player but if I was to narrow it down I would say they would need to be full of confidence in their own ability and also have a good mentality to get the head down and strive to learn new things.
What do you hope to achieve with your team over the next few seasons? For me it’s quite simple, I want them to enjoy their football and enjoy winning games. From doing what we practise in training and working together then we will be challenging for the league in March …and winning it!