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Community & Coaching: A Chat with Soccer Coach Michael Cooper
He admits, “It was overwhelming at the start, but once you're 10 minutes into the training session, you're having a laugh.” Adding, “It was the best choice I ever made.”
Michael credits doing it for his daughter and the support from his community for helping him get through that first practice. Jokingly stating, “You need the support because if I didn't have the support from them and I had 30 girls turning up for the first session, I'd have just probably packed up my boot and drove off.”
From there his passion for coaching and deep enjoyment of it would grow.
It was twenty years ago that Michael Cooper moved from England to the small village of Knocklong in Ireland. As he would describe Knocklong, it’s an absolutely beautiful place, a village where “you know you see them on TV and you think, no place is that nice. It is.” However, when his daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and wanted to play soccer, there were no teams around for her to join.
That is when Michael took it upon himself to start a team himself that his daughter could play on. After putting out some flyers and spreading the word, he was all set for the first practice. To his surprise, over 30 girls showed up.
He admits, “It was overwhelming at the start, but once you're 10 minutes into the training session, you're having a laugh.” Adding, “It was the best choice I ever made.”
Michael credits doing it for his daughter and the support from his community for helping him get through that first practice. Jokingly stating, “You need the support because if I didn't have the support from them and I had 30 girls turning up for the first session, I'd have just probably packed up my boot and drove off.”
From there his passion for coaching and deep enjoyment of it would grow.
Fast forward to today, Michael is still getting to coach his daughter, now on a junior ladies team, the Kilfrush Crusaders, with players ranging from 14 to over 40 years old. This experience coaching the Crusaders and the youth teams previously has helped bring him closer to his community. Michael states, “It's building the community. It's building friendships, you know, and for me, that's what it's all about.” He continues, “I don't need to go out and win and be a new Pep Guardiola… I want to bring everyone together.”
We wrapped up our conversation with Michael by asking him to impart some wisdom on those who currently are or are looking to coach. The first thing he says you need is a positive mentality. “For a coach, you have to have a happy mentality. You have to have a passion and you have to have the enjoyment in it,” he states. “If you have a happy coach, you will have a happy team.”
Michael emphasizes the importance of reaching out for help if you’re struggling, stating, “Don't get overwhelmed by the amount of work that's involved in it. People do help out.” Adding onto this point, he encourages coaches to never give up though, “If there's a bad day at the office, you keep going and you go again.”
Even from a short conversation, one can see that Michael’s dedication to coaching and his players runs deep. Despite a back operation last year, and needing another one this year, Michael is still always the first one on the pitch setting up that day’s training. “Until they say to me ‘I’m not playing anymore.’ And I need all of them to do that. That's when I'll stop. But until then, I'm going to keep going.”
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