Football Queensland (FQ)’s ongoing focus on coach development saw 36 Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) players complete a MiniRoos coaching course at Meakin Park in recent weeks.

Following the completion of the course, the QAS Girls will be invited to assist FQ staff in hosting school holiday clinics for children while acting as role models for young players coming into the game.

QAS Mentor Coach and Junior Matildas Head Coach Rae Dower was in attendance to observe the session, and said the delivery of the coaching course was reflective of the QAS program’s commitment to developing all-round athletes both on and off the field.

“Conducting any coaching course allows participants to develop a greater understanding of the game and so for these players who are still young and learning about football, it’s a great opportunity to accelerate that learning,” Dower said.

“They also have to step outside their comfort zone and be brave by communicating tasks and feedback to their peers and teammates. That in itself is an important aspect of their development, analysing players and providing key messages which is all great practice for developing confidence.

“Of course, if we are able to ignite that little spark inside for coaching for some girls as a way of further contributing to the game, then that’s exciting too.”

Following the initial delivery of the MiniRoos coaching course to 36 QAS players, the remainder of players in the QAS program will also complete the MiniRoos coaching course before they are given the opportunity in future to further broaden their skill set by participating in a Level 4 Referees Course.

“The technical and tactical components of the game are obviously an important aspect of a high performance program, but there’s so much more for players to develop if they want to reach the pinnacle of the game; sports psychology, nutrition, hydration, sleep therapy, injury prevention and management to name a few,” Dower said.

“We want to develop the players socially too in the way they respect the history of the game, the laws of the game, their opponents, officials and each other.

“Building self-reflection, self-regulation, discipline, commitment, time management skills in balancing school, football and family are great life-long attributes and are transferable away from football.

“We hope that with the QAS program’s assistance, players can develop behaviours and attributes that help them to be successful, particularly around developing leadership skills.

“In my experience I’ve found that this directly transfers to them taking up more prominent roles away from the sport as well and it’s our vision that they become emerging female leaders in their own communities.

“The step up into a Junior or Young Matildas team from there is the cherry on top for them.”