Top 10 “BEWARE” points for male coaches working with women and girls:

 Football Made Me Series

To All Men Coaches Working With Women’s & Girls’ Teams

Whether you are coaching at the grassroots, academy, community, county, national, or top-tier level, coaching women and girls comes with a great responsibility.

Football is more than tactics, formations and results. A coach has authority, influence and access to players, and that position must be handled with professionalism, integrity and respect.

When working with women’s or girls’ teams, professional boundaries are not optional they are part of good coaching. The environment you create can determine whether a player feels safe, respected, confident and willing to continue playing the game.

Here are my Top 10 “BEWARE” points for male coaches working with women and girls:

1. Avoid unnecessary physical contact

Avoid unnecessary hugs, touching or other forms of physical contact, even when celebrating a good performance.

There are many professional ways to appreciate and congratulate a player. A simple handshake, high-five, encouraging words or recognition of their performance can communicate the same message while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

2. Avoid vulgar or inappropriate language

The language used by a coach matters.

Avoid vulgar, sexually suggestive, humiliating or inappropriate language. Players deserve to be corrected and challenged without being degraded or embarrassed.

Discipline does not require disrespect.

3. Keep off-duty interactions professional

Avoid unnecessary private or informal meet-ups with players outside football activities.

If there is a legitimate reason to meet, maintain professional boundaries and, where appropriate, involve another member of the technical team or ensure the meeting takes place in an acceptable public or official setting.

The goal is not to create unnecessary distance, but to create healthy boundaries.

4. Build a balanced technical team

If you are the head coach of a women's or girls' team, consider having a qualified female assistant coach or another trusted female member of the technical/support team.

A diverse technical team can provide additional perspectives and gives players another professional person they can approach when they have concerns or need support.

5. When working with under-18s, involve parents and guardians

When coaching girls below the age of 18, parents or guardians should be aware of the programme, training arrangements, competitions and other activities involving their children.

Also, avoid inviting under-18 players to your home for football-related matters. Training, meetings, discussions and other football activities should take place at the field, club facilities or another appropriate public/official space.

Safeguarding starts with transparency.

6. Be patient and understand the player's circumstances

Coaching a women's or girls' team requires patience, tolerance, encouragement and strong motivation.

Not every player develops at the same pace. Some players may also have responsibilities at home, school or work that affect their availability and development.

A good coach understands the player as a person while still maintaining standards and accountability.

7. Be a mentor and role model

You cannot demand discipline, respect and professionalism from players while behaving differently yourself.

Players observe how coaches communicate, handle conflict, treat officials, speak about other people and conduct themselves both on and off the pitch.

Your behaviour is part of your coaching.

If you want players to respect the game, respect others and carry themselves professionally, demonstrate those values yourself.

8. Be careful about who you allow around the team

Do not allow just anyone to train, interact with or have unsupervised access to girls especially players under 18.

Before bringing someone into the technical or support environment, consider their qualifications, experience, conduct, character, safeguarding awareness and suitability for working with young people.

Being called a “coach” does not automatically make someone suitable to coach children.

Safeguarding should come before convenience.

9. Treat every player fairly and consistently

Apply the same professional standards to all players.

Avoid favouritism, preferential treatment or relationships that could create a perception of bias. Players should understand that selection, playing time, discipline and opportunities are based on clear footballing and team principles.

Perceived favouritism can damage trust within a team and create unnecessary conflict.

Fairness builds trust.

10. Never gossip about players

Do not discuss a player's personal issues, weaknesses or mistakes behind their back with other players or members of the technical team unnecessarily.

If there is a genuine performance or welfare concern, address it through the appropriate professional channels.

A coach should be able to correct a player without humiliating them and discuss a concern without turning it into gossip.

Confidentiality and professionalism go hand in hand.

Semi Za Maja

Football Made Me Series

Wilson Masaka

Self Made Philosophy — The Power of Your Voice

Some people's words become law. Others speak for hope, peace, freedom, dignity, opportunity, and a better generation.

Society may not give every voice the same platform, but that does not mean every voice has the same value.

You may not sit in a boardroom, hold public office, lead an organisation, or have thousands of people listening to you, but your ideas, actions and example can still influence someone else's life.

Never underestimate the power of a single voice. Change does not always begin with the loudest person in the room. Sometimes it begins with one person willing to speak, act, teach, create, challenge, encourage or simply refuse to give up.

Think of it like a drop of ink falling into water. One drop may seem insignificant, yet it can change the colour around it. You may not transform the entire ocean, but you can change the part of it that you touch.

Semi Za Maja

📍 “Never underestimate the power of your voice. You may not change the entire ocean, but like a drop of ink, you can change the colour of the water around you.” — Wilson Masaka, Youth Advocate and Social Entrepreneur 

Do More . Be More . Be Different 

https://wilsenx.blogspot.com

TWO TYPES OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Semi Za Maja

Football Made Me Series

Point Of View

TWO TYPES OF PLAYERS

In football, talent can open the door, but what happens after the door opens often determines how long a player stays in the room.

Over the years, I have observed two broad patterns of players:

1. THE PLAYER OF THE MOMENT

These are players who produce an outstanding performance when the stage is big.

It could be a major tournament, a final, a derby, a trial, an important league match or even one exceptional individual performance. They suddenly become the talk of the town.

Fans praise them.
The media highlights them.
Clubs notice them.
Agents start making calls.

Sometimes, one great performance can even earn a player a new opportunity locally or abroad.

And there is nothing wrong with that. Moments matter in football. One moment can change a player's trajectory.

The challenge, however, comes after the moment.

Can the player reproduce that performance consistently?

Can they maintain the same discipline, hunger, focus and application when there are no cameras, no big crowds and no headlines?

Can they perform on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon with the same commitment they showed on a Saturday when everyone was watching?

Some players struggle with this transition.

The moment becomes bigger than the process, and when the performance drops, the attention disappears with it.

2. THE CONSISTENT PLAYER

Then there is the player who may not always be the loudest name in the room, but you can almost depend on what they will bring.

Their performance level is steady  and sometimes continuously improving.

Put them in a big match and they perform.

Put them in an ordinary league fixture and they perform.

Take them to a different environment and they adapt.

Watch them during training and you can still see the same application: zeal, creativity, discipline, focus, passion, learning and commitment.

For this player, consistency is not something they switch on when opportunity arrives.

It is part of who they are.

When their breakthrough moment eventually comes, it is not necessarily a surprise. It is the result of many unseen performances that came before it.

And when they secure a better opportunity, they have a foundation to build on.

One opportunity leads to another.
One good season leads to another.
One level leads to the next.

That is how a football career can become sustainable.

THE DIFFERENCE IS NOT TALENT

Here is the part I find most interesting:

Both players can be gifted.

Both can have ability.
Both can produce magic.
Both can have the potential to play at a high level.

The difference is often in performance consistency, application and longevity.

Football does not only ask:

«How good are you?»

It also asks:

«How often can you reproduce what you are capable of?»

A single great performance can introduce you to the world.

Consistency keeps you relevant to it.

That lesson goes beyond football.

In life, business, employment, leadership and entrepreneurship, there are people who occasionally produce a spectacular moment and there are people who quietly deliver, learn, adapt and improve over time.

The first may attract attention.

The second builds trust.

And in the long run, trust, consistency and continuous improvement can become a player's greatest currency.

MY POINT OF VIEW

Don't only prepare to be brilliant when somebody is watching.

Prepare to be dependable when nobody is watching.

Your breakthrough may come from one moment, but your longevity will be determined by everything you do before, during and after that moment.

Talent gets you noticed.
Performance gets you opportunities.
Consistency keeps you there.
Continuous improvement determines how far you can go.

— +throughMylens 📸 Wilson Masaka aka MAJA
Youth Advocate • Social Entrepreneur