The Coaching Development Circle
A former social club tucked away in Birkenhead isn’t where you’d expect to find a group of ex-football players talking tactics and swapping coaching techniques over cups of tea, but the A&K Community Hub has become the new home for the Coaching Development Circle.
The initiative has been launched by former Everton player Tony Grant and aims to provide coaches with a space to talk about their approaches to teaching the beautiful game.
“The idea around it is to bring coaches together,” he said.
The sessions run are held each month and the format is simple but effective.
Flanked by two whiteboards demonstrating tactical layouts, Grant is joined onstage by fellow coaches and ex-pros, they discuss their experiences of playing the game, before taking questions from aspiring football coaches in the audience.
The names that Grant has been able to call upon to help deliver these seminars are impressive.
Across two sessions, he has been joined onstage by former Everton star Francis Jeffers, ex-Blackpool manager Terry McPhillips, and coaching heavyweight Tosh Farrell, who counts Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley among his former students.
The Coaching Development Circle is the latest venture in a footballing career that stretches more than 30 years. Grant made over 90 appearances for Everton, going on to play for Tranmere Rovers, Manchester City, and Burnley before retiring at 32.
“I began coaching as I had a thirst to improve the individual and give back my knowledge and time.
“As soon I retired, I went into coaching the under 16s at Blackburn Rovers and this has taken me to different parts of the country and the world,” said the ex-midfielder.
There are pitfalls that come with retiring from football. Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy spoke last year of his addiction to cocaine following the end of his playing career, while the struggles of Paul Gascoigne, a former teammate of Grant’s at Burnley, have been well documented. There is a sense that hanging up your boots can leave a gap that needs to be filled.
“Not so much filled the gap” Grant said when asked if his coaching career had filled the void left by his playing days.
“But it’s a passion and something I love doing, if I had the same passion for something else, I may have done something different, finding your love purpose and passion is so important for your development”.
Boyhood dream
Grant lived his dream, spending six years at Goodison Park between 1993 – 1999, and like all Evertonians, he has fond memories of ‘the grand old lady.’
“I was at the famous Bayern Munich game” he said, referring to the 1985 Cup Winners Cup semi-final second leg in which Everton ran out 3-1 winners.
“It was packed. The atmosphere was electric. That was a successful team, for me it was the start of something fantastic. I wanted to go and play for Everton, and I was lucky enough that I did”.
A boyhood blue, his standout memory of Goodison Park as a player should come as no surprise.
“My first derby game,” a 1-1 draw against Liverpool in April 1996 in which his childhood friend Robbie Fowler rescued a point for The Reds with a late strike.
“When you’re a young lad in the stands watching the team, you can’t wait to go on. Playing Liverpool, your arch enemies, for a scouser that’s the big game.
“Where I used to live, I could hear Liverpool’s ground and Everton’s ground on a night game, hear the roar all the way to Walton. It was part of the fabric of me growing up.”
Goodison goodbye
Goodison Park has provided that much of that fabric, serving as Everton’s home for more than 130 years.
But the famous old ground is approaching its end, Everton will play their final ever game at Goodison later this month before moving to the 52,000-seater Bramley Moore Dock Stadium, an emotional but necessary switch for Everton as they look to compete at the highest level.
“I’ll be there for the first game of the season,” Grant said.
“I haven’t gone in purposely; I want to go in when it’s full so I’m waiting really. But it does look fantastic and I’m sure it will be fantastic”.
Featured images courtesy of Alamy Images.
