“Oh well, we can’t just be coaching in the sun, Sandy!”
Head to toe in thermals and waterproofs, Steph Houghton and Sandy MacIver make their way out onto the training pitches at the City Football Academy.
They’re preparing, alongside former team-mate and new Girls’ Academy Manager Karen Bardsley, to take their final session with the Club’s Under-14s girls academy, as they work towards their UEFA B-Licence coaching qualification in partnership with the Professional Footballer’s Association [PFA].
Even for Houghton, born and raised in the north east - a region whose inhabitants tend to famously be unfazed by the harsh conditions - this is a night to wrap up warm.
So much so that frost has gathered on the City Studios cameras as we prepare to capture a sixth and final weekly session that the trio have lead on as part of their qualifications.
It begs the question; after an intense day of training, media commitments and everything else that a professional footballer has to tackle on a daily basis to remain in peak physical condition, why are they then spending their evenings braving the elements out on the pitch?
“The reward was obviously seeing how much the girls appreciated us helping and even taking little bits of advice,” Houghton responds immediately.
“I think it’s important we give something back to the girls and the Club.
“That was always my intention when I came here, I wanted to influence the youth as much as we possibly could.
“They’re in a great position. The future’s scary at the Club and to be a little part of that makes me smile.”
"It’s given me a real boost, I didn’t realise I’d enjoy it as much as I did."
As the City captain alludes to, it was clear that the trio enjoyed every minute of the experience despite the long hours and the harsh conditions.
Crucially, however, they were also able to take away some key learnings from the course, as MacIver goes on to explain.
“We enjoyed doing the sessions and picking each other’s brains. I found the defensive side of things came naturally because I’m used to seeing those pictures in front of me, whereas the pressing I found hard because I’m not doing those kind of things at the weekend.
“I think using Steph in that sense was important, she doesn’t play much higher up than me, but she sees different pictures to what I see on the pitch, so that helped.
“I don’t enjoy public speaking and instead found that I liked pulling one player and giving them a bit of help with a scenario that’s just happened or analysing from the side and making adjustments that way.”
It was an equally rewarding experience for Bardsley, who was recently appointed Girls’ Academy Manager at the Club.
After calling time on an illustrious playing career in the summer of 2022, the former City goalkeeper had taken on a role as Project Officer at the Club before her current position.
Overseeing and supporting the development of the next generation of talent at City is something that Bardsley is incredibly passionate about.
Two years is a long time in football though, and the goalkeeper admits that it took a little while to get back up to speed with the cut and thrust of on-pitch training.
That’s where having two familiar faces in Steph and Sandy really helped the former England international.
“It gave me a real appreciation for the knowledge they [Steph and Sandy] have, what they’ve been through and how the game’s evolved even in the two years since I retired,” Bardsley said.
“That recall became difficult because it wasn’t something I was hearing day to day. The technical detail came the more time I spent in that environment.
“There were one or two sessions where, as a goalkeeper, I struggled. I knew how it was meant to be, but it was a case of ‘how do I explain this to 14-year-olds?’, but it’s given me a real boost, I didn’t realise I’d enjoy it as much as I did.
“Steph’s a natural, she really impressed me with how she is with the girls. The preparation that went into these sessions was second to none.
“Sandy was super fun, I hadn’t really seen her outside of a footballing context.
“We got her this whistle, and we were saying she was like a whole different person with it, it was like a superpower.
“It was nice to see them grow as the sessions went on but for me it was just a nice way to get back in touch.”
“Our tutor was very big on bringing a whistle so I went to the shops and bought one,” MacIver continues with a smile.
“It’s hung up in my locker, so that’ll be following me everywhere I go!
“As the weeks went on, I learned that you’re not practicing a speech but you have to think about what you want to say in scenarios.
“Sometimes I’d put on a session and think it’s quite basic or the players will grasp it straight away, but it might be an off-day, or they might not find it as simple as I thought it would be.
“So, I’ve got to have a session I can progress on but also one I can break down and simplify if I need to.”
But while the trio were taking a lead on the sessions, supported by our established Under-14s coaches, they were also overseen and assessed by PFA Coach Educator for the North West, Geoff Lomax.
Steph, Sandy and Karen thoroughly enjoyed the experience and certainly had a laugh along the way, but there’s far more that goes into a UEFA B-Licence qualification than simply turning up and running a training exercise.
Meticulous planning, strict dedication to their craft and a willingness to take on new information and ideas are all essential qualities for any budding coach, and they’re ones that Geoff noticed from the get-go with our City stars.
The course can be a daunting prospect for even the most experienced of footballers, thrust into a role which, while seeming familiar at first, presents unique challenges for a player used to taking on instruction, rather than dishing it out.
But Steph, Sandy and Karen met that challenge head on, with Geoff hugely impressed by their approach to the course and development as coaches throughout it.
He added: “Their confidence builds up as they go through the course. I don’t care who anyone is, people may think they’re top class players but to come and coach is a different job entirely.
“Even though they have that experience, they do start lower down and build up that momentum and confidence.
“The commitment was always there, so there was no issue in that.
“Their planning and desire to get better was certainly there all the way through the course as well, even to the stage where they were coming in on Wednesdays but sending me their practical sessions on Monday to check if they’re right.
“They were wanting to desperately get it right, which is a good trait to have.”
Planning ahead is one thing, but adapting to a sudden change is a different skill all together.
It’s something that Steph in particular has taken away from the course, as well as a greater appreciation for the job that Gareth Taylor and other members of the City coaching staff do on a daily basis to ensure the Club are competing for top honours.
She explains: “It's more things like organisation of the training sessions. You don’t realise how much work goes into it.
“You plan for a certain amount of people or players there, and obviously within a second it can change.
“That bit of adaptability is important but also if you’re new to it, it’s about not being afraid to ask questions and try and get as much information as you can.
“I’ve definitely got a lot more appreciation for the coaches in terms of when we do sessions and how hard it is.”
That desire to learn a new skill and gain an important coaching qualification doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon for our players.
While Houghton is approaching the end of her career and Bardsley only recently retired, at just 25 MacIver is still to reach her peak years.
But despite all being at different stages on their footballing journeys, they’ve all expressed a desire to take on the A-Licence, the highest practical coaching award available.
Geoff breaks down the key differences that they will each experience when taking on the qualification in the coming months and years.
“UEFA B is like looking at how you run a squad of players, how do you look after them and what kind of sessions do you put on to help them improve,” he adds.
“The A-Licence now starts looking at the game. If you get that qualification, you’re able to go and manage in the WSL.
“It’s now looking at the 11v11 game and what it looks like. There’s loads of work on tactics and on playing styles, so Steph and Sandy have applied and are on a list now to hopefully start the course.
“All three girls came in and committed, not one day got changed, which is actually quite unusual.
“Some of the nights were bad, the weather wasn’t great, and we were leaving the academy at 9pm but to be fair all three of them gave 100%. I was so pleased with how it went.”
A future in coaching at the highest level looks like a real possibility for Steph, Sandy and Karen.
But as Bardsley concludes, while the qualification itself is a major motivation for the trio’s commitment, each share a tangible desire to positively impact the next generation of talent coming through the ranks at City.
Imparting knowledge, offering advice and helping to sculpt those prospective future footballers is part of the blueprint that Bardsley is working towards in her role as Girls’ Academy Manager.
However, the importance of developing good people, as well as footballers, is central to both her own and the Club’s ethos.
It’s a future worth getting behind, as the former City goalkeeper explains with her typically infectious enthusiasm.
“It's [the future] exciting, I’ll tell you that! For me it’s just growing and evolving,” she adds.
“We have some incredibly talented kids involved in the setup already and I’m excited to play a small role in their experience in football.
“For me it’s about more than the player, it’s about looking after the person as well and creating an environment where they can have a great education, learn how to be a great person and contribute not only to the team and the Club but school and the people in their life in a positive way.
“And the prospect of giving these girls a future in the game, whether that’s working their way through the pathway into the first team or a different opportunity in football, like coaching.”
Maybe those freezing Manchester evenings were worth it after all!
Built with Shorthand