A retired college lecturer from Market Drayton will take more than a passing interest in this summer’s World Cup which starts in South Africa today.
Alan Hargreaves, a committee member at Drayton Sports and Leisure Club in Betton Road, is the author of Skills and Strategies for Coaching Soccer which has been used worldwide to teach footballers the beautiful game.
Alan, 76, of Waterside Drive, first wrote the book 20 years ago after coaching US university students and a second edition co-written by the Football Association’s Dick Bate was published earlier this year.
Alan said: “It started at Madeley College of Physical Education where I was lecturing in soccer to college students.
“I used to prepare notes in advance and give handouts to the students as a way of getting the information across which they could pass on to others.
“Then I went across to the USA and coached soccer in California where I used to give similar handouts to the students there.
“But someone asked ‘why are you giving them these handouts when you can sell them in a book?”
Alan was contacted by an international sports book publisher based in the USA and the book has sold thousands of copies worldwide.
It deals with all aspects of the game, including tactics, teamwork and man management, and is based on Alan’s years as coach to the British Universities football team and five years working at Stoke City and Crewe Alexandra Football Clubs.
Alan said: “Two years ago, the publishers contacted me and said ‘we think the first book was so successful that we should do a second edition’.
“They suggested having a co-author Dick Bate who is now the Elite Coaching Manger for the FA and we spent 18 months going through every aspect of the book to modernise and advance it.
“It wasn’t part of my agenda to write a soccer coaching manual, it just evolved and I’m pleased with the book because I think it’s a real contribution to soccer coaching.”
Alan’s coaching skills led to him being part of Great Britain’s men’s hockey team, devising the fitness programme for the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games.
He said: “I spend a lot of my time now raising funds for Drayton Sports and Leisure Club but I still think that anyone who wants to be a soccer coach would learn a lot from using my book.”
By Winston Brown