Local soccer coach Aaron Mooar is probably best known for being the voice of the Morning Show at Raglan Community Radio but during the soccer season he can be found coaching his daughter’s soccer team and looking after the local club. This will be Aaron’s last season as coach.
When did you start coaching soccer in Raglan and for what reason?
I started coaching and joined the club committee at the same time in 2012. I thought coaching would be fun but I also got involved because I was frustrated at how many children were leaving the sport after having bad experiences.
What roles have you been involved in within the local club?
I’ve been a coach, committee member and club president at the junior club and was unlucky enough to be given the job of trying to figure out what to do with our flood prone fields!
You have always had a clear philosophy with coaching style. How would you sum this up? Has it paid off?
I always thought I should coach in a way that meant the players wanted to come back the following year. The emphasis is on learning from the game since playing football involves near constant decision making and no one can learn to do that if there’s a steady stream of instructions coming from the sideline. Kids are also afraid to try new things if they feel under pressure from adults.
Coaching this way has clearly paid off in terms of keeping kids in sport because lots of other coaches are doing it and the number of players in our community has exploded (as has happened round the entire country actually). As for results, the clearest example of success might be the U17 women’s team getting a bronze at the world cup a few years ago. I saw a lot of those young women playing in rep tournaments through their teams and the coaching was always about learning from the game with no angry shouting from the sideline ever.
What changes have you experienced throughout the seasons?
The kids got better at playing and I got worse! – I try not to take them on any more.
What will be your fondest memories of coaching?
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know a wide group of young people and watching them grow. It’s been awesome to be part of the little revolution in girl’s football in Raglan too. My team has always been the oldest all-girl team and because of the fun they had and the spirit in which they played they inspired loads more girls to play. The sport is viewed equally as a boys or girls sport in Raglan now.
What have been the more challenging aspects?
Putting my own feelings of competitiveness to one side has always required effort when coaching. Learning how to ‘manage’ a group of kids when you’re not a teacher turned out to be hard too. Coaching well is far more difficult that I thought it would be but at least it’s possible to keep learning. The thing I never figured how to handle well was the politics that went on amongst the adults.
Tell me about Jordan’s soccer career and what she has achieved.
I don’t know that she would want to call it a career! She was playing in the rep system till she was 12 but has had a steady stream of injuries since then. It was a pretty big disappointment but she has still enjoyed playing for our Raglan team over that time, even though she spent a few years literally running at half speed.
What’s next for both Jordan and Aaron?
Jordan wants to keep playing so will probably join a club in Hamilton next year. I don’t know what I’ll do with all the spare time but I will enjoy simply being a spectator when my girls play.
What words of advice would you give to current and future coaches and club committees?
There are people with way more expertise than me giving coaching advice these days and it’s worth seeking them out because the coaching role models we had growing up usually weren’t very good – there’s a lot for us to unlearn. One thing I would say though is that understanding how football is played isn’t nearly as important as understanding how kids learn.
Advice for committees is easy – spread the work around! But also, be prepared to disappoint a vocal adult in order to do the right thing by the kids from time to time – it really helps to have support at times like that.
