Flag Football - Opal Series

Over the months of September to December 2017 I was lucky to work at the Northern Conference Womens Opal Series Tournament in Sheffield and then the finals for BAFA.

Having never previously worked with the sport of flag football, but just tackle football, it was great to learn about the game and worked with the women involved with the day. (Big thanks to the East Kilbride Pirates who provided me with a warm drink when I was frozen!) Although I have a great love of tackle football, I thoroughly enjoyed working with/watching flag football and I'm now a big fan!

Despite flag being 'non-contact' it was very interesting to learn of the beliefs (of some) within the flag-football culture that injuries (especially concussion injuries) do not occur within the sport. Well, by the end of the series, we saw this wasn't the case. At the final especially (and understandably) I was very busy with injuries!

It is also very clear that player education around injury care is vital within the sport of flag football. Something which I have been developing on my blog site specific to American Football 'Gridiron Strong' and hope to continue with my research.

I am delighted to say that in the new year I will be working with the Womens GB Flag Team!

I'm thoroughly looking forward to working with the athletes and coaching staff, especially at our tournament vs Sweden in February. If you're in Glasgow on Feb 3rd then come along to watch!

Thank you to SamCrowPhotography for the snaps!

Win Forever | Book Review and my reflections

Who wrote it? 
Pete Carroll, current NFL Head Coach to the Seattle SeaHawks.

Who's it for? 
Athletes and coaches in any sport wishing to know more about the famous and successful 'Win Forever' philosophy.

What's actually in there? 
Pete Carroll covers his life as an NFL and college coach, his relationship with athletes and staff and how he created a philosophy to help him become won of the most successful coaches in football today.

Quote from book.
'Competition to me is not about beating your opponent. It is about doing your best; it is about striving to reach your potential; and it is about being in relentless pursuit of a competitive edge in everything you do.'

Would I recommend it? 
I would definitely recommend this book to coaches and players in any sport who wish to boost their game mindset.

This book will forever stay on my book case to refer to. 

My reflections

I was recommended this book by two good friends and coaches at Durham University.

I have always loved an autobiography from sports men and women and so I was intrigued to read one by one of the greatest American Football coaches, Pete Carroll.

From the beginning I was completely hooked on his story telling and coaching philosophy

'aspiring to be the best you can be, or as i like to refer to it, "maximising your potential". But Winning Forever is not about the final score; its about competing and striving to be the best. if you are in this pursuit, then you're already winning.'

The energy that Pete Carroll appears to have 27/4 in regards to every aspect of his life is inspiring. I hope that I can bring  that energy and enthusiasm to my coaching!


I like and appreciate how Carroll takes you through the ups and downs of being an NFL and college team coach. I have a lot of appreciation for the work he and his staff do, as well as his family supporting him through the long hours and travelling.

One of my highlight quotes from the book is 'in order to be successful, you must have a consistent philopshy. If you change who you are from year to year, he explained, you're never going to be great at anything'.

I'm still working on my philosophy. This book certainly made me think about my own coaching techniques and how I can improve them to get the most out of the individuals I work with.

Check out my site Gridiron Strong for more about American Football.