There is no 'I' in 'team'...

... but there are five in 'individual brilliance'!

A common theme that I tend to hear on the touchline in grassroots football is the shout of "use your team mates, pass!" from anxious, or sometimes angry, coaches. "It's a team game" they say.

These are the same coaches who will reminisce and rave about the days of George Best or Diego Maradona and now Lionel Messi.

And yet when a nine year old dribbles down the line (and quite often, it does not matter if they are also successful in doing so) the screams are so often "PASS!" from coaches and parents alike.

Is it not entirely possible that these children are also 'team players'?!

Where an individual's strength may lie in defending or passing, another's may be in taking players on! Players who can play one versus one effectively are rare commodities so why are we quite actively discouraging children from being this type of player?

Jack Grealish rolls his socks down and
inevitably is fouled quite frequently

Of course, some just have their view of the way the game should be played and favour a strict passing game. That team work looks like running around lots, making tackles and giving someone else the ball quickly. I am not for one moment questioning that these are important factors of a successful team! However, the 'dribbler' plays a very crucial role in any team. They attract opposition, they create spaces for others to exploit, they win free kicks, they give their team mates a breather. Sounds to me like this player is doing plenty of work for the team already.

There is a more sinister view, too, of the angst towards dribblers. One that I have witnessed myself. That parents who tell other people's children they need to pass the ball more are simply jealous of their talents. Why can my child not do those things? I have coached a talented young boy who was playing a year up, at ease, and some of the shouting I would hear during games was terrible. Sarcastic remarks towards a seven year old, commenting to the parent of said child on their performance, shocking! It is likely that these adults are not acting in the best interests of the team, but their own child. This was resolved appropriately by a senior coach but scenarios such as this can put young people off of football and we certainly do not want that.

Finally, the dribbler to me is one of the bravest players there is. Resisting all urges from spectators, your peers, your coach to change your style of play, to pass when you would not usually and knowing full well you are going to get a good kicking at some point too.

All types of footballers should be embraced and this is just one of many, but I would hate to see this type of players disappear from the game. The new England DNA asks players to 'stay on the ball, to master the ball'. I hope that this message can be shared amongst grassroots coaches across the country as we continue to attempt to develop technically excellent footballers!