Subway SAP: Richard Paddle aiding future Manly stars

The coach of the Under 12s Manly Subway Skills Acquisition Program was happy to answer a few questions from Football NSW SAP Writer Steven Nguyen.

SN: Richard, tell us about your playing career so people can understand your playing experience?

RP: Unlike my colleagues from the other SAP areas, I bring over 20 years of coaching to the table. My playing days were in the amateur leagues and I have been coaching football for over two decades and at the elite level for 16 years.

SN: Why have you decided to become a coach and especially with the Subway Skills Acquisition Program?

RP: I have been the MWFA Football Foundation Director of Coaching for a number of years and this was the natural progression for our club to continue with our junior elite player development.

?We have always been a strong supporter of game-based quality training and the Subway Skills Acquisition Program is undoubtedly the way to go as players remain connected to their club and there is now a greater number of players being educated throughout Sydney and beyond.

SN: What areas do you look for when selecting players to be a part of the SAP program?

RP: When selecting players we are very conscious of the need for players to have a good technique base, a positive attitude and the ability to make good football decisions. We process trialists through Small Sided Games and positioning games to quantify their abilities.

SN: Richard, what do you think players will take out of the 40 week Subway Skills Acquisition Program into the future?

RP: They will learn to utilise their good base technique to deliver effective football outcomes. Their conceptual and situational intelligence will improve and so the outcome factors both individually and collectively will be enhanced.

Unlike other previous programs the SAP is founded on substance not veneer. We now have framework to ensure that our players are educated.

SN: Do you see the SAP as a good program. Why?

RP: When the program was implemented, for us, it was like preaching to the converted as we had started our under 11s on the same course of 40 weeks a year under the FFA curriculum with accredited coaches. We believe that this is unarguably the way forward in providing the best football education for Australia?s football future.

SN: How does your playing experience help you coach these SAP players?

RP: My case is that the players should benefit from my many years of working with elite-level players,  a number of which have gone on to play in the A-League, for our national teams and overseas.

SN: Finally, what outcome do you see for the SAP program in the future as a development pathway for young players?

RP: Many see the young players as our future and we strongly believe that our players will go on to play at higher levels in even greater numbers than they have in previous years.
-By Steven Nguyen