THIS IS PART 3 OF OUR BLOG HIGHLIGHTING THE GREAT WORK GRASS ROOTS COACHES DO WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND HOW THIS CAN BE THE START OF BIGGER THINGS. IN THIS ADDITION WE HAVE INVITED BENJAMIN NWACHUKWU A YOUNG MAN WHO ONCE PLAYED ON HILLYFIELDS AND EVENTUALLY BECAME ONE OF OUR COACHES. AFTER COMPLETING HIS DEGREES HE IS NOW COACHING WITH MILLWALL ACADEMY AND IS ENJOYING THE EXPERIENCE. 

 

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW? 

I WORK FULL TIME AS A FOOTBALL ANALYST AND U14'S HEAD COACH AT MILLWALL LIONESSES. CURRENTLY I AM ALSO COMPLETING MY UEFA A BADGE. 

 

WHAT WAS YOUR PATHWAY TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? 

I STARTED AT FUTSAL@JAM WHERE YOU HELPED AND FUNDED ME THROUGH MY LEVEL 1 AND 2 COACHING BADGES. I WENT ON TO COACHING IN UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE AND LOUGHBOROUGH WHERE I ACTUALLY COMPLETED A DEGREE IN PHARMACEUTCAL SCIENCE AND A MASTERS IN SPORT COACHING. 

 

WHO OR WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS? 

DUE TO BEING A MASIVE MANCHESTER UTD FAN, ALEX FERGUSON HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO ME. IN ADDITION, ARSEN WENGER WAS A CLOSE ONE TOO.  

 

WHAT FUELS YOUR PASSION FOR SPORT? 

I WOULD SAY THE FACT THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS LEARN MORE AND NEVER KNOW EVERYTING. THERE IS NO WRONG OR RIGHT IN SPORT JUST DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING IT. 

 

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE VIRTUES OF PLAYING A TEAM SPORT SUCH AS FOOTBALL? 

YOU HAVE TO BE SEFLESS, CARING, HELPFUL, WILLING TO FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER, GENEROUS, ENCOURAGE AND HAVE A GOOD WORK ETHIC. 

 

WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT COMMUNITY COACHING HAS AN IMPORTANT PART TO PLAY IN OUR COMMUNITIES? 

HUGE! IT IS AN INTEGRAL STEP IN THE PATHWAY TO ELITE SPORTS. IT IS THE FOREFRONT FOR TALENT TO EMERGE FROM AND PLAYS A BIG PART IN THE LEARNING PATH OF INDIVIDUALS. 

 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TEAM, PLAYER AND WHY? 

MANCHESTER UTD AND HENRY! FERGUSON MY INSPIRATION AT THE TIME AND HNERY BECAUSE HE MADE IT LOOK SO SIMPLE. 

 

WHAT WAS THE FIRST FOOTBALL MATCH YOU WENT TO SEE LIVE? 

FULLHAM VS JUVENTUS UEFA CUP 2010! FULLHAM BEAT JUVE 4-1 UNBELIEVABLE WOW WHAT A GAME! 

 

WHAT WOULD BE THE ONE BIT OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO HAS ASPIRATIONS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS PERSON? 

YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO HAVE SETBACKS ALONG THE WAY. WHEN THEY COME, EMBRACE THEM AND LEARN FROM THEM IN ORDER TO PROGRESS YOUR DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING. 

 

 

THIS MONTH WE TURN TO DANAIL NEDCOV TO SHARE HIS EXPERIENCES AND HOW SPORT HAS ENRICHEDHIS LIFE. DANAIL NEDCOV WAS A POPULAR COACH WITH US FOR MANY YEARS AND BUILT A FANTASTIC RAPORT WITH THE CHILDREN. DANAIL HAS RECENTLY RETURNED TO BULGARIA AND IS FORGING HIS OWN PATH IN EUROPE. 

 

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW? 

THREE MAIN THINGS ARE THAT I AM A TEACHER ASSISTANT & AFTER SCHOOL COORDINATOR AT AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL. CURRENTLY DEVELOPING THE SPORT CLUB RECENTLY CREATED AND WRITING MY PHILOSOPHY ON HOW TO EDUCATE CHILDREN. 

 

WHAT WAS YOUR PATHWAY TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW? 

COACHED FOOTBALL FROM 17 YEARS OF AGE CULMINATING WITH WORKING WITH BRENTFORD FC. COMPLETED MY DEGREE IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL COACHING WITH SPORT SCIENCE AT GREENWICH UNIVERSITY. 

 

WHO OR WHAR WAS YOUR INSPIRATION? 

WOULD NOT SAY I HAVE A SPECIFIC INSPIRATION BUT HAVE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR SPORT WHICH DROVE ME ON. BUT REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THOSE WHO HELPED ME DEVELOP AND GAVE ME A START. INCLUDING FUTSAL@JAM! 

 

WHAT FUELS THAT PASSION? 

I LOVE THE DYNAMICS OF SPORT AND HOW QUICKLY THINGS CAN CHANGE. I LOVE IT BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN YOU AND DEVELOPS YOU AS A PERSON. 

 

IN ONE SENTENCE SELL WHY I SHOULD PLAY A TEAM SPORT, SUCH AS FOOTBALL? 

IT IS A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOUR PASSION FOR YOUR TEAM MATES, DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO THE CAUSE ARE REWARDED ENDLESSLY. 

 

WHAT ROLE DOES COMMUNITY COACHING HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES? 

IT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER. IT BRINGS THEM INTO A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT, WHERE THEY CAN ENJOY THEMSELVES AND MAKE NEW FRIENDS. ESPECIALLY FOR SOME WHO MAY NOT GET A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE AND PLAY IN GROUP SETTINGS. 

 

WHAT IS YOUR TEAM AND PLAYER YOU IDOLISED? 

MAN UTD AND PAUL SCOLES. WOW WHAT A PALYER, WHO ALWAYS DICTATED THE TEMPO. HAVE NOT SEEN ANYONE CONTROL A GAME LIKE HIM SINCE. 

 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING COACHES? 

APPRECIATE EVERY BIT OF YOUR JOURNEY. ESPECIALLY THE STRUGGLES AT THE BEGINING, THIS WILL BE TOUGH BUT WILL SHAPE YOU IN THE FUTURE. BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE! 

This content will be shown in the summary on the main blog page. Click on this text to edit it. 

Q. WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW? 

A. CURRENTLY TEACHING PE AT WESTMINSTER ACADEMY. COACHING ATHLETICS AT MY ATHLETICS CLUB DOWN AT LADYWELL TRACK. STILL TRAINING FOR MASTERS GB ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019. 

Q. WHAT WAS YOUR PATHWAY TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW? 

A. STARTED OUT AS A FOOTBALLER. PLAYING SEMI PRO FOR KINGSBURY TOWN. HOWEVER MY LOVE FOR ATHLETICS WAS TOO GREAT SO I DECIDED TO GIVE DECATHALON A GO. MY FIRST COMPETITION WAS THE MIDDLESEX DECATHALON JUNIOR CHAMPS AND I WON THE SILVER MEDAL. AT THIS POINT I KEN I COULD DO WELL IN THE EVENT BECAUSE THE WINNER WAS A ENGLAND JUNIOR INTERNATIONAL! I FOUND MY SELF A COACH AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR EARNED MY FIRST INTERNATIONAL VEST IN SWITZERLAND. THIS LEAD ME TO TRIALING OUT SUCCESFULLY FOR THE 4 MAN GB BOBSLEIGH TEAM. WHILE DOING THIS I STUDIED AND FINISHED WITH THREE DEGREES BSC SPORTS/LEISURE MANAGEMENT, PGCE PHYSICAL EDUCATION, MSC SPORTS SCIENCE. 

I WON MANY MEDALS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. BIGGEST SUCCESS COMES FROM WINNING A WORLD SILVER MEDAL IN BOBSLEIGH AND BECOMING WORLD MASTERS CHAMPION IN THE INDOOR PENTATHLON BREAKING THE WORLD RECORD. 

Q. WHO & WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION? 

A. I WAS INSPIRED BY THE GREAT ATHLETE DALEY THOMPSON. WATCHING HIM WIN ALL HIS MEDALS AND IN SUCH A MANNER IT WAS EVIDENT THAT HE WAS THE TRUE COMPETITOR. 

Q. WHAT FUELS YOUR PASSION FOR SPORT? 

A. I JUST LOVE COMPETITION AND BEING THE BEST I CAN BE! I LOVE SETTING MY SELF CHALLENGES AND TO TRAIN TO ACHIEVE THESES. I DON'T THINK I WILL EVER STOP TRAINING. 

Q. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE VIRTUES OF PLAYING A TEAM SPORT SUCH AS FOOTBALL? 

A. TEAMWORK IS ESSENTIAL. RESPECT FOR YOUR FELLOW COMPETITORS BUT AT THE SAME TIME SHOWING HUNGER TO WIN THE GAME. SPORTSMANSHIP AND PLAYING WITHIN THE LAWS OF THE GAME. 

Q. WHY DO YOU FEEL THAT COMMUNITY COACHING HAS AN IMPOTANT PART TO PLAY IN OUR COMMUNITIES? 

A. COMMUNITY COACHING IS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE THIS IS TRUE GRASSROOTS FOR ALL SPORTS. THE NEXT OLYMPIC CHAMPION OR PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER WILL START AND BE DISCOVERED AT ONE OF THESE SESSIONS. COMMUNITY COACHES SHOW A LOT OF PASSION AND COMMITMENT IN OREDER TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE SPORT THEY ENJOY. 

Q. WHAT IS YOUR FOOTBALL TEAM AND PLAYER? 

A. MY TEAM IS WEST HAM. I HAVE FOLLOWED THEM SINCE I WAS THREE. THROUGH LOTS OF UPS AND DOWNS, MOSTLY DOWNS. I WAS ABIG FAN OF TREVOR BROOKING WHO I MET! 

Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FOOTBALL MATCH YOU WENT TO SEE? 

A. MY VERY FIRST FOOTBALL MATCH WAS QPR VS WEST HAM. WE WON THE GAME AND I WAS HOOKED STANDING IN THE TERRACES. I HAVE NEVER SEEN WEST HAM LOSE. 

Q.WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THOSE WHO HAVE ASPIRATIONS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS PERSON? 

A. I KNOW YOU AY ONE BUT I WILL WRAP THIS INTO ONE. TRAIN HARD AND STAY CLEAN!