CoachCraft with Alf Gracombe
CoachCraft with Alf Gracombe
Podcast Description
CoachCraft explores the art and impact of coaching youth sports through in-depth conversations with renowned coaches from grassroots to professional levels, revealing how exceptional mentors use athletics to shape character, build confidence, and positively impact young lives.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a range of themes related to youth sports coaching, including player development, effective communication, and inclusivity in sports programs. Episodes highlight topics such as the emotional dynamics of coaching, training methodologies, and community engagement, with examples like the transition to small-sided games by Rick Fenoglio and the importance of patience shared by Mike Smith.

CoachCraft explores the art and impact of coaching youth sports through in-depth conversations with renowned coaches from grassroots to professional levels, revealing how exceptional mentors use athletics to shape character, build confidence, and positively impact young lives.
Caroline Foscato, President and Founder of Soccer Unity Project, shares her journey from organizing neighborhood pickup games in Boston's South End in 2008 to building one of the city's most impactful youth soccer organizations, now serving over 1,400 young players. In this conversation, we explore how Soccer Unity Project prioritizes diversity and community-building over competitive outcomes, the real challenges of scaling a grassroots nonprofit in urban environments, and why the current youth soccer system needs fundamental rethinking. Caroline discusses the barriers that keep families and coaches from participating, the importance of meeting communities where they are, and why every decision in youth sports should start and end with one question: What about the kids? Whether you're leading a grassroots program, coaching at any level, or thinking about how sports can be a force for positive change, this episode offers both inspiration and practical wisdom for making youth soccer truly accessible to all.
For more information about CoachCraft, visit https://coachcraft.info.

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