“Groundwork is like having your favourite old coach in your back pocket. I am always able to mix up drills and training scenarios with the wide range of material from the book. There is no need to try and modify advanced drills as everything featured is set up perfectly for the level my team is at. The squad were able to build skills and progress with strategies smoothly thanks to the appropriately designed training activities in both the Modelling and Establishment Stages.”
“We at South Districts Football Club have fourteen Junior teams ranging from under 9’s to 17’s – 2 of each from 9’s to 13’s and sole teams through 14’s to 17’s. Since introducing Groundwork as a coaching tool in 2012, all coaches have commented how beneficial it has been from an educational and practical viewpoint in developing individual and team strategies. We see the Groundwork Series as an invaluable asset, which provides an all-embracing framework for all Junior coaches; therefore we have no hesitation in highly recommending it.”
“The Groundwork series of coaching references are wonderful resources for all coaches whether they be starting out or looking for further ideas to add to their coaching prowess. Coaches of senior players down to the U/10’s will benefit from all the information that surrounds skills and drills training, team structures, player feedback and the principles of coaching. The AFLCA recommends Groundwork as a valuable addition to your coaching library.”
“The Winning Edge was a key part of our aim to target players’ capacity on finding ways to improve from an individual perspective. We gave each of our players a copy of the Winning Edge and got them to use it as a resource to plan their own training preparation. The book covered all aspects of the technical side of the game and the small skill based activities were ideal to give our players alternative methods of warming up and refining skills. A number of the activities contained a competitive element and the diagrams helped clarify each particular activity. If you want to build successful teams, you first need to build successful individuals. The Winning Edge is a great resource to help work on players’ individual areas and create an environment of self-improvement and a drive for personal excellence.”
“A great coaching resource with a variety of activities for skill development which should be the focus – coaches can organise their players to practice in small groups to maximise the opportunity to touch the football 100 times per session.”
“The Winning Edge helped open a new chapter for the Navarre Football Club’s senior side in the Maryborough Castlemaine FNL. Navarre had a young home grown group with an average age of around 20 years that had been runners up the two previous grand finals (2011 and 2012). We had the calibre to do great things but just needed an edge in developing themselves further.
Along came Groundwork Coaching. As a coach starting out, it opened my eyes to the key performance areas that needed to be covered in terms of improving both team and individual performance. All you had to do was choose your own adventure with the style of play you wanted and the areas you wanted individual players to focus on. It not only guided you on what to teach, but more importantly how to do it! For Navarre, the Winning Edge and all of the Groundwork Coaching resources tweeted the foundations of the history being written.
“Groundwork Coaching’s Winning Edge is a great general resource for any young player or development coach looking to further develop their football knowledge and skills in all areas of the game. Our AFL Goldfields Academy participants all have a copy and are encouraged to read the various sections and make use of the skill drills and fitness related activities on offer to maximise their performance.”
“The Winning Edge was not only a good starting point for me as a first time coach, but also a great resource for those times when I needed some inspiration for drills, activities and vision.”
“Being in charge of a young side, I found the Winning Edge to be a fantastic tool in developing players and myself as a coach. All drills were easy to follow and this resource allowed me to work with and target small groups at training, focusing on specific areas my players needed in order to improve not only own their performance, but ultimately us as a team. I would highly recommend this resource to both players and coaches looking to take their game to new heights.”
“We use The Winning Edge as the reference book of choice for developing the junior players at our Riddell District League Junior Football Academy. It provides great insight into the fundamental skills required by young players with an emphasis on being able to explain and show the correct technique for effective skill development. The Winning Edge is not only an outstanding resource for junior players, but also for coaches as well.”
“I regularly use Groundwork Coaching Resources and would highly recommend them to any coach, potential coach and/or club. The extensive list of drills are well set out, easy to follow and the graphics are excellent. Working within women’s football, you have girls with varying abilities and experience. The “Winning Edge, along with all of the Groundwork Coaching resources, have become an essential part of my coaching kit. I religiously use it to assist my planning of training sessions to cater for the appropriate skill levels and ages of our playing group in order to enhance their development. The advanced results have been terrific and much of it comes down to the extensive drills provided by the Winning Edge.”
“Groundwork-The Winning Edge has been an excellent resource for our Australian Rules Football Academy elective unit for Year 9 students. All key components of Australian Football are covered in detail. Students find the resource easy to read and provides them with a structure to assist them with their development in Australian Rules.”
“The “thinking coaches’ bible “is the best way to describe this resource. I implement the drills at training and then we execute on game day. The exercises have been used to teach our kids the “modern style” of free flowing football. Groundwork is a fantastic resource for not only the novice coach, but also the experience coaches’ in Junior Football.”
“I can’t say enough about the excellent work that the Groundwork Coaching team has done to produce a resource that is so comprehensive and user friendly. This resource is the full package in terms of modelling a fantastic blueprint of the components that help to make a coach professional. I have found the booklets to complement coaches of a range of abilities, from the beginning coach to experienced teachers/coaches. I cannot recommend the Groundwork Coaching Series highly enough, to any Club, School or Coach who is looking for an extensive resource to develop and/ or complement their coaching skills and enhance all areas of football experience.”
“Many coaching manuals have the basics about the drill, but it’s the behavioural tips relevant for the age group that I find the difference with the Groundwork guide. As a voluntary Auskick coach, you don’t spend hours planning, so the books are great to quickly learn some proven drills. I really like to the simple diagrams to help picture the drills for young children.”
“I am currently coaching 12 year olds and having previously coached Colts football, the Groundwork Reference Guide has been an important source of information to gauge the progress of our young players, who are at a completely different skill level. I initially used it as inspiration for training drills, however the more I refer back to it, the more information I find relevant to what we are trying to achieve.”
“I wanted to pass onto you my thanks for the excellent resource that the Groundwork training books have provided our club. As the Coaching Coordinator at the Hornsby Berowra Eagles Junior AFL Club, the Groundwork resources have become a core tool in the skill development of all age groups from U9 through to U16. Coaches are readily able to identify drills that target areas of need in their teams and are better prepared to deliver training to the team in a format in which it has maximum benefit. An excellent resource I would recommend to all club coaches.”
“I find it not only informative but quite easy to read. I coach EBJFC U16.5’s and would recommend this book to not only first time coaches but to all coaches. These resources are a great read and are an ideal way to freshen up and remained focused on the task at hand.”
“Coaching is two things: people management and teaching. The best coaches are excellent teachers, and Glenn and Craig have drawn on their talents as teachers to produce a wonderfully informative and practical resource to assist other teachers/coaches.”
“I purchased a manual for each of our coaches, at junior and senior level, and they all love them. The Groundwork team are on a winner with its instructions and diagrams that are easy to read. It’s a must for all fledging and experienced coaches. Couldn’t be happier with the feedback from the coaches at our club, so money well spent! “
“Groundwork- What a resource for young and old coaches. It covers everything a coach needs to know on how to plan, delivery and review. Each section is well planned and easy to use.”
“For me, I have really enjoyed the easy way that the content is structured. I purchased both Volume 3 and 4 and have found the drills in each section very diverse, fresh and engaging. Also, the templates that Groundwork provides, has assisted me enormously with the collation of game day indicators and feedback that I provide. I could not speak any highly of it!”
“I have found Groundwork Coaching an invaluable resource in coaching my group. The range of drills provides great diversity throughout identified areas which you need your team to work on. By introducing new drills that have the same fundamentals as previous drills, is integral to keeping the boys’ learning from not going stale across the whole season. This reference allows me to do this whilst still keeping focus on the outcomes I am aiming to achieve, week in week out. Great job guys”
“Groundwork Coaching has added a real freshness throughout our club. The decision making drills have been engaging for our players due to its variety. They are constantly asking me where these drills have come from. These games sense drills have become the core to my coaching. The players are learning all the time during these activities, without even knowing it. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’ve found your resource, Volume 4 Perfecting Stage, extremely valuable in not only helping me in the development of my playing group, but also assisting me in developing as a coach. I have found the book a great reference when planning training to develop my club’s game style. Also as I have a playing group with an age range of 17-35, I have found it valuable in tailoring my approach to the players to get the best out of each of them. I would recommend this resource to anyone looking to take on a coaching role at whatever level of football.”
“Groundwork Coaching has been able to identify and outline the specifics required for coaches along the continuum of learning. This resource understands the importance of the developmental stages of children and works within these stages to provide appropriate coaching strategies.”
“I have found Groundwork Coaching (Perfecting Stage) to be a fantastic resource for game style drills and helped in the development of not only younger players (17 -21year olds), but also helped in developing experienced senior players. Football requires players to think through a game. Groundwork Coaching has brought game sense training to a new level for the Redan Football Club.”
“Groundwork Coaching is a one of the best AFL coaching resources available on the market and will enhance coaching at any level. I have used the Perfecting Stage in my coaching at North Melbourne Football Club, and in contrast I have used the Underlying Stage book with my son’s under 10 side. It is this diversity of use that makes this a great resource for any coach and club. Groundwork Coaching provides such a wide variety of techniques and drills that will help develop the players at all levels. As the coach, it is your responsibility to ensure that there is continuous improvement in your playing group. By using Groundwork Coaching, this will allow you to do exactly that because it will cater for your entire playing group, no matter what their level of expertise – a very impressive publication!”
“These resources ensure that kids are learning through games, increasing their understanding of Australian Football. This ultimately will attract more kids to our great game, producing better thinking players in the process.”