We continue our Young Leaders Diaries, as we feature some of the young leaders and coaches driving the program and their diary from the day of activities. Today, we meet Annabel.
Annabel joined the City in the Community team in Melbourne as the Program Coordinator in August 2017. Originally from the UK she moved over to Melbourne at the age of 18 to pursue a double degree at Monash University in a Bachelor of Sport and Outdoor Recreation and a Bachelor of Secondary Education. Once finishing the degree in December 2016 she started working as a swim instructor and continued her passion of volunteering and coaching in a local community club.
Her journey with Melbourne City FC started as a participant on the Young Leaders program last year. Once she completed the program in January 2017 she was given the opportunity to get involved as a volunteer and assisted in the I Speak Football program in Fitzroy. In June 2017 she was selected to attend the Young Leaders Summit in Manchester alongside Young Leaders from around the world. She found the experience a once in a lifetime opportunity and felt empowered to take what she learnt back to the local communities that we work with here at Melbourne City FC.
She has a particular interest in using the power of football to increase and empower females to participate in all forms of the game. As well as working and growing our All Abilities programs to meet the needs of the local community. She hopes to provide the current Young Leaders the skills to strive for their goals and facilitate activities that push the participants out of their comfort zone to become inspiring Young Leaders in their local communities.
Day two: Young Leaders Training Program
Melbourne provided the sunshine for the second day of the Young Leaders Training Program. Participants arrived buzzing for what was going to be a day full of activities and a very tight schedule. The day began with a couple of ‘energizers’ outside on the Melbourne City FC Community Pitch to get things going. Participants were given the chance to learn songs and dances from a range of countries around the world and it was fantastic to see so many of the Young Leaders pushing past their comfort zones and coming out to lead the group.
The first sessions of the day were theory and classroom based activities. The Leadership session saw participants discussing the attribute of a good leader and who their role model is within their lives. The Young Leaders had a wealth of stories to share with the group and were enthusiastic about participating in the leadership activities.
We were incredibly lucky to have May Low the Safeguarding Officer at Melbourne City FC come and give us an introduction into Safeguarding at the implications Safeguarding has on a football club. The Young Leaders then delved deeper into safeguarding with the Safe at City session. We looked at various different scenarios and discussed these within small groups.
The middle of the day saw both groups head outside onto the Community Pitch for some practical elements. The participants ran through a shooting and passing session. It was a great opportunity for participants to use what they had learnt over the last couple of days and implement this within the days practical program. The groups were lively and answered all the questions enthusiastically.
Before lunch we had a mixture of A-League and W-League players visit the Young Leaders to answer questions of leadership and what qualities they look for in a leader. Michael Jakobson and Jess Fishlock provided participant’s with insights into leadership from a captain’s point of view. They gave the Young Leaders a variety of inspirational quotes and leadership advice.
After lunch Paul from Manchester’s CITC program led the participants through a session on different coaching styles and the coaching process. It was a fantastic opportunity for the Young Leaders to see a Manchester City FC Academy coach in action. This set the group up nicely to enable them to plan for their sessions that they will be delivering tomorrow. With many ideas buzzing around the group we are excited to see what activities and sessions the groups have planned!
