CoachCraft with Alf Gracombe

Send us Fan Mail Owen Miller is the co-founder of Flow Soccer, a year-round player development and mentorship program based in the Boston area. He played college soccer at UMass Lowell, where he served as team captain, before spending six months in Spain coaching a gap year program and observing academy training at Villarreal, Valencia, and Levante. Back in the US, he served as a volunteer assista...

Send us Fan Mail Paul Barry is a UEFA A licensed coach developer and the current Head of Coaching for the Foundation Phase at Crystal Palace FC — and in this conversation, he brings the principles that shape one of England's top academy programmes directly to grassroots coaches. We talk about one of the most common mistakes coaches make: judging players on outcomes rather than decisions. Paul...

Send us Fan Mail ACL injuries sideline thousands of young female athletes every year—but it doesn't have to be this way. In this episode, 17-year-old high school soccer player Maya Lanfer shares what she's learned from researching this injury, interviewing sports medicine professionals, and creating educational resources for coaches and players. Maya breaks down why female athletes are m...

Send us Fan Mail Tommy Geis, Technical Director at Massachusetts Youth Soccer, joins us to explore why coach education transforms not just how we coach, but how we understand youth development itself. With over 40 years in the game, Tommy shares his journey from thinking he knew everything about soccer to discovering "how much he didn't know" through formal coach education. We discu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the CoachCraft Podcast, Alf Gracombe engages in a deep conversation with coaches Temisan Williams and Mike Smith about the critical role of player feedback in youth development. They explore how cultural backgrounds influence feedback reception, the importance of individual coaching versus team coaching, and the necessity of specific, actionable feedback. The di...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ove...

Send us Fan Mail Boston City Councilor Ben Weber joins the show to discuss the intersection of youth sports and local politics. From coaching grassroots soccer to serving at City Hall, Ben shares insights on the resource disparities facing city athletes, the controversial White Stadium renovation and Legacy FC partnership, and why Boston's young athletes are underperforming despite the city&a...

Send us Fan Mail In this heartfelt episode, host Alf Gracombe honors the legacy of Dean Conway, a beloved mentor and coach who passed away earlier this year. Through conversations with Chris Hoeh, a long-time collaborator of Dean, the episode explores Dean's profound impact on youth sports, his coaching philosophy centered around fun and mastery, and the community he built through soccer. The...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Neil Harris shares his extensive coaching journey, transitioning from a player to a coach at Manchester United and eventually becoming self-employed. He discusses the importance of building trust with players and their families, the challenges faced in modern youth football, and the impact of professionalism on player development. Harris emphasizes the need f...

Send us Fan Mail Today's conversation is with Joe Cummings, a longtime leader in American soccer who knew and worked with Dean Conway going back over 40 years. Joe's career has spanned coaching, education, and executive leadership roles throughout the soccer community. He served as CEO of United Soccer Coaches from 2009 to 2015, was Technical Director at the New England Revolution, and w...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the CoachCraft Podcast, host Alf Gracombe speaks with Edu Rubio, a UEFA Pro coach with nearly two decades of experience in English football. They discuss Edu's journey from youth coaching to the Premier League (Wolves and West Ham), the importance of authenticity in coaching, and the balance between player development and achieving results. Edu shares insig...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the CoachCraft Podcast, Alf Gracombe speaks with Meotis Erickson, a former elite player turned coach, about her journey in soccer. They discuss the evolution of the women's game, the importance of creating healthy environments for young athletes, and the challenges faced by female coaches. Meotis shares her insights on coaching philosophy, the role of paren...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Alf Gracombe speaks with Michael Paule-Carres, head of F7 methodology at RCD Espanyol, about his journey from the U.S. to coaching in Spain. They discuss the importance of values-based player development, the application of Montessori methods in coaching, and the significance of understanding player development stages. Michael emphasizes the role of methodolo...

Send us Fan Mail In this engaging conversation with Biso Nkosi, we explored the journey of a coach whose football education spans multiple continents. From his childhood playing on the dusty streets of South Africa to coaching youth players across various cultures, Biso offers a unique cross-cultural perspective on youth development in football. He shares insights about the structural differences...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the CoachCraft Podcast, host Alf Gracombe speaks with David Shapiro, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston. They discuss David's journey from youth sports to nonprofit leadership, emphasizing the importance of relationships over outcomes in coaching and mentorship. David shares insights on creating inclusive communities through sports, the dynamic...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the CoachCraft Podcast, Temisan Williams shares his journey from a young football enthusiast to a dedicated coach. He discusses the importance of grassroots football, the differences between coaching at grassroots and academy levels, and the significance of effective communication and structured training. Temisan emphasizes the need for patience and the power of...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Rick Fenoglio, an American-born sports scientist and soccer development expert with over three decades of experience working with top clubs in the UK, including Manchester United and Manchester City. The conversation explores Fenoglio's journey from playing multiple sports in Illinois to becoming a leading advocate for small-sided games and science-based...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Mike Smith shares his journey from a young sports enthusiast in England to a college soccer player at Harvard and later a coach in the U.S. He reflects on the emotional impact of the 1966 World Cup, his experiences in organized football, and the vibrant community of the Portuguese league in Massachusetts. Mike discusses the evolution of youth soccer in Americ...

Send us Fan Mail In this inaugural episode of CoachCraft, host Alf Gracombe interviews Jon Rudzinski, a veteran soccer coach with over two decades of experience in youth sports. Jon shares his journey from a sports-loving childhood to becoming a dedicated coach at Boston Latin School and Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer. He discusses the evolution of coaching philosophies, the importance of player devel...