The Grassroots Football Coach

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rich welcomes back Elijah Bada to the pod, returning for the first time since 2022.  On the pod, Elijah shares incredible stories from his recent experiences in the Baller League—rubbing shoulders with football icons like Ian Wright and Thierry Henry, and competing against legends including Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards. The conversation dives into his...

Send us Fan Mail Rich is joined once again by Adam Parry to break down the World Cup after the opening two rounds of group stage matches.  Together, they highlight the standout teams who’ve impressed early on, as well as the sides that have delivered a few surprises along the way. They also dive into the influence of football’s biggest stars—Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé—as the r...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rivo & Rich are joined by the brilliant Caroline Moran for an inspiring deep dive into her footballing journey and coaching career. From growing up in Barnsley as a passionate supporter to stepping into the Arsenal women’s setup alongside names like Alex Scott, Caroline shares the pivotal moments that shaped her path — including her decision to leave the club and ca...

Send us Fan Mail Join Rich and special guest, BBFA Football Development Officer, Adam Parry, as they dive into a full preview of the biggest World Cup in history—kicking off today! With a groundbreaking 48-team format, hosted across three nations, this tournament promises to be unlike anything we’ve seen before. They break down the numbers—104 matches, 16 host cities, and 1,248 players—while shini...

Send us Fan Mail Rivo & Rich are back with Series 11 of the pod and this week are joined by local coach Charlie Lauri. In this episode, we sit down with Charlie to explore his coaching journey—from his early days completing his Level 1 qualification through college, to gaining valuable experience with Wycombe Wanderers Foundation. Charlie reflects on how an untimely injury led him into coachin...

Send us Fan Mail Rivo & Rich are back with Series 11 of the pod and this week are joined by local grassroots coach, Carol John.  Carol discusses the female game and how things are changing, but also what still needs to happen to create better, more inclusive environments. Carol shares some great thoughts on how environment and culture can shape people’s experiences—and why a bit more flexibili...

Send us Fan Mail Rivo & Rich are back with Series 11 of the pod and this week are joined by local grassroots coach Chris McKaughan.  Chris shares his experience balancing multiple coaching roles at Woodley United, his passion for long-term player development and why creating an environment enables young players to grow, enjoy the game and develop.  The quiz also makes a return with a World Cup...

Send us Fan Mail Rivo & Rich are back with Season 11!! Each year, Rivo & Rich release a special podcast to promote and highlight Mental Health Awareness Week and this year it takes place from 11th to 17th May, with the theme of “ACTION”. This year, Rivo & Rich are joined by BBFA Chief Executive Officer, Liz Verrall, to discuss this years theme and the importance of physical activity. T...

Send us Fan Mail Rivo & Rich are back for the final time this season with the 2nd part with Andy Ritchie. Andy talks about the evolution of the game including inverted full backs and the importance of goalkeepers. Andy shares his views on the different coaching methods as well as using the right terminology at the right time to improve game understanding. Andy shares his positive experiences w...

Send us Fan Mail This week Rivo & Rich are joined by Coach Developer, Tutor and Coach, Andy Ritchie. On the pod, Andy talks about his first experiences of football and his love for Coventry City. Andy shares his experiences coaching abroad in USA, China & Germany and the impact it had on him professionally & personally.   Andy talks in depth of his time in academy football including Ch...

Send us Fan Mail This week Rivo and Rich are joined by CEO & Founder of No1Fan. Club , Marcia Lewis.  Marcia provides a parents perspective and shares her own journey over the last decade as the proud mother of Myles Lewis-Skelly. Marcia talks in detail about the creation of No1Fan. Club which was founded to help families navigate the challenges of raising young footballers and provides resour...

Send us Fan Mail This week Rivo & Rich are joined by Rivo's son Marley!! Marley shares his playing experience from U7 all the way to open-age football. Hear what young players enjoy within training sessions and matchdays, the importance of game related practices and importance of developing and having fun over winning. Marley also talks about his aspirations in football outside of playing...

Send us Fan Mail Rivo & Rich are back for another episode and are joined by grassroots coach & BBFA's Participation Manager, Izzy Heath!  Izzy talks about her early playing experience in mixed-football before venturing into coaching. Hear Izzy's training plan and emphasis on planning and ensuring are delivery and practices are fun. Izzy also talks about the Lionesses, her role in...

Send us Fan Mail This Rivo & Rich welcome aspiring grassroots coach and social media analyst, Jake Beecher.  On the pod, Jake talks about his love and passion for football in particular his home town club, MK Dons. Jake shares his early footballing journey as a player and positive memories of his first coach and how that inspired him to get involved in his younger brothers team at Aspley Guise...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rivo & Rich are joined by grassroots coach, Jo Hawkins. On the pod, Jo talks about the start of her coaching journey stepping up as a parent at her daughters team which is a path experienced by many grassroots coaches. Jo shares her experiences of coaching qualifications and the importance of Coach Development in particular the Female Coaches Community workshops. Th...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Rivo & Rich are joined by grassroots coach, Brian Lackey. On the pod, Brian shares his own grassroots journey as a player before being inspired to coach which he has continued over the last 3 decades. Brian talks about his own experiences creating and coaching a local girls team.  Brian talks about his roles as Coach, Mentor and as a parent within his current role a...

Send us Fan Mail Mark 'Rivo' Rivers & Richard Brant are back for Series 10 and are joined by Coach Developer, Mitch Woodward. On the pod, Mitch shares his journey including his own playing experiences as a 7 year old to open-aged football. He also talks about his coaching journey which included roles in the US, Wycombe Wanderers Foundation, The FA and Berks & Bucks plus he shares...

Send us Fan Mail Each year, Rivo & Rich release a special podcast to promote and highlight Mental Health  Awareness Week and this year it takes place from 12th to 18th May, with the theme of “Community”. This year Rich caught up with Callum Salhotra (BBFA Community & Inclusion Manager) & Dan Rook (Disability & Male Rec Lead) to discuss in more detail this years theme of Community....

Send us Fan Mail To mark Black History Month 2024, this special episode of The Grassroots Football Coach is dedicated to celebrating Black History Month. Black History Month is a national celebration which aims to promote and celebrate achievements by Black people and their contributions to the British society. First celebrated in this 1987, this year the theme is “ Reclaiming Narratives ,” and ma...

Send us Fan Mail To mark Black History Month 2024, this special episode of The Grassroots Football Coach is dedicated to celebrating Black History Month. Black History Month is a national celebration which aims to promote and celebrate achievements by Black people and their contributions to the British society. First celebrated in this 1987, this year the theme is “ Reclaiming Narratives ,” and ma...

Send us Fan Mail Throughout UEFA Euro 2024, Mark "Rivo" Rivers and Richard Brant will be discussing the tournament in Germany, from looking ahead to the festival of football to dissecting and reviewing England's performances as 24 teams bid for European glory. On this episode, Rivo & Rich review the final where a late goal from Mikel Oyarzabal 4 minutes from the end clinched vic...

Send us Fan Mail Throughout UEFA Euro 2024, Mark "Rivo" Rivers and Richard Brant will be discussing the tournament in Germany, from looking ahead to the festival of football to dissecting and reviewing England's performances as 24 teams bid for European glory. On this episode, Rivo, Rich & Marley look back at England's Semi-Final victory vs the Netherlands with Ollie Watkin...

Send us Fan Mail Throughout UEFA Euro 2024, Mark "Rivo" Rivers and Richard Brant will be discussing the tournament in Germany, from looking ahead to the festival of football to dissecting and reviewing England's performances as 24 teams bid for European glory. On this episode, Rivo & Rich are joined by the returning Marley to look back at England's penalty shootout success...

Send us Fan Mail Throughout UEFA Euro 2024, Mark "Rivo" Rivers and Richard Brant will be discussing the tournament in Germany, from looking ahead to the festival of football to dissecting and reviewing England's performances as 24 teams bid for European glory. On this episode, Rivo & Rich look back at England's late late show vs Slovakia and discuss performance vs results a...

Send us Fan Mail Throughout UEFA Euro 2024, Mark "Rivo" Rivers and Richard Brant will be discussing the tournament in Germany, from looking ahead to the festival of football to dissecting and reviewing England's performances as 24 teams bid for European glory. On this episode, Rivo & Rich are joined by a special guest as they look back at England's draw with Slovenia which...