Cameron Molloy Moules is a Development Officer with the FAI, a coach in the League of Ireland Women’s Premier Division with Wexford FC and he's also on your screens every Saturday on Total Football.
He's here with 3 Top Tips to help young players level up their skills.
Cameron says: "My earliest memories of football was probably about 3 or 4 years old. I had an older brother and we used to play football with his pals in our flats. Right throughout my childhood there would be a crowd of us kids playing football in the little make-shift pitch in our flats every single day.
"The goals were made of chalk and washing lines and we had to dribble around parked cars half of the time. But it was like the Aviva stadium to us! My first club was St Anthony's Boys FC. We trained indoors in a futsal hall midweek and played our games in the Phoenix Park. All my mates, neighbours, cousins. We played together. Best. Time. Ever!"
1. Break your own records
Do you call them Volleys or Keepy Uppys? I call them Volleys. But whatever you call them, every football player must have their own record. What's your record? I will never ever forget the day I reached 100 volleys for the first time.
I was just a kid and we were on holiday in Wexford with my family. My brother and cousin saw me do it, too. I practiced all the time for years. It was the BEST FEELING EVER! Every young footballer should have a volley record and work on it every day!
2. Learn to be a selfish player!
You might be surprised by that headline...but keep reading. You will learn to be a team player 3 days per week when you’re training with your team. So, every other day, practice all the skills and tricks you possibly can. Become the best at being selfish! On game day, you’ll still be a team player of course.
But the time will come when you need a fancy trick to get out of a tough situation on your own. And you’ll thank yourself for all the selfish practice!
3. The ball is your best friend
The football pitch isn’t the only place to become a footballer! Can you dribble the ball to school? Or to practice? What about in your house – where is your spot to practice your tricks? The great Paul Gascgoine used to sleep with his football like a teddy bear – it was his best friend!
I love nothing more than to see kids coming to training with their own ball so they can play for those 10 or 15 minutes while they wait for their session to start. You wouldn’t forget to leave the house without your shoes or your coat, don’t forget your football either!
And, what was the best advice you ever received?
Football can be tough when things don’t go well. Losing a game, losing your spot on the team, getting injuries, and more. It can be very tough. And there isn’t one player out there in the world who skips through without tough times. We all get them!
So the best advice I ever received was about how you treat those times. It’s absolutely ok to make mistakes, get things wrong, and to feel upset or angry or embarrassed. That’s all part of being a normal kid and a football player. But keep going. The good times are just around the corner!
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