Facilities Don't Win Gold Medals

A lot of coaches, club committees and sports administrators complain that the reason their program, their team and their athletes are not competitive is due to poor facilities. “If we had a better court, our kids would be able to train and play better” etc. In 30 years in this business I’ve seen kids in Africa train in dirty swimming pools with no starting blocks, lane ropes or backstroke flags - and win gold medals at the Olympic Games. I’ve seen kids in Fiji train on the beach and play on rough, barely grassed fields where the lines are marked in sand - and win gold medals at the Olympics. I’ve seen kids shooting baskets in Midwest-USA on courts that are cracked and broken and with the backboards hanging off and smashed - and win gold medals at the Olympics. But I’ve never seen a negative attitude built on complaints about facilities win anything. Here’s the thing. Sure - it would be great to have a world class training centre with brand new playing facilities, a recovery centre, a state of the art gym and a stack of the latest high-tech training equipment. But for most of us - that’s never going to happen. What will happen is kids will turn up to practice and look to you to deliver an exceptional experience: a fun, engaging, enjoyable, challenging session where they can learn, get better and have a great time doing it. Coaching is what matters. Your energy and your enthusiasm matters. Forget complaining about what you don’t have. Just coach with extraordinary passion everyday. I’d take a committed, passionate, happy coach over a new grandstand and a bigger strength training facility any day. Wayne Goldsmith This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit waynegoldsmith.substack.com/subscribe