Mat Smith. Living Non League Football

This week Rob speaks to Mat Smith, someone who uses his own time to work tirelessly for football and a first-class leader with some fantastic and valuable lessons for us all.This week's episode takes some time away from elite football and gives some perspective on the non-league side of the game. KEY TAKEAWAYSRob and Mat met quite some time ago but they lost touch. Mat reached back out and they had a chat and it's been great for them to revisit a few things and catch up.Non-league football, particularly in the UK, is a place where many players develop and is full of endless passion. It can be a great stepping stone for players.Many roles in non-league clubs are voluntary, this is vital for the clubs survival. People like Mat are invaluable to the non-league game throughout the country.The days of one-player clubs are few and far between nowadays, so it's nice for mat to be involved with the reserves and see progress in younger players.With the working week moving away from Monday-Friday for many people now having Saturday or Sunday football as a habit/hobby is more difficult. Mat also says that he feels there is a lot less commitment than in previous years.Without non-league and grassroots football ‘what is the point'? Not many people will end up in league football but it should still be a game played by many. There are great players out there in all areas, it's the ‘bread and butter of football'.BEST MOMENTS“If you dig a little deeper this gentleman (Mat Smith) is a living example of somebody who is a leader”“If I can help out in any way, shape or form I would do”“You do it for the love of the game and the comradery”“It's the bread and butter football at the end of the day” VALUABLE RESOURCESLeader Manager Coach Podcast  ABOUT THE HOST Rob Ryles is a UEFA A licensed coach with a League Managers Association qualification and a science and medicine background. He has worked in the football industry in Europe, USA, and Africa; at International, Premiership, League, Non-League and grassroots levels with both World Cup and European Championship experience. Rob Ryles prides himself on having a forward thinking and progressive approach to the game built through his own experience as well as lessons learned from a number of highly successful managers and coaches. The Leader Manager Coach Podcast is where we take a deep dive examining knowledge, philosophies, wisdom and insight to help you lead, manage and coach in football, sport and life.  CONTACT METHODhttps://www.robryles.co.uk/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMPYDVzZVnAhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/robertryles/?originalSubdomain=uk       LEARN MORE HERE Football, coach: https://www.patreon.com/robryles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.