Alena Moulton: the importance of giving players a voice
Coach | Relationships | Peter Glynn | 04.06.2021
Former Stoke City women head coach, Alena Moulton, explains how open communication and sharing stories has created a positive learning environment.
Learning:
• Understanding the history and experience of your players
• Creating a positive environment through communication
• The importance of trust, leadership and feedback
When Alena Moulton took her first coaching session as head coach of Stoke City Women, she was met with a wall of silence. It quickly became apparent that question and answer was a new approach for the players in front of her.
“It was hard work,” says Moulton, who was technical director of Nottingham Forest Regional Talent Club before joining Stoke in August 2019.
“I remember my first session and I just asked them a question and I literally got nothing back. When players did speak it would be the same players speaking all the time.
“Me and Chloe [Jones, Technical Director] would review sessions with them and say: ‘look we need you to communicate with us’.
“As a coaching staff we really struggled with it the beginning.”
Moulton, who is also a qualified teacher, believes the reaction of the players was based on previous experience.
“A lot of female players have come through a system where it's ‘do as I say’, and it's all command from the coaches,” explains Moulton.
“Now they're in a position where we're asking questions and we're trying to be a bit more inquisitive and throw it back to them.
“Initially, I think females struggle because they've never been in a position where they've been asked for their input and now we're asking them.”
“A lot of female players have come through a system where it’s ‘do as I say’, and it’s all command from the coaches.”
