Student, Athlete, Coach

By Fiona Lee

Gan with her team, FootballPlus Under 14, at the International Soccer Academy Under 14 Championships just before their match against International Soccer Academy Costa, which they drew at 2-2 .
PHOTO: Eugene Wong

Sharleen Gan, 20, has had a long love affair with football.

Picking up the sport from the tender age of 10, the second-year student from the School of Sports Science and Management has played in the National Inter-School Football Championships for both the ‘B’ and ‘A’ Divisions in 2009 and 2011 respectively.

Her talents have not gone unspotted, as she has even represented Singapore in the National Under-16 women’s football team at the Asian Football Confederation in 2008.

And with these experiences under her belt, Gan hopes to share her knowledge with others by volunteering as a coach.

She began by assisting at a football camp conducted by her St Andrew’s Junior College coach after her ‘A’ Levels examination in 2012. Following that stint, she continued assisting her coach at FootballPlus Academy, where Gan’s coach was a director.

Currently playing with Petra Football Club which competes in the Women’s Premier League, Gan said: “Initially, I just wanted to help my coach out when he requested for manpower. However, I decided to continue because football has helped me in many ways in my life,

“We work with players from the neighbourhood which are less well-to-do. They remind me a lot of myself in my younger years where I needed guidance, and so I thought that it was a perfect way to give back what I have received.”

Driven by her passion, Gan honed her coaching skills by attending coaching clinics and subsequently completed the Football Association of Singapore ‘C’ License coaching certificate course.

Gan coaches the Under-14 Boys team at the FootballPlus Academy.

When asked why she preferred volunteering, Gan said: “There is just a different dimension to coaching when money is involved. I just want to help out and share what I know in the little ways that I can,”

Gan’s players train once a week on Saturdays for two hours and are currently playing in the International Soccer Academy league tournament every alternate Sundays.

Training sessions would normally be focused on developing and refining the player’s basic techniques like passing accurately. Pre-match trainings however focus more heavily on tactics, which aids her players in shaping their understanding of the game.

But for all the preparations that she puts into training, winning football matches is not everything.

“I had been instilled with the belief that if we can influence the (player’s) character, attitude, and football abilities, the results will take care of themselves. So I try to apply the same thing with my player and focus on their developments instead,” she said.

And having training sessions with her own club twice a week, Gan constantly reminds herself not to bring negative emotions from bad training sessions when she coaches.

In comparing the expectations between her role as both a football player and a coach, she said: “As a player, all I have to do is to turn up and train, and then get feedback from my coach. But as a coach, even with all the preparation that happens before training, circumstances change and I have to always be ready to adapt when necessary.

“The responsibilities involved with coaching means that I cannot afford to have an off-day.”

Leong in action in this year’s table tennis SUniG.
PHOTO: TAY KAIXU FREDDIE

Aldrea Leong, 20, is another who, despite being decorated in her sport, feels the compelling desire to volunteer as a coach.

Together with her teammates from NTU, the second-year student from SSM was crowned champion in the Inter-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Games last year. They are also the reigning champions in the Singapore University Games for two years running.

She had her first foray into coaching in 2012, after attending a coaching course organised by the International Table Tennis Federation.

When asked why she became a coach, Leong replied: “I felt that I had gained so much knowledge through my coaches as a player and I was inspired to help others with my area of expertise.”

And while some of her peers use coaching as an opportunity to earn a living, Leong sees things a bit differently.

“Coaching voluntarily gives me a lot more satisfaction and happiness as I feel that it is more valuable than coaching for an income,” she added.

Leong currently volunteers at the Table Tennis Association for the Disabled (Singapore). Her players range from ages of 20 to 60, with various disabilities. While some players have only participated in the sport for a couple of weeks, others have gone on to participate in international competitions.

Leong adopts a goal-oriented approach to coaching.

She said: “Asking them to set goals enables me to ensure that they will do their best to train and perform so as to meet their objectives. Concurrently, I motivate them by encouraging them and giving constructive feedback for them to improve on.”

One of the difficulties that she faces as a coach is to correct the bad habits that her players had cultivated with regards to their techniques. As a coach, however, she feels responsible for the development of her players.

“I have been coaching this group of people for almost two years now and I have learned that a good player reflects a good coach,” Leong said.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of skills I have, but rather, my ability to deliver information and feedback in the most effective method possible for my players to improve.”