30 years teaching art and the creative process to children, young people and adults has helped form my particular style to coaching and given my approach to coaching its creative structure and range. My professional engagement as teacher, mentor and coach, encouraging the learning of all ages and developmental stages continues to inspired and convinced me to strive to be a lifelong learner with all its challenges and rewards. Working with both boys and girls youth football teams as a coach and trainer now for more than 25 years is as much about giving young people agency and growing their team thinking as it is about kicking footballs. As a father of four boys aged 2, 12, 23 and 28, i am still happily involved in bringing along the next generations. I still teach and have children in education so I empathise with students and parents, teachers and administrators as they work to make the most out of education. This understanding for the struggles and pressures to do the very best possible and succeed in a quickly changing world underpins the work I do with schools and colleges.