Inside The Game
Inside The Game is a weekly podcast with Stuart Sharples, hosted by Steel United, designed to support coaches, players, and parents by breaking down key topics from our coaching curriculum. Each episode dives into a fundamental aspect of the game, explores a core value that shapes player development, and features a special guest offering insights on the weekly theme. Whether you're on the pitch or in the stands, this podcast will help you understand the game on a deeper level. Let’s step inside the game!
Inside The Game
Episode Seven - Creating a Competitive Environment
In this episode of Inside The Game, we kick off a two-week focus on the Final Third—arguably the most decisive area of the pitch where games are won and lost. We break down what effective play in the final third looks like, including key principles like timing of movement, combination play, and clinical decision-making under pressure.
Our theme this week is Creating a Competitive Environment in Training, and we explore how coaches can design sessions that drive intensity, maximize ball rolling time, and balance work-to-rest ratios to simulate real-game demands. We discuss how the type and timing of your coaching interventions can maintain tempo without sacrificing learning, and how a competitive edge in training prepares players to thrive when it matters most.
Joining us is guest Kate Hofstede, who shares her perspective on fostering healthy competition, building training sessions that replicate game moments, and using the core value of Integrity to keep competition productive and aligned with your team culture.
If you're looking to raise your session intensity while reinforcing high-quality final third play, this episode offers actionable strategies to help players sharpen their edge and perform with purpose.