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| One of the veteran mentors in Kaya Football Academy, Steve Nicholls, second row, fourth from right, takes turns in coaching the men's and even the women's sides. Nevin Reyes/UFL (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--At some point during last year's UFL Cup, Steve Nicholls led Kaya's coaching staff when Head Coach Chris Greatwich donned the black and gold.
But while the three-time UFL champs wait for their stint in the upcoming PFL next year, Nicholls takes on another job, this time mentoring the club's distaff side.
Asked by a couple of reporters on Saturday, Nicholls shared how the players' gender affects the way he handles them.
"It's just a matter of [player] managing and letting them to be able to express themselves," he particularly said.
In particular, Nicholls said that female footballers need to be motivated more than the male booters.
"They have the ability. They just need more confidence to play, especially young girls. You have to let them know that you got that confidence in them to be able for them to express themselves," he continued.
However, Nicholls also stressed out that the age of the players and the frequency of their practices should be considered as well.
Kaya, in what seemed like an upset, got blown out by UST in their PFF Women's League game at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, but for him, the latter simply showed its cohesion and experience in the match.
"[The Tigresses] train five days a week. They're four or five years older than our girls. We only train once a week at best, maybe two. We can't expect any more from them. What we can do is to develop the individual players, and when they mature, they're certainly be able to play with confidence," Nicholls added.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
However, Nicholls also stressed out that the age of the players and the frequency of their practices should be considered as well.
Kaya, in what seemed like an upset, got blown out by UST in their PFF Women's League game at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, but for him, the latter simply showed its cohesion and experience in the match.
"[The Tigresses] train five days a week. They're four or five years older than our girls. We only train once a week at best, maybe two. We can't expect any more from them. What we can do is to develop the individual players, and when they mature, they're certainly be able to play with confidence," Nicholls added.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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