Darren O'Dea on Football, Change and Mindset
Today on the podcast I am joined by Celtic F.C U18 coach Darren O'Dea. He speaks about his love of sport and football and the lessons learned playing around the world.
Darren opens the conversation describing his return to playing football after some time since the lockdowns and the importance of habits, consistency, and taking ownership for anybody looking to continue practicing their sport in spite of challenges like the pandemic. He extends this lesson to the world of athletes in general.
We then talk about the value of the formative experience of street football to future professional athletes and how the culture of the sport is affected when that is sorely missing.
Darren goes on to talk about how “football found him” and how to build a mindset of an athlete destined for success. He also explains why building relationships is one of the most important things a coach can do, the nuances of coaching younger players, and what he learned about the importance of adapting to different environments after his travels to multiple countries.
TIMESTAMP:
[00:21] Darren talks about the importance of taking ownership of your career as an athlete
[03:15] Darren’s role models growing up and developing himself as a footballer
[07:48] Is the positive influence of street football missing in today’s professional games?
[10:58] The transferability of skills between different sports
[13:05] Why it pays in the future to not be the “best” in your sport in the beginning
[18:56] The moment Darren decided he would become a footballer and the first few tough years
[34:10] Honing your mindset to thrive as a budding athlete
[39:30] The importance of building relationships as a coach
[44:17] Why Darren loves basking in the energy of his teammates
[46:04] The nuances of communicating with today’s generation of players
[53:30] Lessons Darren has learned throughout his travels to different countries
Connect with Darren O’Dea:
Connect with Don MacNaughton:
· WEBSITE
· PODCAST
