Ask about what the team has stressed in practices since the last game. Ask about anything notable that has happened since the last game. Ask for updates on injured players. Ask for a scouting report on tonight’s opponent.
At face value, soccer is quite a simple game where two teams try to outscore each other by kicking a round ball into a rectangular goal.
Questions for soccer players, coaches, and parents: Some straightforward questions that players should be asking to revolve around improving, learning, and tactics. Other questions can be trickier, such as playing time on the field or technical advice.
Although simplistic, the reality is that soccer is much more complicated. Soccer systems, tactics, formations, and coaching styles are now at the forefront of the sport.
With this in mind, we must acknowledge that it’s not easy to play soccer in today’s game. Communication is essential.
Coaches, players, as well as their families and friends must be capable of understanding each other in this regard.
A coach needs to have seamless communication with his team and its players. A coach should ask questions to evoke a response when his/her team is in need.
A coach plays a leadership role on an individual basis and should ask questions that best solve any problems or benefit the team and its players.
Friends and families are the supporting pillars for people in all professions. Soccer is no different. Knowing what type of questions you should or shouldn’t ask is useful.
Throughout this article, we’ll explore different areas of the soccer world and discuss questions involving the sport’s key areas.
Whether you’re a player, a coach, a friend of a player/coach, or simply a fan, you should find something useful in the questions for soccer players, coaches, and parents below.
Alabama Football Pre-Game Interview (MUST WATCH)
How do you tackle the first (middle/last, etc) game of a tough road trip? What’s your team’s comfort level away from home? There have been some fierce battles between these two teams, how do you manage that emotion? You’re coming off a bye week, how do you re-engage after two weeks off?
How has Joe Smith been in the last five…statistically he’s looked solid? This is the first test on the road this year, what’s the comfort level like? Joe Smith is attracting a lot of attention from scouts and media, do you manage that much as a coach? 100 games tonight for your captain Joe Smith, tell us a little more about him and what he means to the team?
You might also want to focus on individual elements to the game. Are there players nearing or at milestones? Has a player (or players) been particularly good recently? Does the team have a ‘star’ that’s garnering a lot of attention? Is there just a good story in tonight’s game? This allows your pre-game interview to have more of a human element by talking about situations one on one:
Coaches, if nothing else are a bit narcissistic. That’s obviously a very big generalization, but they love to talk about their team and/or program, especially in a pre-game interview situation where they know fans are listening. It’s like new parents…they love to talk about their kids. So often the way a team plays or the message that a particular program delivers is driven straight from the coach, everything from the way the game is played on the field/court/ice or how their squad conducts themselves off it is directed from the coach’s background. So the logical point is to talk about the team first:
What are you looking for from your team in the first 5-10 minutes? How do you feel you match up against (your teams strength)? How does the lineup look for you guys tonight? Any last minute changes?
Ask Questions Before You Start Recording: When you get the coach on the phone, have a brief pre-interview conversation to fill in the gaps that you were unable to find in your previous research. This shouldn’t take more than a minute or two. Quickly ask what happened in the last game, who played well, and how practice went that week. This gives you the ability to frame your questions in a way that sounds intelligent and informed.
Avoid Cliché Questions: It’s safe to say that dealing with media is very rarely any coach’s favorite thing to do. The quickest way to annoy a coach is to ask the same cliché questions that they hear from everyone else. Questions like “What are the keys to the game?” are almost certain to get a response that mentions avoiding turnovers, controlling what you can control, and playing well on special teams. If you don’t make the coach think, they will fall back to boring coach-speak answers that put listeners to sleep. Treat an interview like a cover letter: each one should be designed specifically for that specific broadcast
Logan Anderson is a sportscaster in the Twin Cities. He founded Say the Damn Score, with a passion for broadcasting and the mission of sharing his experiences, both good and bad.
Listen, Listen, Listen: The first key to doing a good interview is listening. You should be prepared and have a map of where you expect the interview to go, and you should also be ready to abandon that path at any time. The most insightful answers in any interview are almost always on follow ups to an earlier question. Good follow up questions come from paying attention and probing deeper into the initial response.
Interviewing coaches is a critical part of most broadcasts. Aside from filling time in your pregame show and giving you a sellable sponsorship opportunity, they help to inform you and your listeners of potential storylines in that night’s game. However, far too frequently broadcasters waste this opportunity with canned or uninformed questions. This not only does no service to you or your listeners, but many times will annoy coaches and make them less likely to cooperate with you in the future. With that in mind here are a few tips from my experience on how to get a good coaches interview.
This question is a great way for the interviewer to learn more about your qualifications and how you can contribute to their team. When answering this question, it’s important to highlight your skills as well as your passion for football. You may also want to mention any unique or interesting experiences that make you stand out from other candidates.
Example: “I would say my greatest weakness as a football player is my ability to focus on the game when I’m injured. I know that I need to stay focused on the game at all times, but sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to play that I forget about my injury. This has led to me re-injuring myself before, so now I try to take a few minutes away from the field to calm down.”
Example: “I am passionate about football and have been playing since I was in high school. My dedication to the sport has helped me develop my athletic abilities while also teaching me valuable life lessons. For example, I learned how to work with others on my team to achieve common goals. This skill has helped me succeed in all aspects of my life, including academics and extracurricular activities.”
Example: “My greatest strength as a football player is my ability to read plays and react quickly. I’ve always been able to anticipate what will happen next in a game, which has helped me make quick decisions on the field. My second greatest strength is my speed. I’m very fast, which helps me get into position before the ball is snapped.”
Example: “I am very aware of my role as a public figure. I always try to be respectful and kind to others, even when I’m having a bad day. I also know that many young people look up to me, so I try to set a good example by being honest and hardworking. If I ever have any doubt about whether something is right or wrong, I ask someone for advice.”
Questions to Ask a Soccer Team
If a coach wants to gain true insight from their players, they must phrase their questions in an open-ended fashion.
This allows the players to express themselves in their responses freely.
The word “why” can be essential in some scenarios, but it’s quite confrontational so it should be avoided where possible.
A coach’s keys are to observe, question, evaluate, and learn.
When speaking to his/her team, a coach should ask questions to ensure that the game plan is understood and that instructions have been effectively communicated.
To evaluate the team’s understanding of the coach’s tactics:
Certain patterns of play, both defensively and offensively, are specific to a team or coach.
A coach may quiz his/her players on their positions for set-pieces, for fast breaks after gaining possession of the ball, or defensive transition tactics.
The coach may also target specific position groups with such questions. For example:
This question is asked during training or in the lead-up to a game, not during a game.
People can be sensitive beings, and we each have different personalities. Some players need their coach to put an arm around them and give them words of encouragement.
Others react much better to direct instruction, whether encouraging or not.
Speaking about legendary soccer manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney shared an insight into his famous player management.
This epitomizes the role of a coach and the importance of individual player management. The way a coach speaks to his/her players is crucial. Here are some topics and questions a coach may ask his/her player.
Note that some of the questions targeted toward the team (above) can also be asked to an individual.
FAQ
What questions are asked in a sports interview?
- 1 “Tell me about yourself”
- 2 “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
- 3 “What’s your biggest weakness?”
- 4 “On a scale from 1 – 10, how would you rate yourself / how proficient are you at xxx?”
- 5 “Why do you want to work for this company?”
What questions would you ask an athlete?
What are good questions to ask a footballer?
What are post game interviews?
