Coaches Recognition:
PFC Coaches of the Month.
Monday January 13, 2025
PHX NEWS
Phoenix FC is proud to recognize the outstanding work of our volunteer coaches across the program. To celebrate their contributions, we will be featuring a "Coaches of the Month" on our new website. You can be part of this by nominating a coach who you see doing amazing things!
Tf you've observed positive coaching from another coach, we encourage you to share those examples by reaching out directly to your director. These examples might include implementing coaching challenges from previous weeks, offering fist bumps at the start and end of practice, or giving high-fives and positive encouragement throughout. You may also want to highlight effective bench mentorship or any actions that contribute to a positive atmosphere on the field.
Other examples of positive coaching include using habit trackers for players, utilizing the Bingo card introduced by Robyn Zachary (found on the Coaches’ Corner), or setting clear expectations for players who arrive early, such as staying away from the nets and focusing on Individual Development Plans (IDPs). Many IDPs are posted in the Google Classrooms and Coaches’ Corner. Regularly practicing and promoting scanning is another example of positive coaching.
Encouraging players to create highlight reels for visualization, supporting participation in our junior coaches' program, and taking initiative in community involvement are also great ways to demonstrate positive coaching.
There were multiple coaches nominated, and many of them very deserving. The following coaches have been selected to be recognized on our first time Coaches of the Month feature.
Shawn Heinonen-Labrie
Shawn coaches U15 Girls in our T4 program
Shawn is eager to learn, and she leads with energy and positivity. She actively supports all players to play the game or come train (recently she supported a couple of players that missed an earlier session with another team to come train with her group without pause or question).
Chris Stefaniuk
Chris coaches U11 Girls in our T4 program
Chris always has a smile, brings music to help motivate the players, encourages hard work and a safe environment to explore the game and is the embodiment of joy for the players as he brings a positive energy to every encounter.
Kayden Dugas
Kayden coaches our Youth Competitive U15B T2 team
Kayden has played a pivotal role in introducing a variety of new learning tools developed in collaboration with the club over the past year. His team—including coaches and players—actively uses habit trackers to challenge one another in adopting and exploring new habits. Scanning remains a key focus during practices, and many players have begun working on their Individual Development Plans (IDPs) ahead of practices and games. Focus on a brave standard of play, focused on development, helps the team to take care of the ball and actively use the goalkeepers in build-up and switching
Robyn Zachary
Robyn is the Head Coach of our CGR U11 T1 Girls team.
Robyn has designed a BINGO card for the players on her team to engage with. It is a very novel way to help players set goals, create new habits and increase their output, which is the secret to success. Robyn’s idea has been shared on the Coaches’ Corner, and she has also shared some of the ins and outs of the workings of it on this recent podcast: https://youtu.be/WOJ9Rtbr_I4