Books are great resources to teach coaches and athletic administrators about philosophy, leadership and team building. We regularly speak with athletic administrators who assign books to their coaching staffs, or coaches who require that their captains read about becoming a role model. But what books are best?
best football coaching books of all time
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For budding coaches, tacticians, scouts, analysts, and general football lovers, there are few better ways to absorb knowledge about the game than by reading. Alongside the various online resources for footy obsessives, there are tons of amazing books out there dedicated to explaining tactical trends, training set-ups, football history, and so on. That being said, it can be hard to know which ones to read, and which ones to swerve. That's why we've compiled a list of 10 of the best books about football coaching and tactics. Let's get into them.
There are plenty of books and resources dedicated to the tactical aspect of football coaching, which is obviously hugely important. However, one key element of the profession which is sometimes missed is the importance of building relationships and connecting with athletes on a personal level. A #1 Amazon Best Seller in the UK, Gold Dust focuses on strategies for improving communication and learning how to inspire players to perform to their best ability. David and Keith Mayer's book teaches techniques for optimising performances, improving the environments you coach in, and boosting athletes' mental and emotional health, with contributions from a range of First Team Managers, Head Coaches, Academy Managers and Elite Youth Coaches. You can find the book on Amazon.
A wide variety of different small-sided football games and drills are taught in this highly focused practical guide. Deliberate Soccer Practice argues that done right, small-sided games represent the epicentre of soccer improvement. The text is aimed at football coaches of all levels, although it has a particular emphasis on youth coaches, who through the use of small-sided games have the opportunity to positively impact the technical and positional development of young players. Providing simple instructions for teaching players tactics, shapes, and awareness, Ray Power's book is a must-have for newbies to football coaching and strategy. It's available via various publishers, including Blackwell's and Abe Books.
In the last few seasons, the metric of Expected Goals (or xG) has become a common sight for watchers of the game. It can divide opinion, although it's not going anywhere any time soon. For those who are still unsure exactly what xG means and how it can help us understand the game, James Tippett's book is the perfect introduction. The Expected Goals Philosophy provides a basic overview of how xG can be used to review and analyse football. Exploring theories used in gambling and talent identification, the book argues for the importance of this game-changing approach to football analysis. If you're a budding coach or tactician, you'll probably want to gain some solid knowledge on the subject. Check out The Expected Goals Philosophy on World of Books.
The Athletic writer and podcaster Michael Cox has become one of the most respected names in the game when it comes to tactical analysis and data in football. His book The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics offers a deep dive into the tactical history of the Premier League, looking at how the game has developed over the past quarter of a century. Analysing Ferguson's directness, Keegan's relentless attacking play at Newcastle, and Mourinho's cagey but highly effective Chelsea sides, amongst other teams and styles, this book has been billed as one of the most entertaining, rich, and knowledgeable football books out there. It can be found in a number of places, including Waterstones and GoodReads.
In the UK and abroad, women's football continues to grow in popularity and quality, having been sidelined for so long. If you're particularly interested in developing a career within the women's game, Jane Haslam's practical guide to coaching and training is a great resource to get you started. Football has become the UK's most important participation sport for women and girls, and Haslam's book seeks to build on these foundations, offering guidance on technical skills, the principles of defence and attack, physical fitness and nutrition, and how coaching environments should be adjusted to suit the needs of female players. It's an impressive publication, and one which lovers of women's and men's football alike will benefit from reading. You can buy a copy on SheKicks or Amazon.
This best-selling book teaches over 125 drills for beginner, intermediate, advanced, and all-star footballers. Going through all the essentials related to tactics, possession, passing, ball control, and much more, Hargreaves' guide to coaching is an invaluable resource that can be applied in a range of different footballing contexts. Dedicated to preparing players for making intelligent on-field decisions, Skills and Strategies for Coaching Soccer can help football coaches and lovers of the game take their game to the next level. Grab a copy here.
Aimed at football coaches of all levels and with players of all ages and abilities, The Modern Soccer Coach offers a unique insight into modern football coaching, structured around a four dimensional approach. Gary Curneen is a UEFA A Licensed coach, and his Modern Soccer Coach Podcast has over 2 million listeners, so you can be sure that the tactical, technical, and interpersonal knowledge communicated in this book is coming from a trusted voice. In the text, he explains historical developments within the beautiful game, introduces some dynamic modern training methods, explores what sets coaches like Klopp, Guardiola and Mourinho apart from others, and shares how to develop a competitive and enjoyable coaching environment for players. Check it out on World of Books.
Mark Leibovich is known for his funny, spot-on profiles of Washington, D.C. media and politicians, but in Big Game, one of the latest football books, he sets his sights on a dissection of the NFL and professional football. Unquestionably, the NFL is facing. new challenges and obstacles, from players who want to exercise their right to free speech to concussion controversy. And Leibovich spears the League, addressing all these topics and more in Big Game, a highly readable story for anyone who is interested in the best books about American football.
Now, I might be biased as a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan, but I suspect everyone who enjoys a good football story will appreciate Bringing the Heat, definitely among the best books about football. This compelling book follows the Eagles over the course of their pivotal 1992 season. Raw and candid, Bringing the Heat is an unforgettable book, told through personal recollections and interviews with everyone who touched the team that season.
This history of breaking the color barrier in Texas college football provides key insights into how the sport transitioned to a more diverse game. Author Jeff Miller puts you right in there when two Black players joined the team of what became the University of North Texas in the 1950s, challenging the racism inherent in society at the time when Texas schools were segregated. The Game Changers, which belongs on any roundup of the best football books for adults, shines a light on a forgotten milestone and the players, coaches, and students at its heart.
This inspirational book follows Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL player turned minister and volunteer high school football coach. Ehrmann takes a different approach to coaching, teaching his players a philosophy of love, accountability, and positive masculinity. So many of the entries on this list focus on the negative side of football, but Season of Life lifts reader up, highlighting the positives of this remarkable game.
That wouldn't come as a surprise to one of Aranda's earliest and most trusted mentors, Dr. Jerry Lynch, an acclaimed sports psychologist who has written 13 books on coaching and leadership and whose teachings have heavily influenced Phil Jackson and Steve Kerr, among many others.
His love and loss of football set him adrift. He tried to join the Navy, but the lingering shoulder issues caused him to fail a physical. He was working the night shift as a security guard at a truck stop and coaching the junior varsity defense at his former high school when he decided to visit a friend at Cal Lutheran, a Division III school about 100 miles west of Redlands and about 40 miles north up the coast from Los Angeles. Cal Lu had a reputation as a place for gym rats, though it did not offer scholarships. He decided to try and rekindle his playing days, but his shoulder wouldn't cooperate.
"I think if anybody asked a group of people who wants to be a head coach, I'm not sure Dave Aranda would raise his hand," Doyle said. "It's like Plato's 'Republic.' Sometimes the best ruler for a kingdom is the one that doesn't want to be a ruler."
"At some point in time, he'll decide that it's time to move on and impact lives in a different way," Rhoades said. "But right now he's in this process of really impacting people and doing it in his really unique way. I always think it will be a work in progress for him because of who he is. But I think he's found his comfort level in when he has to be the guy because he is the head football coach. I've almost visually been able to see that journey since January of 2020 when we hired him."
In a way, every sporting event tells a story. However, most of us are ultimately more interested in watching athletes in action trying to win while doing cool stuff than reading about it. Fortunately, though, some people have taken to expanding the stories of the sports world. Over the years, literally hundreds of non-fiction books have been written about the world of sports. Whether they are the works of great writers or particularly impressive autobiographies (admittedly often handled with a ghostwriter or co-writer), here are the best non-fiction sports books of all-time. 2ff7e9595c
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