Gary Cole knows coaching. Sure , he's a former Socceroo - played 40 matches in an Australian guernsey, both caps and friendlies. But the trained primary school teacher turned President of Football Coaches Australia has made his post playing career all about getting the best out of other people.

Gary served as assistant coach for the Socceroos under Frank Arok, coached at the AIS plus a swathe of top tier teams including Melbourne Victory and Heidelberg United. So when he says, coaches need continuous coaching, all aspiring Peps and Ange's need to put down their magnets and whiteboards and listen.

Yes, at the start, coaching is all about how to get kids organized and how to put on a training session. And then you have to know how to coach in a game situation. But the top stuff, the meaty stuff , is all about managing people. And it is of Gary Cole's firm belief that coaches need mentoring, just as players need mentoring. "Why do coaches need mentoring?", he responds patiently. "Because they are learning a craft and they want to get better at it".

And you are not making things up in your own head. Sometimes the coach mightn't be any good, or they mightn't be any good for you. At community level, it could even be a parent roped in to do the duties, even though you 've all been whacked with several thousand dollar’s worth of fees to have the privilege of playing. That's where it gets tough for all involved. They key to survival here, says Gary, is to make sure everyone is still having fun. Learning some skills but having fun at training.

But we hear this time and time again about successful coaches - true coaching is about leadership, and knowing how to manage multiple individuals to get the best out of them as a group is not a subject in the basic coaching qualifications around. " You manage things. Or you lead people", Gary explains. "So if you want to count how many balls we have in the locker room, or how many cones we have got, that's a management issue. But how do I work with you, so we have a good working relationship based on honesty and trust, so you can be better? Some of the feedback may not be in a way that you like it, but do you want me to be truthful? That's the beginning of building foundations to coach.

Gary Cole is kind, he's generous. One of his daughters plays elite basketball still. And despite the fact I like him immensely and can feel his integrity radiate like a invisible safety garment, I'd hazard a guess that he merely tolerates Ted Lasso.

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Amy Schembri is an author whose kids play - and who spends hours each week like you, schlepping them around the suburbs. She's the latest Red Card For Mummy podcast star - you can listen here. Her book, "Making it...Or Not: The Real Journey Told By Professional Players" is a result of pondering these difficult questions deeply. Through personal experience of both success and rejection, Amy came to realise her own counsel lacked the weight for it to penetrate her kids minds; ie: they thought " What would YOU know, Mum?". So Amy Schembri sought out those who had Lived - the 'making it, or Not', and gathered their stories. Amy's goal is to fill the gap in parents education of how to deal with this inevitable part of sport, speaking to a Socceroo, two Matilda’s, A-League champions, an A-League coach, and a former Liverpool wonderkid.

Amy unashamedly digs out the highs and lows of the journey - who got dropped, who broke what body part, who lost confidence when, and how the players who made it, actually managed. We know there is no linear pathway for making i in sport, but what we do know is the emotional terrain is rugged. With Amy's book, fingers crossed they have not yet lost the capacity to READ!

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Thank you World Cup. Your Kid now wants to play for Australia. Here's what a Parent should definitely NOT do.

So you're getting up at ungodly hours to watch the telly, you are planning the next family holiday to Cape Verde and your kid wants to play for Australia.

whilst some families have nicked off for their Euro Summer or poor mans Ibiza at Port Douglas, you're looking forward top soaking multiple kits in Napisan to try and get the mud out.

But that's all ok. Because your kids have a passion, and the passion happens to be soccer. And you want to do the right thing for them, yes? Support them and help them achieve their dreams. But how involved should you actually get in their soccer club lives beyond providing lolly snakes and watermelon for the half time snacks when it’s your turn for on the roster, and giving good notice if you can’t turn up for Marshalling.

But what happens when they aren't getting minutes on the pitch; despite training however many times a week they are still getting splinters in their butt on match day in the Sub's vest. Or they are picked to play in the 'wrong' position? Or feel targeted by the Coach for [ insert here] missing training for a school excursion/going to Grandmas funeral/ getting stuck in peak hour traffic. They are getting dropped for WHAT? What do you do then?

Tim Schleiger, Brisbane Roars newly appointed Head of Performance for the technical staff , is not one to pussyfoot around. He's the guy who , during his strength and conditioning stint in the EPL, went up to visit Ange Postecoglou at Celtic where he met up with Sir Rod Stewart and engaged in a little repartee. Sir Rod was accompanied by a couple of beautiful - so Schleigs regales - absolutely beautiful looking boys, dressed to a tee.

" Is that your son or your grandson?" Schleiger asked, his version of polite conversation. ‘He’s my son’, retorted Stewart. I’m a fucking Rock star, Mate. I’ve got kids everywhere".

Tim’s seen it, he’s done it, and if he hasn't, he's a bridge to it, somewhere somehow. And in his role developing young elite players , Tim Schleiger has met all sorts of parents. Dammit. He's one himself. In fact he is frequently asked by State football bodies to deliver a pseudo induction speech for parents and carers whose kids are entering elite development programs. What does he cover? You'll have to listen to the podcast. This episode of Red Card For Mummy is called Rod Stewart, Soft Kids and Annoying Parents. You don't need Tim Cahill to entice you to place bets that some home truths are contained within. There’s a time in football for tough love and there’s a time in parenting for tough talk.

So this episode of Red Card for Mummy , it’s tough talk from Tim, delivered with love.

You love your kids. They are fired up to play for Australia. You don’t want to stuff it up for them, OK?

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