NEFC has some wonderful and amazing female coaches and players and feel it is time we highlight them so that the club can learn more about our heart and soul!
For October, we want to introduce Georgie O’Malley.
We asked a bunch of questions ranging from personal to professional – hope you enjoy getting to know her better, like we did!
Hey! I’m Georgie O’Malley, I currently coach the NEFC 2012 Pre-GA girls and 2014 Metro West Red Girls. I’ve played football since I was around 8 years old, played throughout my teen years and into University. Around 10 years ago I began coaching, this allowed me to see the game from a whole new perspective and I soon discovered a new found love for the game; I’ve now spent the last 6 years out here in the US coaching at club level for a few different clubs in NJ, and MA. As a player in my late teen years, I was extremely interested in the psychological side of sports and how that can affect athletes, I wanted to find out more about this field so I went on to study Sport Psychology and Coaching Sciences for my Undergraduate Degree. Following this, I begun putting it into practice and soon experienced the benefits this had on the athletes I was working with, I wanted a deeper understanding of how I could assist athlete’s with the psychological side of their game, so this, alongside being a big believer in ‘you should never stop learning’ lead me to recently completing my Masters Degree.
- What is your favorite team to watch?
My whole family are Arsenal fans, so I had no choice but to be in Arsenal kits since the age of 3! I was very fortunate that my family got season tickets when I was around 11 years old, so I grew up going to watch every Arsenal home game. The last 10 years haven’t been my favorite to watch (if you know, you know), however as many passionate soccer fans will know, we’re finally back up there as one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in the prem!
- Who is your favorite player(s)?
My favorite player ever is Thierry Henry, not only was very talented physically but his game intelligence was levels above the game when he was playing.
- What is your coaching philosophy?
With my educational background being based around sport psychology, this subconsciously comes into play in everything I do. Therefore, my coaching philosophy is all based around the psychological side of the game, wanting to develop my athletes as individuals, not just as soccer players. I truly understand coaches are the most influential individuals in sport, and sport plays such a vital role in these players’ lives, therefore coaching the younger age groups my main focus is wanting to build passionate, confident and resilient young females. I think it’s vital my players know it’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to try new things and fail at it the first time, and the second time and probably even the third, because failure shows you’re trying to get better, you’ve had the courage to step out of your comfort zone and try new things and once they find success in those difficult moments, it’ll encourage them to be more confident in themselves and what they’re able to achieve. I believe if I can instill these qualities in my players from a young age, this will facilitate their growth and allow them to excel at a faster pace, helping them to flourish within the game as they get older.
- Why did you get into coaching?
Soccer has always been my biggest passion; my childhood was spent playing at every opportunity, wearing Arsenal kits everyday (much to my mum’s dismay), going to Arsenal games, refereeing as a teenager, and eventually playing in college. When I first got the opportunity to be an assistant coach at the age of 16, I definitely discovered a new found love for the game; coaching allows you to see the game from a different perspective, it provides an incredible opportunity to foster that love and passion for the game in young players.
- What do you hope is the legacy you leave with each of your players?
The number one legacy I hope to leave with my players is to be truly confident within themselves, not ‘away with the fairies’ kind of confidence, but to truly believe in themselves and be happy with who they are, their ability and what they have to offer. This slightly ties into my coaching philosophy, including that resilience piece – I hope to build players that aren’t worried about what other people think, players that will try something incredibly advanced for their level and when they fail the first time, they giggle, move on and try again, with no doubt in their mind that they will eventually get to that level. Confidence is a life-skill that will stick with them for a very long time, in all aspects of life, so as a female coach to young female players, this is most definitely the main positive influence I hope to have on my players.
- Other than soccer, what is your favorite sport?
Other than soccer, I’m a big winter sports fan. Living in England, I was able to ski in France/Italy etc, once a winter. I feel fortunate now to live in New England where I can easily drive to NH or Vermont to ski regularly throughout the winter.
- What is your favorite quote?
‘Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most’ this is a favorite quote of mine because it falls into all aspects in life, as an athlete self-discipline is needed to achieve your maximum potentially, but equally in day to day life I believe it’s so important we hold ourselves accountable for reaching our goals and pushing to be the best possible version of ourselves.
