As a player he trained, played and asked his coach a question in passing at practice. Coaching turned out different: after his first Sunday game with the Bloemendaal women, ten players texted him on the Monday wanting feedback, which was why an experienced colleague had asked whether he had a decent phone plan. Meetings, individual talks and board conversations fill the week on top of running training. Watch the full masterclass: Teun de Nooijer on nurturing talent in field hockey.
Asked what his players would say about him, McLeod hopes the first word would be inclusive. He deliberately sets up situations that get the group talking about hockey, presents them with new strategies and invites them to quiz him on it, which he compares to a chess match where the occasional what-if from a player forces him to think differently. Beyond that, he would want them to say he is fair and that he cares about them, something he believes is obvious from the working environment. Watch the full Coach Chat: AMA with Shane McLeod.
Every Ireland age group was doing its own thing: different selection thinking, different names for the same techniques, one team on 4-4-2, another 3-2-3-2, another 4-3-3, so players were confused as they moved up. Alignment came top down with a shared vocabulary, while leaving coaches some autonomy. It cost him good coaches who disagreed, and he warns that lip service is not buy-in. Watch the full masterclass: Changing & developing a culture.