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Writes: Sam Seddon-Davies
The England Amputee Football Association is delighted to announce the addition of Louis Mayers to the national team coaching staff. Mayers will join the team as a national team coach.
The 31-year-old performed in his new position for the first time last weekend as the national team held their final training camp before the Amp Futbol Cup later this month.
Mayers headed warm-up sessions and specialised set-piece drills alongside Assistant Coach Mark Dolan at Reaseheath College.
The man from Preston states that having the belief of head coach, Scott Rogers and the rest of the team means a lot.
“I was over the moon to get asked and to step up,” he says.
“It’s something I’ve been working towards personally, to get more coaching time on the pitch with the lads and to develop my own skills, so to be asked to step up to that role, I’m delighted.”
Mayers has worked with the charity for just over 18 months, being brought into the team as a strength and conditioning coach amongst the sports science staff ahead of the WAFF World Cup last October.
However, since the turn of the year Mayers has taken a lead in organising set pieces on the road to our Nations League victory earlier this year.
Rhyce Ramsden’s volley against Poland arrived courtesy of just one of the routines that Mayers and the team had been rehearsing prior to the tournament.
The Preston man explains how the success of his tactical strategies was one of his highlights of the tournament.
“Sometimes when you’re delivering and putting time into the set pieces with all the technical team and the analysis, you hope for one of them to come off,” he adds.
“To see the hard efforts in the camps and the repetitions come to fruition was really pleasing.”
Mayers hopes to continue and improve his set piece work with the squad as he utilises his wealth of experience to keep pushing the players forward.
Outside of EAFA, he is co-owner and coach of May Wellbeing Gym. He has additional history as the former Assistant Coach at Clitheroe FC and has had several roles as a Health and Fitness Coach.
However, Mayers feels the previous positions he has held with EAFA, alongside existing bonds with the players, have readied him for his most recent promotion up the ladder.
“I’ve had good experiences in the preparation side, in terms of working with the lads and how they prepare for games, getting feedback, knowing how they like things being done and how they respond,” Mayers continues.
“I’ve got a good relationship with them as well so I don’t think it will have much difference in how they see the change in my role. I don’t think it will be a bad thing.”
Mayers anticipates a smooth transition between roles and, even though there will be new duties and expectations for him to meet, he maintains the same goals and ambitions with the team.
“The biggest impact I want to have is just to continue supporting the lads’ development, individually and collectively; whether it’s with my playing experience, or whether it’s with my expertise in strength and conditioning and preparing the lads physically and mentally, and now, more so, the tactical and technical side of the game.”
The national team will travel to Poland in 10 days to kick off their run in the Amp Futbol Cup.
Be sure to follow the build-up to the tournament across our social media pages.
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