Jarrod Young’s dream was to become a professional footballer. 

His ambitions were stymied by a series of concussion injuries, including one that kept him in bed for six months. He played his last game aged 24. 

Since then, Young has poured his energy and love for the game into coaching, working with adults and youth

Now 31, he coaches the men’s first team and the U-13 boys at Melville United, and he is the technical director at Te Awamutu AFC.

Between coaching sessions, Young  caught up with WaiBOP Football to share his experiences of playing, his coaching journey, and what he believes are important characteristics of a good youth coach. 

Young grew up and went to school in Hamilton.

He loved football from an early age. In his early teens, he was part of the first academy set up by former All White Declan Edge (now manager of Swedish club Torslanda IK). 

He later moved to Hamilton Wanderers and quickly made it their first team. He thinks he was 15/16 at the time. 

“I was lucky enough that there was a position available at right back, which I wasn't, and I took it and then played there for a good couple of years, playing premier football at a high level at quite a young age, which was cool.”

Photo: Supplied

Young started coaching as well, taking on a social team and running holiday programmes for kids. 

This was in 2012, when the region was represented in the National League by Waikato FC.  

WaiBOP United took over from Waikato FC as the national league entity in 2013-14, administered by WaiBOP Football Federation.

“I didn't get selected for the National League team that year. So I went to Waitakere, which was second best team in the comp at the time and tried my luck and got in. And then came back to Wanderers the following year. I was selected by WaiBOP that season.

“After that, I went to Auckland, to Fencibles United with Roger Wilkinson their in a Director of Football role. They were trying to get promoted. He said ‘come play for us and after that we’ll get you to England and get some trials.’”

PHOTO: Supplied

“That was the year I suffered my real severe concussion where I was in bed for six months.”
He returned to the game, with the following six months being ‘in and out’ as he still felt the effects of the concussion. 

The following year, he was determined to play the full season, and he did. 

“We ended up winning that year, which was cool. I was captain and assistant coach at the time, and I was coaching youth teams in the club as well.”

Photo (below): Young and a teammate with the Pascoe Trophy, after winning the NRF Division 2 in 2017

After five years at Fencibles, he moved to Birkenhead United. But multiple concussions were still causing him issues on the pitch.

“I played my last game at the Melville grounds, against Melville, and just at half time, I didn’t even know what way I was going. I think I kicked it onto the road trying to actually pass it forward. I just didn't even know where I was going.

“I decided that was it. Fencibles offered me the first team coach role there, if I stopped playing, so I took that deal.

“That was the year COVID happened, so we played about half a season. We were doing OK. 

“It was quite interesting. I was coaching my friends that I had played with now and telling my friends they weren’t, you know, good enough and dealing with all those dynamics, which is quite unique at that age, at 25/26 to be able to have to tell your friend you're not good enough to play. That was quite difficult.

“Then I decided I wanted to get more experience, because I wanted to be full time in football. I knew that meant not just coaching a first team, but being a director of football too. 

“I took a role up at Papamoa to be director of football. I didn't even own a laptop at that time.

“And I got chucked into it, and learned how to be a director of football, which was unbelievable. 

“It was a really amazing club, run by a really good chairman. He really taught me a lot about the behind-the-scenes stuff. I was there for a couple of years, and I was developing these players and having a really good time. 

“Then Sam [Wilkinson] decided to step down from Melville. He offered me the job and I wanted to step up, so I took it.”

PHOTO: Young on the sideline, Melville Men's First Team 

Young says the effects of multiple concussion injuries are still with him. 

“It's affected my life a lot. It's getting better now, but even now sometimes I'll be talking and I'll just start slurring my words or get real dizzy or my vision will blur. I have headaches everyday. The severity is different every day.

“I'm a person that kind of just carries on with things. There's no point complaining or not doing anything because I’ve got a headache.

“I had about 10 concussions leading up to that big one, like little concussions. Like keep me out for a couple of weeks. But I just kept on playing, because back then no one knew what it was and just told you harden up, so I did.”

He remembers the first injury, which happened when he was a teenager playing for Hamilton Wanderers 

“I was playing right back. The ball was going out for a goal kick, and I was shielding off the attacker to let the ball go out. And everybody turns, even the ref turns, because it's a goal kick, and this guy just swung his elbow right at the side of my head, maybe out of frustration that I held him off. 

PHOTO: Half time instructions for the Melville U13 team

“And I remember being real dizzy. I remember for a week, like if I drove to school on my scooter, in the moment I knew what I was doing, but when I got there, I couldn't remember how I got there.

“After that, I was just really receptive to head knocks, if it was at the same spot. So headers, on my forehead would be fine, if on the side of my head, I’d easily get concussed again. Once you do it once, it's interesting how many times you actually hit that same spot again.

“And then the one that sent me off for six months, I was just in the wall. It was stupid to be in the wall when I had a head knock.

“I must have turned as it was hit and the guy has driven it as hard as he could and I turned and it hit the side where I'd previously been hit.”

New concussion guidelines for football were introduced at the start of 2025, with a 21-day mandatory stand down for head injuries. 

NZ Football Concussion and Head Injury Guidelines

“I'm a big fan of these rules that have come in. Yeah, your brain is the biggest thing that you have, the home to who you are. So that's a good rule that's come in. I always tell the kids I coach about it, so that they understand.”

PHOTO: Young gives instructions to a Melville men's first team substitute

Young enjoys coaching adults and youth. 

His coaching ambitions have shifted significantly in the past couple of years. Early on, he was driven by a desire to reach the top and be the best. 

“There was probably 20% of me that coached for the right reasons. The rest was ego,” he admits. 

“But it’s not about me, it’s about the players.

“As time went on, I realised I want to help kids be the best they can be, as humans as well as footballers.

“I want to make an environment where they can express themselves, an environment where they get guided to understand the consequences of their actions.”

He’s passionate when he talks about being a role model, and the responsibility that comes with coaching children and youth.

“Like it or not, they look up to you especially if you can kick a ball, especially if you're a player. There's quite a lot of responsibility in it.

“As an example, somebody might lash out at training. They might kick out at somebody. 

“And a 13-year-old … they're tired. They’ve had a big day at school. They probably haven't eaten right and have come to training, and then somebody's pulled them and then no-one’s called a foul, and then that angers them and they kick out. 

“Now they're not a bad person, there's been a series of actions that have led to this.

“Now, let's discuss it. Look, you shouldn't be kicking out, but I understand that I didn't call that foul. But that's going to happen in games. 

“And that's going to happen in life, where people don't see the things that are going to upset you. You've got to see if you can control your emotions.”

Young is big on leading by example, not just in football skills but in attitude and preparation. If a coach asks players to show up early or communicate well, they need to model that themselves. 

“Kids are clever,” he says. “If you don’t live what you teach, they notice.”

Photo: Training with the Melville U13 team

For him, effective coaching means creating an environment that looks and feels like the game.  

“I believe the game itself is the greatest teacher. As coaches, our role is not to overcomplicate it, but to create environments that allow the game to emerge naturally. My approach is to create sessions that replicate the real game. I want sessions that give players freedom to explore, and make decisions under pressure.

“My training sessions start with high-energy “street football”- style games that spark creativity. From there, every activity is built around decision-making, not robotic repetition. I believe in repetition of decisions — creating game-like moments that players must read, react to, and learn from.

“Most of my practices include overload scenarios — such as 3v3+1 — because I view football as a game of constant overloads. When, where, and how we create and exploit these moments defines how we play.

“To keep training fresh and engaging, I incorporate what I call “spark games”—fun, competitive activities like tunnel ball that are energetic while developing coordination, teamwork, and resilience without the feel of a drill.

“Above all, I keep the game looking and feeling like the game. The more realistic and enjoyable the environment, the more meaningful the learning”

He understands fun means different things to different people. 

“What is fun? Some people think smiling and laughing shows kids are having fun. But I can tell you every time I played football, I was having fun. But I never smiled, because I was focused.

“As a kid, I wanted trainings to be really good. I didn't want to come to train, and the balls are flat, or we've only got one ball, we start late, everybody's laughing and not taking it seriously. For me, fun was having a good training. So I wanted to create that environment for kids.

Photo: Young on the sideline with the Melville men's first team

He aims to guide rather than dictate, helping players understand the game without taking away their instincts or style. He believes coaching shouldn’t iron out individuality in favour of doing things the ‘right way’. 

“If we told everyone to play the same way, we wouldn’t have the Cruyff turn,” he says.

“I don’t want them to be me. I want them to be better than me.”

He believes an environment in youth football where players are free to learn and develop is more important than the score. 

“I don't remember winning at 11/12. I could not tell you if we won the league or I won a tournament. I remember my senior stuff and if I didn't develop, I'd never have gotten into my senior stuff, so who cares about what the result at 13/14 if you barely touched the ball”

Learning to manage frustration, setbacks, and pressure is just as important as developing technical skill, he believes.

“Life is about 70% set backs and disappointment, and 30% natural joy and happiness” he says. “If you don’t have resilience, you cannot get through at 70% or turn it around, you’ll be in for a tough life.” 

He doesn’t see winning as an important metric in youth football, a view he shares with his mentors like Roger Wilkinson and others.

That view is not always supported by parents or club leadership, which can cause conflicts, Young says.

He knows some of his views won’t always be popular. 

Talking about long-term growth instead of short-term wins can be uncomfortable. So can pushing back when clubs want results now. But he’s clear on what matters.

“I’m not in it to win 13th grade,” he says. “I’m in it to help kids become good players and better people.”

Article added: Friday 06 June 2025