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Interview with Mike Freeman

By GFA, 03/17/18, 1:15PM EDT

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League Interviews Coach with 33 Years of Experience

GFA "Mike, everyone knows you around Forsyth County for being one of the longest tenured coaches, how exactly long have you been coaching youth football?"

MF "I've been coaching 33 years in football all at Bennett and Lanier park."

GFA "What motivates you to keep coming back and coaching all of these players?"

 MF "I love coaching kids, I love watching kids get better each practice mentally and physically."

GFA "How has changes to the game made you change your coaching styles and principles?"

MF "When I first started coaching I was OLD school, I was teaching techniques that I was taught in the early 70's so since the early 80's and on I've changed the way I taught tackling and blocking. I realized how advanced techniques are safer than when I was coaching when I first starting coaching. Principles are the same, teach fundamentals, sportsmanship and have fun."

GFA "GFA is a recreation program and a lot of parents do not know what they are stepping into when they sign up their child to play. What advice would you give to parents, especially when they are considering signing up a very young player such as with our Kindergarten program?"

 MF "I would say to parents spend some time with the coaches to learn basic fundamentals to work with their kids at home. Parents need to learn the proper way to tackle and so on. In the younger age groups teams only have two days a week to practice so the more the parents work with their kids the better both parents and the players understand the game. Plus the parents get more involved with coaches and their kids."

GFA "You have been always associated to Bennett Park and now you guys have access to the brand new Lanier Land park. I know it was hard to move away from the old park but Lanier Land seems like a great park, do your teams like the new location?"

MF "Lanier Park is awesome it's a little more of a drive for me compared to Bennett but the kids love it and so do I!"

GFA "What age group are planning to coach this year? I'm hoping it isn't the same age group as my team, you beat us in the Lanier Bowl the last time I coached against you!"

MF "Well it supposed to be 6th grade but with North starting a feeder program I don't know if we will have enough kids that will sign up but the park said if we don't have a 6th grade team I may take a 5th grade team. What grade are you coaching?"

GFA "Finally, what is your best story of a player development that you have encountered?"

MF "Jim I could write a book on the greatest stories of player development. I guess my favorite is the last year I coached my youngest son and he had played QB for years but begged me to run the ball so I worked with a kid at QB that never took a snap there at age 12 needless to say he went on to become the starting QB at North Forsyth four years and got a scholarship at a school in Virginia. Plus my son excelled at running back.

I will only get coaches to help me who treat ALL kids the same and treats them fairly so all of the kids get the same amount of attention, not just the ones that are good. My coaches take pride in coaching up all the kids."