Hi Josh, care to share a few bio details with us?
Full name: Philip Joshua (it's funny when people are surprised that Josh is the short form for Joshua). Age: 32. From sunny Singapore.
Tell us about your passion for football. When did you become a youth football coach and why?
I've always loved football since I was a little kid, it was the only thing I wanted to do. I had a really bad injury (torn ACL and meniscus) when I was 15 and from then on, it was a recurring injury. In 2015, I chanced upon a job at Real Madrid Foundation Technical Academy. Believe it or not, I started out as an Operations Executive just so I could start a career in football. I started coaching as well and took my coaching badges. Since I couldn't continue playing football, I thought the best thing to do was to be a coach and still be involved in the beautiful game and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made!
What do you think is important in developing our young players?
I believe there are various aspects when it comes to developing young players. Of course on the field, their technique, fitness and understanding of the game comes into play. But I also believe having the trust and respect of your coaches enables our players to develop further. I always try to be the coach that I would have loved to have been coached by.
You have a wonderful, loud voice that carries! What do you tell our players during competitive matches and what’s your coaching style?
Hahaha sometimes I forget how loud my voice can get! I am very passionate and am always pushing our players to be the best version of themselves. During competitive matches, I always look at what we're doing right and what we can do better. So players are given feedback in terms of what they can do better but are also given the positives of what they have done right which always helps to boost their confidence. As for coaching style, I think the best way to describe it would be tough love. I love high intensity and I think it brings out the best in players with constant communication but at the right moment which pushes players out of their comfort zone but at the same time allows them to make decisions on their own and gives them freedom to express themselves.
What’s your favourite Borussia moment to date?
It's tough to pick just one, we've had many great moments over the past 4 years. But the one that makes me the proudest as a coach was in 2022 when we participated in the JSSL 7s. We had a new B14 team and we went into the tournament playing a year above and without any expectations. We managed to make the Plate finals against all odds and were actually a goal down quite early on. The team worked together really hard to score a late equalizer and we managed to bring the game into a 3v3 classic goal format. We eventually lost in the 2v2 but it was my proudest moment as I saw boys that I had coached for around 2 years growing into young adults. Not blaming one another but rather picking each other up and that was the moment that actually set up our team to play really well together for the future.
If you could meet any footballer who would you like to meet and why?
Steven Gerrard. He was one of the many reasons I fell in love with Liverpool Football Club. His passion and leadership qualities were just extraordinary and he's definitely one of the best players of his time.
Thanks so much Josh.
We are Borussia!
