Lauren Taft stepped away from playing at just 25, but it is now flying as assistant coach with the Ewes
Transferring from football player to coach was the hardest decision Derby County’s Lauren Taft ever made.
For the past few years, the 25-year-old has been working full-time as a PE teacher, coaching at Derby and playing for Loughborough Lightning in a hectic schedule that gave her no time for herself.
But with ambitions to grow as a coach and teacher, Taft made the tough decision to step away from the pitch at the end of the 2023 season and despite initial reservations, the UEFA B-licenced coach now knows that it was the best choice moving forwards.
“I look back and think how on earth did I do it all and people still say to me now that I did fantastically to achieve all three things,” she said.
“I was teaching full-time, running the girls’ football teams for all year groups, coaching at Derby and attending my own training sessions.
“It was challenging towards the end of last season but I knew I still wanted to push for myself.
“I figured out that I needed a break from playing and I wanted to extend my work as a coach and teacher. Something had to give so I let go of kicking a ball around.
“At the time when I left, part of me did think I was rushing leaving the game but I know now it was the right decision.
“It was the first season of football that I felt something wasn’t clicking and it did break my heart because football was all I had ever known.”
Taft started her footballing journey in the under-9s at Derby County and developed through the ranks before making her first team debut on her 18th birthday.
Harnessing her skills with the Ewes for over a decade and learning from head coach Sam Griffiths, the full back moved to Loughborough Lightning ahead of the 2020/21 season, taking on the role of captain and making 50 appearances for the club.
Taft eventually stepped away from playing at the end of the 2023 season after Lightning’s relegation from the third tier, citing the difficulties of losing each week and her ambitions off the field as major factors.
But as one door closed, another opened with the chance to reunite with Griffiths at her home club of Derby County.
“An opportunity arose for me to join the Derby first team as an assistant coach and Sam said that she would really like me to come in,” she said.
“From her coaching me, playing with her for a bit, and now working with her, it’s been a big transition but a really exciting one.
“She’s a fantastic coach and when I was 17 all I wanted to do was work hard for her and start every week.
“It does really feel like home and I’ve had such a journey here.”
Transitioning from player to coach is never an easy journey but Taft was fortunate to return to a set-up she so lovingly cherished and was already familiar with.
And after a talk with her former teammates to discuss the change in their relationship on the pitch, Taft quickly found her feet as assistant coach.
“Working in such a professional set up now has been quite challenging as a lot of the girls in my team were my teammates at one point so now we need to make that transition that I’m not your friend, I’m now your coach.
“There were worries that they might not think I was ready but I’m really grateful that the girls really respect me and want to work hard for me. They know my authority as a coach now.”
Taft had a secret weapon under her sleeve when it came to her new coaching role – using her skills as Head of Girls PE at Ashfield School to handle the crowd.
“I always knew that I wanted to go into teaching,” she said,
“I like to be as lively as possible, if you’re not lively, the students won’t be so you have to act like a Duracell bunny with them.
“I always thought I would enjoy teaching the girls who know football the most but I actually get a lot of reward from teaching those girls who are brand new to football because you don’t know where their career could go.”
Being a teacher and coach both provide their own unique challenges but Taft believes that the two jobs are intertwined through transferable skills.
And reflecting back on her football journey so far, both fill her with an equal level of pride and enjoyment.
“For me coaching and teaching goes hand in hand,” she said.
“I get a lot of success from coaching the kids at school based on how much I’ve learnt as a player and a coach.
“All those skills being a leader and positive I can implement in school and they really buy into that.
“I’m still learning as a coach but when I look back at what I’ve achieved I’m really proud to see what I’ve done.
“At the end of the day, it’s not just a week’s worth of PE or football – it’s forever.”
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