We’re all familiar with the coach the coach concept, but we seldom practice what we preach.
Cody Royle will make us see why a coach needs a coach. Born in Australia, emigrated to Canada, he became an author and football coach. He’s spent the last six years as the head coach of AFL Team Canada, the men’s national program for Australian Rules Football.
Cody is a standout voice in how leadership propels teams to sustained success. His first book, Where Others Won’t proposed that businesses should look at how pro sports teams focus on team dynamics and talent optimization in order to innovate. The book included in-depth interviews with the likes of Detroit Pistons legend Joe Dumars, former Phoenix Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov, Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger, and Canadian WNT soccer player Ashley Lawrence.
In February 2021, Cody’s second book was released, titled The Tough Stuff. In it, he explores the challenges of head coaching in elite sports, with renowned figures like Dan Quinn (Atlanta Falcons), Ben Olsen (DC United), Carly Clarke (Ryerson WBB), Stuart Lancaster (England Rugby), and former Raptors head coach Jay Triano all lending their personal stories. It has become a #1 Amazon bestseller in Canada and Australia.
Coach the coach
Since the success of The Tough Stuff, Cody has launched into coaching head coaches in elite sports, and now mentors over a dozen coaches in half a dozen different sports around the world.
If there’s one thing to take away from this masterclass with Cody Royle, it’s this: the best thing you can do for your own coaching—and for your athletes—is to get yourself a coach. Not just for a season, not just for trouble, but as part of your permanent support structure.
This probably sounds counter-intuitive to seasoned field hockey coaches. Most of us have spent our careers focusing on the athlete: technical plans, tactical adjustments, and creating the perfect practice session. Yet, as Cody Royle made clear, even at the elite level, one of the greatest hidden levers of team progress is the quality and sustainability of the coach themselves.
Why Coaches Need Coaching
What holds us back as coaches these days isn’t always tactical insight or X’s and O’s—often, it’s the emotional weight and isolation of the position. Field hockey is as relentless as any elite sport: the pressure of results, lineup changes, administrative politics, long nights spent analyzing opposition videos, and all the while trying to project calm, competence, and energy for your squad. But who’s supporting you?
Cody Royle put it, “What we do at a foundational level is we help people explore the outer reaches of their potential.” This is true for players, but it’s equally true for coaches themselves. Having a coach—or at minimum, a trusted critical friend—in your own corner is about holding a mirror up, keeping you accountable, challenging your comfort zone, and reminding you of both your limits and your possibilities.
So, why make this a part of your routine?
Consistency Breeds Excellence: A coach for the coach pushes you to keep learning, not just when things go wrong but as an ongoing discipline. Having regular check-ins (even informally) keeps you sharp and honest about your own growth.
Emotional Support and Perspective: The “weight” that
Cody Royle
describes—the compounded stress and anxiety of caring deeply—can undermine performance if left unnoticed. A coaching mentor is uniquely placed to help you process and offload this, to keep you functioning at your peak.
Accelerating Growth: Like your players, you’ll hit fewer plateaus when someone’s nudging you out of your comfort zone, suggesting new approaches, and providing non-judgmental analysis of your habits.
How to Integrate This in Your Day-to-Day Coaching
It doesn’t have to be a formal arrangement. Start with a coaching peer at your club, another head coach in your region, or someone from a different sport you respect. Set up a phone call or coffee once a month. Discuss your actual challenges—don’t just vent about results. Ask for feedback, exchange session plans, or record a debrief after a match and send it for review.
If you can, carve out club resources (however minimal) for structured mentorship or peer coaching groups. Even WhatsApp voice notes before key selections or big meetings, as Cody Royle describes, add value immediately: “I have coaches before they’re about to go into a meeting, voice note me saying, here’s what I’m about to say…We just bounce ideas back and forth.”
Building this into your standard process may take humility, but the outcome is a more self-aware, resilient, and creative coach—which is exactly what the modern field hockey setting demands.
Why Field Hockey Coaches Should Watch the Full Masterclass
We’ve only hit the major theme here, but the full conversation dives deeply into everything from the hidden emotional burdens of coaching to exact strategies for making “coaching the coach” realistic in clubs with limited resources. Cody Royle shares granular examples and practices that translate directly into busy, club-based environments and international competition alike. If you’re serious about supporting your longevity in the game—and want practical ways to look after yourself and your staff better—you won’t want to miss the deeper discussion, detailed case studies, and the Q&A on organizational dynamics.
Keep reading below for the three most actionable takeaways, with practical advice on using them to elevate your field hockey environment.
