OCTA Feature
Building a Football Family:
Lessons from the Touchline
by Muhammad Iqbal Bin Mohd Sharifuddin 

Football has been an integral part of my life since childhood. As a boy, I accompanied my father, a football team manager, and saw what many may miss on a match day: the planning, logistics, and quiet care that hold a team together. That early exposure left me with a lasting conviction. Sport is not only about talent, but also about service, responsibility, and doing the small things well.

In primary school, I was not allowed to join football CCA, so I played badminton instead. It was not my first love, but it shaped patience and resilience. It taught me that progress is often unglamorous. It involves repetition, correction, and returning to work even when improvement feels stagnant.

When I was finally allowed to be enrolled in football in junior college, I met my first teacher-coach role model, Mr Samad. We were not a medal-winning team, yet he embodied what an educator coach looks like: present, generous with time, and attentive to students who were struggling. Often, he would even sponsor underprivileged students with basic playing essentials such as football boots and jerseys. From him, I learned that coaching is not only about the results. It is about guiding young people under pressure and encouraging them to keep going when they want to give up.

When I first began teaching at Raffles Institution (RI), I was appointed teacher-in-charge of rugby. The first year was daunting, and I realised quickly that good intentions were not enough. If I wanted to contribute effectively, I needed competence. I pursued the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist qualification and then led the team’s strength and conditioning programme. Around the same time, helping the RI football girls’ team out shaped my primary coaching philosophy. Legendary teacher-coach, Mr Leong Chee Mun built deep trust with his football girls while keeping daily standards high. From him, I learned that improvement is not something we practise only when we are losing. It is a habit we choose even when things are going well.

When I was appointed football coach of RI, I anchored the programme with a motto: Believe. Desire. Teamwork. It was never meant to be a slogan for display. It was meant to guide how we train, how we respond under pressure, and how we carry ourselves.

Alongside culture, I believe in coaching with structure and evidence. I actively integrate technology to enhance learning and performance, utilising GPS vests to manage loads and stress, enabling safe pushes and smarter recovery, and a VEO system to review decisions, identify patterns, and accelerate learning through game analysis. In 2023, an alumnus pursuing a master’s in psychology volunteered to strengthen our analytics. These tools were never about numbers for their own sake. They helped make learning visible and made improvement more believable.

To ensure that my students do not outgrow my capacity to guide them, I upgraded my coaching knowledge in 2024 with the AFC B license, reaffirming that good coaching starts with staying current in modern football. My goal is not simply to win more, but to build student athletes for life. I strive to develop stronger foundations in injury prevention, recovery, nutrition, and mental skills so students can perform well while staying well. I hope to develop students who are resilient to challenges, remain steady regardless of results and feel belonged.

If I had to summarise what football has taught me, it would still be these three words: Believe, Desire and Teamwork. Believe enough to step forward even as underdogs. Desire enough to do the disciplined work when no one is watching. Teamwork enough to stay united under pressure. When we stay faithful to the process and to one another, outcomes may not always come quickly, but they come meaningfully.