Raith Rovers' Dylan Easton on coaching venture he hopes to continue after hanging up boots

And Raith Rovers winger Dylan Easton is a case in point, with the 30-year-old star – and his midfield team-mate Shaun Byrne – having recently started running regular one-hour ‘Train Like A Pro’ coaching sessions for children and adults at Stark’s Park, for anyone wanting to develop their skills in the beautiful game.

"Coaching is something I’ve been doing for the last five years or so,” ex-Airdrieonians player Easton told the Fife Free Press.

"I did it with one of my mates, Joe Cardle. I still stay in Dunfermline but I used to do a lot of coaching with him.

"It’s something that last season, before me and Shauny signed new deals, Dean Mckenzie (Raith general manager) and John Potter (Raith technical director) spoke to us about, telling us there was an opportunity here, a platform to get involved and do some coaching here.

"It’s something that I really enjoy doing, coaching, helping kids to try and be better and hopefully one day become professional footballers.

"It varies in terms of age groups. We have younger ones (4pm to 5pm) and then older ones (5pm to 6pm) on a Monday and then we’ve got a girls session from 4pm to 5pm on a Thursday as well. The youngest kids are aged six, up to age 15.

"At the start we didn’t think it was going to go as well as it has.

"We’ve only been doing it for three or four months and it’s kind of taken off and our numbers are sky high at the moment.

"We have opened up on social media in terms of Facebook and Instagram and we’re getting a lot more people interacting and getting in contact.

"It’s kind of blown up a bit more than we expected.

"At a camp a few weeks ago we had over 100 kids. And there was another one there with over 70 kids.

"It’s something I will be looking to do after football as well.

"I think I’m in a really good position to start and hopefully it keeps going as well as it’s going at the moment.”

On being given the opportunity by Raith to use Stark’s Park for the sessions, Easton added: “The club have been amazing with me and Shaun in terms of giving us the facilities and all the equipment and stuff.

"We feel privileged and blessed to have all these opportunities. And for kids coming up, these guys kind of idolise us coming to watch on a Saturday.

"It’s something that I probably wish we had a lot more of when I was younger. It never really happened when I was a kid.

"When kids come to their first session we try and build their confidence.

"You know what it’s like, they’ve come in and there’s other kids they’ve come up against that are probably a little bit better or played the game longer.

"The abilities vary, so now we’ve had these kids in long enough we can split them up into different groups in terms of their ability.

"Once we build up the confidence of the ones who’ve just started and they get up to speed, we start blending them in together so it gives them more of a challenge.

"It’s similar for us as players as well. The better players we come up against, it makes you better.”

Easton said that the training sessions can help give the participating players insights into the daily routines of professional footballers.

He added: "Obviously we’ve got to improvise it for the younger ones, the older ones are a bit more advanced.

"There is no running, it’s all ball work. With the younger ones we do a lot of ball master stuff, trying to get the ball, loads of little touches, left foot, right foot.

"That’s all I did when I was younger. I never had coaches or all these things that you do nowadays.

"We just try and give them as much advice as possible. Me and Shauny always say to the kids: ‘If there’s anything that we can do to help outside of the training, don’t be afraid to message us to ask’.

“I’ve got a younger boy myself who’s eight and he’s football daft.

"The wee kids use the small goals, we try to keep the ball down, score goals, passing, there’s loads of little things you can do.

"They have come on loads and loads in the last few weeks.

"Before you had to explain what they had to do, but now they’re just blending in and bouncing off each other.”

When asked if he would take great pride if one or more of the youngsters he and Byrne are currently coaching went on to become a Raith Rovers first team player in the future, Easton said: “Exactly. That’s something we’re trying to do.

"I’m not saying I’m a Pep Guardiola or an Arne Slot, I’m just trying to push on as much advice that I wish I’d had as a young footballer.

"It’s just to try and push these kids in the right direction. If one of these kids that we’ve coached goes on to play for Raith Rovers after we’ve helped to build their confidence and become better footballers, that will be the icing on the cake.

"For now we’re just enjoying every moment of it at the minute and any advice we can give them to help them become better footballers, happy days.”

The sessions – which are run throughout the year via Rovers’ Community Foundation – are getting so popular that there is the chance of further Raith players getting involved with Easton and Byrne.

Further information at the Raith Rovers Facebook page.

Easton was speaking ahead of Raith resuming their William Hill Championship campaign at home to Hamilton Accies this Saturday.

They also visit Airdrieonians next Tuesday evening.