Too Many Teams. Too Many Coaches. You’re Not Building an Athlete… You’re Breaking One (Overtraining)

Overtraining in Athletes

Overtraining Is Breaking Young Athletes

Overtraining Creates Confusion, Burnout and Injury

Overtraining in athletes is becoming one of the biggest issues in female rugby league pathways, especially within the current NRLW development system where players are trying to do too much, too soon. Before we continue, also find time to read our MINDSET Blog. It is an eye opener for players and parents.

You think you’re doing the right thing as a parent.

You’ve got your child in everything.

Club footy.

School sport.

Representative programs.

Development squads.

Touch footy.

League tag.

Netball.

Even dancing or golf.

Most kids are juggling at least three of these at once.

Because more must mean better… right?

More training.

More games.

More exposure.

There’s this belief that if your daughter is everywhere,

people will notice her.

“She’s an athlete.”

“She’s playing everything.”

And let’s be honest… sometimes as parents,

you enjoy that recognition too.

But what if I told you…

👉 this is exactly how athletes get burnt out, confused, and injured before they even make it.

There is something called overtraining.

Don’t take my word for it — look it up.

It is one of the fastest ways to break an athlete down.

Here’s what no one is talking about…

Every single team your child plays in has a different coach.

And every coach has a different system.

But the reality is…

👉 not every coach knows what they’re doing.

At grassroots level, many are learning themselves.

At higher levels, not enough investment is being put into true development coaching.

So if it’s inconsistent at the top…

what do you think is happening at the bottom?

Now your child is dealing with:

Different expectations

Different training loads

Different philosophies

One coach wants structure.

Another wants flair.

Another pushes fitness.

Another focuses on repetition.

Some think if a player is vomiting,

they’ve had a great session.

That’s not development.

That’s damage.

So what actually happens?

Your child isn’t developing.

👉 They’re adapting.

Over and over again.

Adapting to different systems,

different voices,

and sometimes… bad habits.

There’s no identity.

No consistency.

No clear pathway.

And this is where players lose years.

I’ve said it before —

👉 most players waste three years

before they realise they’ve been doing the wrong things.

And by then…

👉 the damage is already done.

Let me be very clear…

The best athletes in the world are not the busiest athletes.

👉 They are the smartest athletes.

They treat their career like a business.

They plan properly.

They manage load.

They train with purpose.

They recover properly.

And most importantly…

👉 they follow one clear system.

Not five.

Because development isn’t about doing more…

👉 it’s about doing the right things consistently.

When a player is overloaded:

The body breaks down

Skill progression slows

Confidence drops

Mistakes increase

And sometimes…

👉 it doesn’t show straight away.

It builds quietly.

Fatigue.

Poor movement.

Bad habits.

Until one day… something gives.

ACL.

MCL.

PCL.

Or worse…

👉 loss of confidence and identity.

So what should you really be asking?

Not…

“How many teams should my child be in?”

But…

👉 “Is my child in the right environment to develop?”

Because one structured program

with the right coach

will always outperform five unaligned systems.

At Excel Sports, we don’t chase volume.

👉 We build pathways.

We focus on:

Long-term development

Correct training loads

Skill progression at the right stages

Mindset and identity

Because this isn’t about one season… for Athlete Development

👉 it’s about building a 10-year athlete.

A real example…

After Lisa Fiaola or Tasha Gale,

rest is mandatory.

Then we rebuild properly.

We start in September.

Sometimes even August.

So when preseason begins…

👉 our athletes are ready.

👉 not catching up — leading.

So ask yourself honestly…

👉 is your child developing…

or just surviving?

As a parent, you love your child.

You would do anything for them.

But sometimes…

👉 you need to ask someone who actually knows what they’re doing.

Not guess.

Not assume.

Because getting this wrong

can cost years.

We don’t sign everyone.

We handpick athletes

we believe will play NRLW.

We don’t do this for numbers.

👉 We do this to build the game.

To educate.

To guide.

To raise standards.

I started in female pathways

when people laughed at it.

There was “no money in it.”

But I wasn’t chasing money.

👉 I was building the platform.

And now look where it is.

So I’ll leave you with this…

👉 Our system works.

👉 Make sure your child’s development works too.

👉 And make sure your parenting does as well.