Jumping from one side of the fence to the other, the transition from player to coach, can often feel like a seismic shift.
Still part of a dressing room, but never in the same way again, boundaries change overnight.
Out on the grass, but in a teaching role instead, a rookie coach's mindset has to flip 180 degrees.
And away from the pitch, all the planning, preparation, education, analysis, organisation and office time that needs to be put in, just to get your ducks in line, is also a world away from the type of workload most footballers have been accustomed to.
Most embrace that leap and are excited about the change, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
For Nathan Pond, a legendary figure at Fleetwood Town, having been part of six promotion-winning sides across 10 remarkable years, that adjustment period has been more gradual than most.
This is because the 40-year-old Professional Development Phase coach, and former club captain, still gets to experience playing for the Cod Army, making occasional runouts for their under-21 side.
Taking up the story, Pond says, "At the start of 2023/24 I woke up in the team hotel ahead of Watford away for our first game of the season, intending to be part of the coaching staff, but one lad fell ill overnight so I got the call up.
"We won the game, and I think I did OK, but being out there on the pitch does come with added pressure because I'm coaching the lads during the week, telling them to do A, B and C, and the next minute there I am next to them, and I know they're all judging me. I'd be the same in their boots! Being honest though, I quite like that sort of pressure."
Since that match in August 2023, Pond has turned out for the under-21s on several occasions, filling in when they are short to act as a player-coach mentor on the pitch.
While it is not something he asked to do, the under-18s and under-21s coach is hopeful it has plenty of upside for the youngsters.
Mentoring others
"The last thing I want to do is take another players' opportunity, so we only do this when it works for everybody," insists Pond, who adds, "I'd like to think I can be helpful to the teenage lads, passing on bits of advice and encouragement from close quarters.
"We had a meeting before the start of this season and I told them that when I've got a black kit on, I'll be a coach, but when I'm playing in red next to them, I am going to treat them like a teammate and show them exactly how it would look in the first team environment.
"You can't replicate the atmosphere or need for three points of course, but I do want to make these matches feel as real as possible for them, so part of my job is to help prepare them in the best way. That means I demand high standards around me."
Playing mentors have become commonplace at under-21 level, with former Derby County star Tom Huddlestone performing that role for Manchester United up until the start of this season.
Pond chuckles as he recalls bumping into the talented midfielder in a game, exchanging smiles as they joked, 'what are we both doing?!'
Following a three-year hiatus away from the club, where he played for Salford City and AFC Fylde, his beloved Fleetwood Town brought Pond back to Highbury as part of the Professional Player to Coach Scheme in 2021.
A programme jointly funded by the Premier League, PFA and EFL, it is designed to increase the number of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage players who transition into full-time coaching roles.
Pond had begun to take his coaching badges towards the end of his playing career, but his first real experiences came when Fleetwood offered him a 23-month placement via the scheme.
Thrilled to make a return to the club he served so successfully, life suddenly got very busy.
"I quickly realised the days of having an afternoon nap after training sessions were long gone," smiles Pond. "It was such a steep learning curve, with so much work to be done on and off the pitch, but that two-year period was perfect for my development.
"I'd help coach the under-18s and under-21s during the day, then in the evenings I’d also train the under-11s and 14s. All this while doing an undergraduate degree in professional football coaching at Leeds Beckett University, taking my A-Licence, and having my own kids at home to look after too. It was all go, but it was worth it."
As part of the Professional Player to Coach Scheme, Pond also took part in various workshops, and one of them stands out as being especially helpful.
"The 'challenging conversations' workshop we had with actors in Birmingham prepared me brilliantly for some experiences I tasted just six weeks later at Fleetwood Town," he admits.
"I was leading an age group at the time and sadly had to release three or four boys with their parents in the room. Those conversations are not enjoyable, for obvious reasons. The kids are upset, so are the parents, who maybe have some anger in them too, but that workshop gave me such useful lessons in body language, tone, and how to deal with the situation. It stood me in good stead, for what was not a nice experience."
Sharing a bond
With his love for the game still burning strong, when time permits Pond will still turn out in non-league football for Bamber Bridge or Kendal Town, who hold his dual registration for this season.
And he believes staying within that dressing room environment has helped him relate to this current generation of players.
"I think as coaches it's important we don't exclude ourselves from having a laugh with players. Of course there's a line; we're the coaches, you are the players, but I think it's healthy to share a bond too. It's not just football, when you are workmates, you want to all get on together as well. I'm always in the 18s and 21s dressing rooms having a giggle with the boys."
Honesty is also a key word in his make-up, and as somebody still bridging that player-to-coach gap, Pond is better placed than most to understand the value it brings.
"I always said to myself that when I become a coach I'd be up front with the players. I've worked with some managers who tell you what you want to hear, and others who have been completely honest, and I much preferred the latter," he says.
"I tell my players why they are not in the team and explain what they need to do to get back into it. All of them know they can approach me to have a conversation about football, or anything in life really. Spending time talking to my players, getting to know them, is always time well spent."
Giving players the lead
As Fleetwood's record appearance holder, Pond will always be held in the highest esteem in this part of Lancashire, but his attitude towards coaching carries no ego whatsoever.
When leading team talks for example, he believes in the power of self-assessment.
"Instead of going straight in with a speech that tells them they're not doing this or that right, I will often come in at half-time and ask the players, 'what are your thoughts?' he says.
"I believe it's part of a players' learning to recognise problems themselves and discuss how to fix them, rather than relying on us coaches to give them the answers every time. They are the ones out there playing the game, not us, so they could see things differently.
"I will agree or disagree as we progress the conversations, adding my own thoughts, but I want my players to understand the game and recognise how they can find ways to improve. That's a better way to learn."
With eight months left to run on his placement, Pond successfully applied for a vacant role as Lead of the Youth Development Phase.
Head coach of Fleetwood's under-16s while also overseeing the under-14s and under-15s players and coaches, he suddenly found himself tied to his laptop, planning training, games, referees etc.
Liaising with parents and coaches also fell into his remit, and although that was new to him, he reflects on that period with pride.
"I was grateful for that opportunity and for the way I was treated in the role. Some of the coaches had a lot more experience than me, but there was no animosity at all, everyone worked great together," he says.
"It also helped that I knew lots of the kids from my time spent there in the evenings, and I was still young enough for them to remember me playing for Fleetwood. This helped with the transition, as I was shown a high level of respect."
Now back with the older age groups on a full-time basis, Pond speaks with enthusiasm about taking defensive unit sessions and working one-to-one with individuals as part of their development.
Analysis is another aspect he enjoys, mentoring six players who are asked to file clips, positive and negative, from their performances each week to pore over alongside him.
While confessing he's not a fan of the admin side of the job, the Fleetwood legend does concede the reports he has to write on each player provide a great reference point for conversations with them about progress.
"Players have so much more contact with their coaches now compared to when I came into the professional game," he says. "More time is spent talking with them, there are more tools to analyse performances, and the feedback we share in one-on-one sessions can also be incredibly valuable. It’s got to help them."
Since returning to Highbury, Pond has also been involved with the first team on two separate occasions, as part of a caretaker management team when Scott Brown and Charlie Adam were each relieved of their duties.
Did that give him a taste for being a first-team coach or manager one day?
"Being back at Highbury in front of a crowd, fighting for three points, felt so good. I loved every minute of it," replies Pond without a flicker of hesitation.
"The under-21 and under-18 lead coaches, alongside myself, took the group for four days only and we beat Chesterfield 2-0 on Boxing Day. In training the quality was great. The sessions just look better, feel sharper, when you work with first teamers, so that was nice to experience.
"I must confess it did give me a taste for one day returning to the first-team environment," he continues.
"Hopefully it's an advantage for me having played at the same level and above, because the players should fully trust and take on board the information I give them, especially the defenders. Having been there and done it, not that long ago, my input may resonate more with them."
We end what's been a thoroughly enjoyable chat by attempting to look into the crystal ball - and on that front, Pond is open to all sorts of possibilities.
"I want to coach at the highest level I can, so there's a part of me that thinks I should look outside the window and maybe take an opportunity to work further afield one day," he admits.
"But then again, Fleetwood Town is my club, so if a chance came up where I could be involved in the first team here, I know I would absolutely love it."