AFC AJAX

When a guy a couple of weeks shy of his 21st birthday goes to Amsterdam for a few days, the number one, two and possibly three on his ‘to do’ list would be pretty unanimous. 

But I have sadly always been a bit different! Because when I found myself at some ridiculous early hour at Southend Airport, I was not with the lads for a stag style weekend, but on my own with a rather different adventure ahead of me. My destination was "De Toekomst" ("The Future"), the home of AFC Ajax and the breeding ground of Cruyff, Bergkamp,  Van Basten, Kluivert, Seedorf, Sneijder, Van der Sar, Van der Vaart et al.

I had worked hard to arrange a number of visits during December and January to various academies and other sporting institutions both in Europe and at home and this was the first.

Excited would be a massive understatement. Despite not wishing to be disappointed, I could not contain the high expectations I had for this trip.  As you would expect of an undergraduate at one of the UK’s leading Universities, I had done my research. The internet was awash of articles acknowledging Ajax's worldwide recognition and reputation for being one of the best, if not THE best footballing academy in terms of producing stars of the future. It was regularly mentioned in the same breathe as La Masia in Barcelona. The recently published European Club Associations (ECA) report on youth academies in Europe also showcased “De Toekomst” and highlighted its importance in producing players of the highest pedigree. This was particularly important for AFC Ajax as they have no ‘billionaire’ backing and indeed hardly any transfer kitty at all. The philosophy was produce, sell and produce some more rather than buy.

Here then, is my Ajax story....

I arrived to a warm greeting from Eddie van Schaick and Patrick Oudejans, the duo that would provide me with a fantastic insight into the Ajax Academy philosophies, practices and methodologies over the forthcoming 3 days.  The young English lad had a lot of questions and both Eddie and Patrick were always willing to speak. I started at the beginning.

I learnt that the Club's three main objectives are as follows: 

1. To maintain a healthy financial situation considering they spend €6 million per year on their Academy.

2. Each year to produce one or two U19 players to play in the first team - the remainder of that squad would play in the reserves where they are given two years to break into the first team as the  next age group of players would then be knocking on the door. If unsuccessful, players are released to lower level clubs, where their education at Ajax would prove invaluable in securing those opportunities. 

3. 70% of the first team need to be academy produced players.

Next, we moved on to The Scouting Process:

Ronald De Jong, Ajax's chief scout, renowned for identifying some of the best talent that has been brought into the academy and subsequently sold on for millions of euros divulged the scouting process. He explained that AFC Ajax invests and networks with the surrounding amateur clubs within Amsterdam granting them access to the Ajax Online Academy Training Program. This means that all players are coached the same way as those in the academy, making talent easily identifiable and making the transition from amateur club to Ajax Academy an easy one, with very little difference in the style of play.

So with amateur teams replicating a style of play that the academy preaches, what do they look for from the players? Here, an acronym is used to identify the potential stars of the future; TIPS (Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed). Alongside these factors, Ronald also emphasised the importance of "happy playing", fundamental movement patterns, creativity, agility and players running lightly on their forefeet with the ability to use both feet in a minimum of three positions on the field. Specifically, they seek left footed/sided players who play the number 4,5 and 8 positions as these tend to be more creative. During this process, it is deemed unimportant, according to the Ajax philosophy, if a player scores the most goals during a game or if a player is the most physical. When invited to join the Ajax Academy, each player is given at least two years to adapt/improve, therefore giving every player that enters a fair chance.

I was amazed to discover that within the scouting process a player's month of birth is also taken into consideration for physicality reasons and stages of development. For example, a player born in January is likely to have eleven months’ worth of development ahead of a player born in December from the same year. Therefore, players born towards the latter half of the year are likely to develop at a slower rate. They believe they have very powerful statistics that prove very few late developers born in the final quarter of the year make it to the top level of football, something that AFC Ajax recognise and look to address, thus increasing their talent pool.

We moved onto the academy and here I was in for another shock. To date I have never witnessed the ‘business’ side of the game always having worked in the rather genial world of local club and university football. But that was about to change as I learned of the harsh realities of a professional academy.

Each season new players may come into the academy via a strict replacement policy. For example, if during the scouting process a player is discovered who possesses greater ability than current squad players at the academy, then the weakest player will be released. Prior to their release the player will receive a report containing strengths and areas for improvement for them to improve upon before being re-assessed in four months’ time. From here players may be re-accepted into the academy or declined a position, depending on the significance in improvement.

Many, many aspects of the academy left me in awe as I spent considerable time watching the various age groups train.

One such aspect was that within the academy every team trains in view of the first team squad as well as the Amsterdam arena (AFC Ajax's home stadium), which acts as a motivational and aspirational tool for all of its players. To ensure that players are always training/playing to their maximum potential, numerous cameras surround the training pitches and monitor player performance, providing data analysis to the Adidas 'micoach' test centre with its state of the art laboratory and equipment. For example, player training intensity, speed, power, tactical positioning and distance covered during training and games can all be monitored, thus aiding injury prevention.

Another aspect I found fascinating was their strength and conditioning programme. I was surprised as to the young age this was introduced. The content included a good amount of martial arts training too which particularly appealed to the Karate Dan in me. Discipline and posture are clearly important at the academy. Ajax clearly believe that their strength and conditioning work significantly contributes to good footwork, coordination, balance and confidence.

Something else that I hadn’t considered in great depth during my coaching career to date, but what my time at Ajax opened my eyes to, was that players at the age of 12, 14 and 16 are likely to go through growth spurts which may hinder their ability levels. Technically speaking, players may struggle during their pubescent and adolescent stages of development but the club takes this into consideration and refuses to release players during this time based on past experience where players have improved considerably when this spurt is over. As players begin to exit their growth spurts, coaches look to re-engage the player technically, physically and mentally, describing this process as 'building the machine'.

Furthermore, players can become disheartened and vulnerable during these phases and so coaches are suitably assigned to certain age groups based upon their personality type, another minor attention to detail that has vast beneficial implications. For example, the coaches of the U12, U14 and U16 academy sides tend to be more tranquil, with the more intense coaches occupying younger age groups. Regardless of the age group and coach personality type, another recurring theme is that all coaches communicate very little on the sideline during matches as game objectives are always very clear and there is great understanding between all players and coaches.

The academy facilities are surely second to none. With 3G artificial and turf pitches, the Academy also possess many other facilities that replicate those of other sports such as basketball, tennis and athletics to better coach technique and carry out further tests such as speed, agility, power and strength.

I consider myself very fortunate to have experienced this at first hand. A privilege that is not afforded to the students nearest and dearest as the academy has a 'no parents' rule at training sessions to ensure that players are free from external pressures and influences. Instead they have a clear mind to experiment and demonstrate creativity in an environment without fear of failure.

Eddie and Patrick were keen to highlight the uniformity across the various teams. Right across the academy and within each team the emphasis is placed firmly on development over winning by the coaches, encouraging creativity, audacity and individual decision making wherever possible. In doing so, coaches are required to be as efficient as possible, providing maximum playing time in training sessions where enjoyment is the main priority; ensuring players are open to learning, whilst simultaneously removing the players from their comfort zone in order to take calculated risks. To maximise each player's development, positions are rotated from game to game (goalkeeper exempt), preventing players from becoming one dimensional and instead producing talent capable of playing a multiplicity of roles at the highest level.

Whilst the academy sides will 'try' to win every game, regardless of the result, each side is encouraged to and 'will' play the same way according to the club's philosophy; an expression termed 'total football'. This is described as a style of play that involves short intricate passing accompanied with clever movement that produces an end product considered 'art' by adoring spectators. It is perceived footballing entertainment of the highest order, appearing effortless to even the trained eye with breath-taking moments of pure brilliance and finesse, often referred to as "the beautiful game".

Academy teams consist of small numbers of players as they believe this heightens the intensity during training and allows for significantly greater playing time in games with fewer substitutions on the sideline. In turn, this ensures coaches maintain frequent communication regarding player development; and ensuring players with exceptional ability are challenged accordingly by even playing a year or two above their level.

Yet another thing that I found particularly interesting was that all age groups play with a size 5 football, where the only variable is the ball's weight as the teams’ age i.e.  Lighter size 5 footballs for eight year olds in comparison to the regular size 5 football weight for adults. Their reason for this is two-fold: Firstly, this fully prepares players for the professional game, minimising the need for constant adaptation of ball size and secondly, with smaller feet and a bigger ball, the ability for younger players to get their feet underneath the ball to play a technically excellent lofted pass/cross into the penalty area with quality, is far easier than using a size 2, 3 or 4 football, which are typically used in English football.

Whilst I have personally long held the opinion that using a smaller ball can better develop an individual's ball skills, University has taught me to be far more open-minded. Being one of the best footballing academies in the world, considered years ahead in terms of development in comparison to most other footballing nations, the Ajax view has to be respected. Could this innovative approach and attention to detail be one of the factors that differentiate the Dutch from us? And for those who believe we as a nation are further behind than the likes of Holland, Spain and Germany, does our thought process need reviewing sooner rather than later before we fall further behind?

Having witnessed so many things that have earned Ajax it’s enviable reputation, I was keen to discover how this world renowned footballing academy maintains its status amongst the very best?

I was informed by Eddie and Patrick that all of the academy coaches are only offered rolling one year contracts to increase the intensity of the work ethic and prevent them from 'taking it easy'. They believe that if the players are under pressure to improve and maintain their position in the academy, then so should its coaches. Development is a recurring theme. Not only does this create a healthy club atmosphere and a competitive edge against other academies, it demands the very best from everyone. Anyone deemed to be 'sitting back' and 'getting comfortable' are seen to be resting on their laurels and are therefore likely to get released. Instead, fresh ideas are always welcome and never disregarded regardless of your role or position within the club.

My visit was nearing an end but not before a trip to the Amsterdam Arena as a guest of the club for their top of the table clash against PSV Eindhoven. A 52,000 mainly partisan crowd (sheltered from the cold thanks to the closed roof) saw Ajax run out 3-1 winners. I guess it was with some inevitability that all four goalscorers were products of the Ajax academy and no it wasn’t an own goal!

I made copious notes during my visit and have incorporated nearly all of them in this blog. Some words appeared in my observations more than once and I think they speak volumes about De Toekomst. I recorded that it was a happy place, with clear rapport between players and coaches. Enjoyment in the workplace was clear to see. A family spirit was evident everywhere. It truly is a special place.

Thank you Ajax.

Singing From The Same Hymn Sheet

With the first of my two planned stints in the USA now completed, it's time for a little reflection. This has been the short stint of 13 weeks with the longer one starting in the spring and going through to when I start my final year of my university degree, late in 2013.

Within this first stint, I have faced a few challenges. 

The largest was unquestionably the need for a culture change from how the teams I had been assigned were used to playing to how I wanted them to play. 

As mentioned in my first blog I was taken aback when I encountered team managers encouraging the transference of the ball from the defensive half of the pitch to the attacking half as quickly as possible via 'big kicks', with accuracy sometimes not even a consideration and always a bonus if a teammate was found.

I decided to keep my powder dry and just employ a watching brief at both my teams’ opening games and was rather astonished at what I observed.

It appeared that the ‘hack’ upfield was more beneficial to the "manager's" anxiety and stress levels than anything else. I swear you could almost see them wipe the sweat from their foreheads as the ball crossed the half-way line and the pressure subsided on our goal.

Clearly, these actions were overriding the 'learning' and 'development' of the players and something I needed to change for my own sanity if nothing else.

So one week in and my biggest challenge was clear; to convince the managers, parents and spectators to climb aboard the developmental bus, and convince them of the long-term benefits this would have on the players both on and off the field.

This took some patience on my behalf as in the process I faced a further challenge of not only convincing these people, but enforcing it on the sideline also, stressing the importance that as a team we were all singing from the same hymn sheet. 

An important point to note is that throughout the Fall season, parents would drop their child off at the start of practice and collect them at the end. Very rarely would they stay to watch any significant amount of the session and if they did, they would be on their own.

Never did the team managers attend practice. Work commitments meant that just the players and I were present.

Therefore, come game day, the watching public have very little idea of not only the objectives of each practice session, but also the high success rate that had been achieved by the players.

I had endorsed and encouraged creativity, experimentation and player led decision making which all culminate in them playing, what I consider to be, attractive 'pass and move' soccer. 

So we arrive at a scenario where I am on the sideline encouraging everything that we had practised during the week, and witnessing our hard work being undone by parents and team managers on the sideline.

When I coach youngsters, I place great emphasis on 'trying' skills without fear of failure, passing the ball to manoeuvre our way around opponents and making decisions when in possession of the ball to eradicate simply kicking it up-field as this requires no/very little skill.

So hearing managers and parents unwittingly undo this hard work with various cries of "kick it!" was a cause of much frustration.

Why? Kick it where? Kick it how? I wanted to scream but I knew that wasn’t the answer.

I was just 20 years of age and the youngest by at least a decade of the adults. How would they react to the ‘jumped up’ Brit if I overreacted?

I needed to make them understand and trust that what I was looking for the players to achieve would serve to be more beneficial in their long-term development both on and off the field.

I decided to implement a weekly communication by phone with my general managers to relay my thoughts and intentions and asked them to in turn communicate these to the parents and other spectators. I have to say that this worked to a good extent, but gentle sideline reminders were often necessary especially when panic set in i.e. when the ball was near our own goal. Of course the panic was almost entirely attributable to the parents and managers rather than the players!

The next step was to be confident enough to be honest when talking to the supporters. What I sought to achieve from the managers, parents and spectators was simply encouragement and praise, not instruction.

I'm delighted to say that my approach paid dividends. As the weeks progressed the adults present at games gradually noticed significant improvement in the style of play my teams adopted, dominating games with quick decision making and decisive short passes. In particular the last few weeks of the fall season saw us have the most fun, playing some of our most exciting soccer and watching these young players develop at such a fast rate. 

As a result, the team camaraderie as well as the rapport built between myself and the managers and parents grew stronger. We were totally singing from the same hymn sheet. On the odd occasion an instruction of "kick it!" by the manager would still be bellowed out, but before I could give a gentle reminder, the players sitting on the substitutes bench would shout "no, don't just kick it!". Invariably though, the manager's would hold their hands up and admit to getting too wrapped up in the game and concede that they're actually hindering the players development by making their decisions for them on the field. 

I read recently a quote from Nick Levett, FA National Development Manager for Youth Football who said "Adults telling young players what to do on the soccer field is similar to a parent doing their children's homework. They might score 100% the following day, but long-term their development will be limited." I could not agree more.

Without being conceited, I am proud that I appear to have opened the eyes of the managers and parents for them and allowed them to see another way of playing. The teams finished the season playing almost completely how I wanted them to play. I now believe that we share the same mindset that youth player development should override the result of games, as this will prove more beneficial in the long-term.

Whilst this was a challenge for me, I am hugely grateful for the open-mindedness and discipline shown by the managers, parents and spectators that has contributed significantly to the players' overall  development and success during the Fall season, providing greater enjoyment and a growing love for the game. May it continue in years to come. I'll find out next Spring!!

The Coach and The iPad

About a year ago, I was observing an Under 12 game in Essex when I first encountered one. A football coach with an iPad!!

This particular chap was reminiscent of Derek Trotter with his Filofax, as for the warm up and first half his proud new acquisition was held aloft for all to see but not actually turned on. This all changed at half time when the said machine was fired into life to deliver to the players a list of the second half substitutions.

  

Twelve months on and I had made the decision to invest in an iPad myself to facilitate my development as a modern thinking soccer coach on and off the field. A few weeks later and I was hooked by its multiplicity of functions and countless Applications (Apps hereafter) to act as visual aids for the players I was due to come into contact with over the coming weeks, months and years.

You will hopefully recall from my previous blog that I am coaching football (soccer) in the U.S. and this carries a high demand for Referees, Officials and Participants due to its growing popularity.

My experience is that the majority of participants tend to be from a higher socio-economic class. Much more so than say in comparison to those that play Basketball, Baseball, American Football, Ice-Hockey etc,

It appears to be similar to say Polo in the UK, for example, where a select minority of what are considered 'privileged' participants partake, where the cost for participation is greater in comparison to say football or rugby.

To put this into context, the players that I have come in to contact with during my time in the U.S. so far (ages 8 - 15) have predominantly come from this privileged background and as a result, many possess modern technology of their own.

They will in the majority of cases, either possess, or at least know how to function a device such as an iPod, smartphone or tablet, and so the initial impact of using my iPad as a visual aid was a great ploy to engage their young brains. Specifically, I used the iPad to stimulate thought provoking answers to my open ended questions about what they saw on screen, all the while heightening their concentration levels.

I have used a range of Apps including Coach’s Eye, Ubersense and Video Delay that allow recording and slow motion playback where a participants technique can also be directly compared and even overlaid onto a ‘perfect model’. These apps are particularly impressive when coaching a very technical sport such as golf or cricket. The latter is a sport where I have used various apps and software very effectively and my favourite app is Cricket Coach Plus HD.

Back to Soccer, and I love an App called iDrills. It really helps me to demonstrate the organisation of drills, games, formations etc whilst using different colour schemes to enhance their learning significantly.  My players are always intrigued to absorb what I have shown them.

Witnessing the enthusiasm for learning from my players, meant that the appearance of the iPad during practice sessions became more frequent. Some would even request that I showed them something on the tablet at the end of each practice, had it not been used during the session. A few of the players had nicknamed this "iPad time" and would often ask me during practice when iPad time would be? 

From a professionalism perspective I have found the iPad a great resource/tool both functionally and in appearance.

I believe it has improved my level of organisation and preparation as a coach both on and off the field, enabling me to store all of my drills, practice sessions, thoughts and ideas in one place, rather than using numerous pieces of paper to record such notes.

Whilst converting thoughts and ideas into drills, activities and small-sided games can sometimes be a lengthy process on the iPad, I believe the long-term benefits will prove invaluable, creating a library of knowledge and practices over forthcoming years. 

Coincidently, I attended a NBA Basketball game just last week (3rd November '12) where I witnessed Avery Johnson, Brooklyn Nets Head Coach, use an iPad during time-out periods and at each quarter interval, as a visual aid to communicate ideas and tactics. Players gathered around Johnson after the first quarter at a deficit of 27-20 and went on to win the game 100-107.  Whilst I am not naive to believe that the iPad can take full credit in this instance, I do believe that it played a part.

Amongst experts, it is widely accepted, that most of us retain approximately:

20% of what we read,

20% of what we hear,

30% of what we see, and 

50% of what we see and hear.

Success and athlete development can therefore be achieved using effective communication and visual reinforcements at both ends of the performance spectrum in whatever sport (from travel team soccer to NBA basketball in this instance). It can be argued that the visual aid provided by the iPad along with Johnson's verbal communication to his players worked simultaneously when facilitating player learning and information retention. It goes to show that an iPad/tablet can be used to develop all athletes, regardless of their age, ability, gender or chosen sport. 

So to conclude, I am sure there are other coaching tools and resources that can provide similar results for athlete development. However, I would encourage all coaches to experience what an iPad has to offer and draw their own conclusions.  I genuinely believe it has continued my own professional development, and that of my players too. 

Take a look at the pictures and screenshots below and thanks for reading.

Mark (Del-Boy)

Kick Off

Two years of University finished and one left to go. Time for a break away from academic studies and what better way than to take up an industrial placement or two. The opportunity to take a year away from the lovely Bath, to travel to new places, to meet new people and to gain some practical experience in the workplace sounded awesome.

Forthcoming from the uni were offers of help in finding a placement but I had a real desire to 'go it alone' and see where my own endeavours would take me.

Numerous e-mails, an interview, an embassy grilling and a farewell drinks tour later and I arrived in New Jersey, USA. At 20 years of age, I was here to work as a professional soccer coach. 

Earlier this year I had successfully become a UEFA 'B' Football Coach and whilst I am also a Level 2 Cricket coach the former had really whet my appetite to utilise my newly acquired skills. The plan therefore was to travel 3000 miles to witness youth 'soccer' american style. 

I am being employed by a company named Sports Domain Academy and am living in Montclair, 5 minutes from the company's headquarters and approximately 25 minutes from New York City. I am initially on a contract until the end of November 2012 but have the offer of a further contract for up to 9 months from February 2013.

I have now been here 10 weeks. Two nights ago, I decided to record my thoughts, findings, opinions and observations in a blog format. Primarily to draw upon them in my final years studies but also as a record to revisit as I develop personally and professionally.

It is not my intention to make this blog humourous - I will leave my regularly hilarious witticisms to facebook and twitter. It will I'm afraid concentrate on coaching and not a lot else.

I intend to post articles pretty regularly and of a much shorter nature than this opening tome.

Sports Domain Academy hire predominantly English coaches. The company philosophy in a coaching sense is to encourage close ball control, with lots of touches, eradicating fear of failure through 'ball mastery' sessions, with a clear focus on fun and technical development rather than winning, especially for youth age groups (i.e. ages 3-12). However, as teams mature into 13+ age groups development tends to focus on tactical knowledge and how this can be applied to win games. I cannot tell you how important this is to me as it mirrors my own philosophy. My big fear about this trip was that I had been given lip service and that the 'dollar' would be the primary, secondary and pretty much every other objective and the 'philosophy' merely a soundbite for the recruitment pack.

My joy at my employers aims has been tempered by those of my American hosts. The general mentality of American soccer coaches, team general managers and spectators that I have come into contact with is of a winning mentality.  They have demonstrated very little knowledge of not only soccer coaching techniques, but knowledge of the game also. Many have never played the game and therefore do not understand some of the physical elements and components of it. This applies to the officials too.

From 7 days a week (for 10 weeks) personal experience of being on the sideline of youth recreational and travel team games, I have regularly heard the following cried out:- "boot it" "punt it" "big kick" "great boot" etc.

Some that will stay in my memory for a while include: 

• "don't ever try that again, it doesn't work" - after an 8 year old player unsuccessfully tried a back heel.
• "we don't want to move the ball with short passes, we want to move the ball with big kicks"
• "great kick" - after an unchallenged defender without any thought process decided to kick the ball as high and far up the field as possible where none of his teammates were positioned, thus giving up possession of the ball to the opposing team when significantly better alternative options were available to him.
• "Mark, I think the girls are coming along very well with their short passing, you can really see them trying to make it work and at times it's been successful, but I think we need to practice kicking the ball hard".

To me, it appears that much of this mentality has come from an American Football background where the objective is to gain as many yards down the field as possible in one 'down' (play).

Many of the officials have never played the game before meaning game fluidity is often reduced due to 'stop/start' whistle blowing. Soccer officials tend to be officials in other sports but can earn more money officiating soccer games due to the growing demand of the sport and so have very little knowledge of how the modern game is played.

The infrastructure of Youth Soccer differs significantly to the UK that I am familiar with. Players are divided into 'travel' teams and 'recreational' teams. Trials are usually held amongst all recreational players ( kinder kickers, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th grade etc ) at grassroots level, to which the more gifted players are selected to represent travel teams. Those that aren't selected for travel team soccer play recreational soccer which is predominantly coached by parents whose knowledge tends to be very limited. The more talented players make up the travel teams and it is these that are coached by employed professional soccer coaches. These coaches will spot and recommend the stand out travel team players, to represent academy sides (such as SDFC). These players develop further with the better coaches and have a defined pathway through regional, state and national sides to progress further..

Leagues are ranked into A, B, C, D, E, F etc flight teams - 'A' being the highest ranked teams and 'F' being lower ranked teams depending on ability level.

However, the ranking systems can be misleading in terms of where a team is ranked in the country/state. It appears that ranking tends to be based on the number of tournaments and competitions that team takes part in, in a given season or throughout the year. For example, a team who partakes in every tournament available but loses every game is ranked higher than a team who attends half the tournaments and wins every game...?

Time for bed now.....I'll pick up the story again soon, but would welcome any feedback or views. 

One calm composed coach and one not so.