Juventus........finally

Well I have finally got around to writing about my trip to Juventus earlier this year.

Since returning home, my feet have hardly touched the floor as I returned to New Jersey and was straight in to the season here.

Juventus was the last of several trips I made during what I have called my Elite Coaching Roadshow, all completed within a 10 week break back in the UK. I had already written about some fantastic visits and hoped that this would live up to the enjoyment of them.

I was not disappointed.

After a short flight and with complex public transport instructions in my hand, I set off from Turin airport to “The Vinovo”, the training centre of one of the world’s most famous teams.

When I arrived at the Juventus training ground I was warmly welcomed by Riccardo Cavallari (Head of Education and Welfare) who kindly gave me a tour of the facility whilst introducing me to various academy staff and coaches throughout.

The complex included three first team pitches (two of which have under soil heating, and the only two grass pitches not to be covered in snow!) with scaffold towers positioned pitch side for video/performance analysis to occur, four grass pitches for the academy sides, one artificial grass pitch and an indoor artificial pitch soccer dome including academy gymnasium.

Riccardo informed me that pitches are assigned to different age groups within the academy. For example, pitches are assigned to the following squads; first team, U19's (Prima Vera), U17/18, U15/16, U13/14 etc. This means that the pitch layout is methodical so that as teams progress with age through the academy, they step up each year to the subsequent field until they inevitably reach first team level.

Throughout the academy there are 17 teams in total, with up to three teams at the youngest age groups. At the respective age groups teams play 5-a-side, 7-a-side, 9-a-side and 11-a-side when they reach 11 years old. At the youngest age groups also, players play with a size four ball before progressing to size five. Juventus state that this reduces the number of adaptations players have to make to their game in comparison to the size 3 – 4 – 5 adaptations regularly seen in the English game. Further to this Juve believe that smaller balls are often harder to control for advanced level players, so to give to younger players makes little sense. With a size four, however, the ball is easier to control and thus easier to manipulate with small touches than a size 2/3 ball. All academy coaches must be at least UEFA B qualified also.

Riccardo explained that the club’s philosophy was to nurture and produce players capable of representing the first team squad as this process is far more economical than buying in 'ready made' players from elsewhere.

This prompted me to enquire about the scouting process, intrigued at the kind of distance that their recruitment took place over. I was informed that they scout players from all over Italy and even worldwide for older academy sides, but for the younger ones, predominantly local players are sought. Those scouted from further afield are invited to live at the Juventus academy for the football season duration and so spend considerable time away from their parents, siblings and friends back home. Here, Juventus pay for their accommodation, food and education whilst allowing frequent contact to be made back home via telephone calls, emails and letters to family.
To ensure equality throughout the academy, local players continue to live at home with their parents whilst attending their local schools, but the club still pays for their food and education.

So what do Juve look for when scouting players?
First and foremost, they believe that technical ability is fundamental, but also feel that other factors are dependant on the age group (e.g. stronger players for older age groups). Generally though, Juve do not tend to look for physical players as they believe that strength can be developed in the academy

gymnasium utilising the strengths of Ducho Ferrari (Strength and Conditioning Coach) to devise effective fitness programmes.

I mischievously enquired that if a player is scouted from elsewhere, and possesses greater ability than an existing academy player, is it a case of simply replacing them or would Juve seek to add them to their squad? Ricardo was adamant that Juventus would assess whether it was actually worth bringing the player to the academy at all unless they possessed ‘exceptional’ ability. In fact, this would be the only instance that any player would even be granted the opportunity to join the academy, but even if so, no player will be replaced.

Whilst producing their own players is the ultimate objective for their youth system, Juve also look to produce players who are competitive and above all, that all players are enjoying their football. What I discovered next was most striking and to be honest surprised me greatly.

The reason Juventus look to create competitive players is because even at the youngest age groups, contrary to all of the other academies that I have visited on my Elite Coaching Roadshow, the main objective and priority is to win games, irrespective of the performance.

Here then, every coach within the academy places high emphasis on winning. I was advised that coaches want their players to understand that the aim of football is to win, and so this is what is taught. Whilst this is the case at Juventus, they believe winning is taught in an environment where the player has the freedom to be creative and express themselves without pressure from parents. Players, however, must play the way the coach wants them to play, rather than allowing the players to express themselves and find solutions to potential problems that they may encounter on the field. Players as young as 7/8 years old are entered into competitive leagues where the objective is to win every game.

So what does each coach look to achieve from their respective squads?
Ultimately, their objective is to play attractive football that produces results of the highest quality. With such great emphasis on winning, coaches look to develop each player’s technical and tactical awareness that will enable them to win each game. However, coaches also recognise that the likelihood of winning every game is not guaranteed. In this instance, coaches see it as their job to ensure players realise what is required in forthcoming fixtures in order to win.

When asked what Juventus looks to achieve from its players, Riccardo informed me that throughout all age groups the objectives are to play strong, competitive and purposeful football, without looking to play long balls. Teams must play with the ball on the floor including goalkeeper possession.

This prompted me to ask about the style of play that Juve look to adopt, as in the past Italian football has been known and widely reported to be rather defensive.

Riccardo’s response to this was that Italian football was always deemed defensive because of the world class players/defenders that they had produced at that time such as Maldini, Baresi etc so they stuck to their strengths. Now he and the other academy coaching staff believe that the style is changing now that Italy have less 'world class' defenders but more upcoming young attacking players, using Pirlo’s domination of Euro 2012 as an example.

Individual coaching philosophies are not wanted at Juve meaning this style of play must be adopted by all coaches within the club. However, coaches may apply individual tactical knowledge to enable winning of games.

Moreover, all squads at all ages play a 4-3-3 formation apart from the first team who play 3-5-2. Often teams of similar ages will train together to ensure uniformity is kept as players progress through age ranges. This also facilitates players stepping up to play for older age groups without any transitional issues.

I then discovered that coaches are assigned to specific age groups. For example, Claudio Begatta is Juventus U14 coach meaning he will coach the next group of U14’s that step up each year. Juventus believe that this gives players the opportunity to learn and discover new ways of thinking by taking on board and implementing a different coach’s tactical knowledge. This is also believed to create a healthy environment where players compete against one another for starting positions by having to impress a new coach each year.

Squads usually consist of 22-25 players and the reasons for this are two fold: Firstly, Juve believe that with a higher number of players in each squad, tactical knowledge and implementation can be easily imparted and practiced in real game scenarios (i.e. 11v11) in comparison to a squad of 12 players, for example. Secondly, as mentioned previously, Juventus feel that large squad numbers creates greater competition amongst players for starting positions, meaning players demonstrate a greater work ethic and develop a mentality that strives to be the best. This, they feel, will only prove advantageous and beneficial alongside their desire to win.

Up until U12 age groups, players rotate positions with the opportunity to play everywhere on the field during games. However from U12 players have set positions in defence, midfield or forward positions. To prevent players from becoming one dimensional in fixed positions from here onwards, players will rotate within their own units (for example a defender may play right back one week, left back the next and centre back the time after that).

Equal playing time in games is organised so that every player gets an equal portion up until the age of roughly 12/13. After that, competition is seen to be fiercer between players and so the best players tend to play the majority of the game. With such an overwhelming winning mentality, they believe that this is important and creates healthy competition amongst team members, thus increasing the overall team performance.

Parents are not permitted to watch training sessions but are allowed to attend games. However, only encouragement is permitted from the sideline, not instructions. If this agreement is broken parents will be asked to leave the premises as Juve believe in giving the players freedom to be creative without external pressures.

Much like most of the professional clubs I have been fortunate to visit on my travels, scaffold towers beside academy and first XI pitches at Juventus allow for video analysis of training and games to take place.

Aside from the footballing side of Juventus, I was advised that the academy is in its first year of running its own nationally recognised college which provides state education to its players and runs parallel to their football education. All academy players are taught here and so do not attend local schools.

Riccardo informed me that the planning for Juve to run its own college started roughly two years ago and is believed to be making positive steps in the way of combining both football and school education (something Riccardo described as being a rarity in Italy, where it is believed that players must choose one or the other, school or football, with the general consensus that the two cannot be combined effectively). The Juventus college, however, enables its players to do both and have plans to expand and provide university education, although these plans currently have no start date. Currently, their primary focus is on developing and improving the college education that they currently provide.

Juventus see player education as an important part of their life for the aforementioned reasons, and so encourage the players to envisage the benefits of having an education. Whilst they try to be strict with education (i.e. no training if school work is of a poor standard, essentially they are a football academy and that is what the players are here for - to play football). Therefore the onus is on the players to complete their school work.

Players within the academy are on one year rolling contract and are reviewed, reassessed and renewed annually depending on the level of improvement in ability. Players are then offered professional contracts at the age of 18 (at 14 years old players are offered a five year deal but are not professional). At this stage players are given the choice whether they would like to continue with their education alongside their football programme or whether they would like to stop. Juventus claim to encourage players to continue with their school studies as an alternative option and contingency plan should anything unexpected occur such as an injury or alternatively to increase their employability at the end of their playing career. However, the club also recognises that at 18 years old, players are young adults capable of making their own decisions and so the decision is ultimately the player’s.
If players are not offered a contract at this stage, they are released to either lower league clubs (e.g. Serie B or lower) or back to the club from which they were scouted.

Throughout my stay at Juventus I was gratefully afforded the opportunity to observe many training sessions and coaches at work and was overwhelmed with the welcoming nature of all of the academy coaching staff. On day one I was introduced to Claudio Begatta (U14's coach), Ducho Ferrari (Head of Academy Fitness Training) and Stefano (U14 Goalkeeper Coach). It was Claudio who I spent most of my time on the first day observing, who made it his duty to take me under his wing to best explain each of his session objectives, granting me access to observe every session by his side to better my experience. With English language being taught at the Juventus College, Claudio introduced me to the entire U14 squad in order for them to practice their English speaking and pronunciation. Each morning after that, I was greeted onto the complex with a unanimous “Good Morning Mark” from all of the players, a sign of respect that had been instilled into them towards all staff members, visitors and guests.

Stefano was a very humble and self-depreciating man, who also took the time and effort to learn more about myself and my travels as well as granting me similar opportunities to watch him at work with the U14 academy goalkeepers. Whilst Stefano endeavoured to muster up his best English, one phrase that he repeated over and over that has stuck with me was “always remember to smile, whether in football or any other sport, always remember to smile”. Stefano did just this and it was clear that he had a phenomenal relationship with his players, who were all remarkably responsive to his instructions. It was evident that Stefano was both humble and self-depreciating about his position within the Juventus academy and provided a breath of fresh air and sense of reality to all whom he came into contact with.

On day two of my visit, I was introduced to Mauro Sandriano (Academy Technical Director) who had invited me to observe the U14’s once more, but this time in the academy soccer dome. Mauro had a great aura about him and was greeted with the utmost respect by every player without fail. His passion for the game as I observed him on field was extraordinary as he demanded the highest quality and intensity from everyone for the session’s entirety.

After explaining the session objectives, requirements and setup to the players, Mauro made the effort to observe the squad from the sideline, alongside myself. After asking me if I spoke Italian and explaining that his English wasn’t the best, I admittedly felt a little despondent. That was until Mauro asked me if I spoke Spanish. As an A level Spanish student my face lit up and without hesitation I was ready to take on the challenge!! The next ninety minutes was unbelievable. Mauro and I spoke everything football as I rinsed him of every footballing question I could muster up in Spanish inclusive of his academy objectives, the style of play he looks to achieve, his future visions and the rising stars of within the academy, to name a few. Alongside this, Mauro would point out and explain things to me as they occurred on the field, questioning some player’s decision making as well as dipping in and out of the session to raise the overall intensity (this also allowed me to get my breath back and think of some more Spanish words!!).

As the session drew to a close Mauro invited me to join him and the U14 squad in a video analysis session later that afternoon. I was overwhelmed.

I caught up with Mauro roughly an hour later, who took me to the room where the video analysis session was to take place. Black and white chairs filled the floor, with projector lighting up an entire wall. I was then introduced to one other U14 Coach, former Italian International and Juventus player Fabrizio Ravanelli! I was a little star struck but resisted the temptation of lifting my shirt over my head and celebrating!

As the players entered the room I was greeted once more by all, who by now the players had learnt my name, making me feel unbelievably welcome and part of everything within the academy.

Mauro stood at the front of the room and addressed the U14 squad. He had previously explained to me during the prior session that he wants the academy players to learn to pass with greater pace, and this analysis session was geared towards demonstrating that, featuring clips of Barcelona, Spain and Italy’s performances. These clips highlighted that Italians tend to play limp passes whereas Barcelona/Spain use open body positions as well as the angle of their first touch to create options that allow them to play short, fast paced passes. Whilst the analysis session was delivered in Italian, the objectives that Mauro was trying to put across were easily identifiable and informative, using diagrams to highlight different concepts as well as his body language to illustrate further. Subsequent to the analysis session, the players took to the field for the final practice session of the day to put theory into practice. I was fortunate enough to observe Mauro once more as these ideas and concepts were constantly reiterated as a means of drilling them into the player’s minds. This time Mauro spent less time conversing with myself and instead providing great insight, passionately demanding the highest quality from every player with energy, enthusiasm and determination. A pleasure to observe and an opportunity of which I was extremely grateful.

As my time at Juventus drew to a close, it was time for a little reflection of my observations.

During my three day visit at Juventus it quickly became apparent that the coaches are very “do it my way” with very little in the way of giving a player the tools to figure out solutions to certain problem scenarios themselves. Instead, the environments consisted of each coach telling the players how to do everything. It could be argued therefore that some of Juve’s coaches are what is considered within the modern game as ‘old school’ who operate with a “well it worked for me when I was your age” mentality.

After conversing with some of the academy staff and coaches, it became evident that they’d like to see this mentality adapt to one that recognises that modern methods involve understanding players, discovering what makes players tick, giving them the tools to find solutions themselves, teaching them to become multi-dimensional, encouraging creativity, building confidence to try new things via guided discovery, to name a few. After all, Juventus believe that they have everything else in place to produce players of the highest quality.

What I also found particularly interesting (and somewhat bizarre in my opinion) was the exclusivity that the first XI insisted on from the rest of the academy setup, including the academy coaches and players. To elaborate, academy players and coaches are not permitted to observe any first team training under strict orders from the manager, Antonio Conte. I was informed that Antonio believes that the work he carries out on the field is personal and so no-one is allowed to copy/replicate - not even the clubs own academy players. My observations and conversations with various coaches led me to believe that those within the academy were not in agreement with this mentality and wanted change, but Juve’s position at the time of my visit (sitting in prime position at the top of Serie A and recently securing a 3-0 lead away from home at Celtic in the Champions League) meant that Antonio’s methods were indisputable. It was incredible to see the club’s own academy players take the field for practice and without fail look over at the first XI pitches trying to get a glimpse of the players, clearly wanting to get closer and watch. The disparity between academy and first XI seemed to have created two clubs at Juventus, rather than one in solidarity.

Again some staff and coaches expressed to me their desire to have more of a ‘club’ atmosphere between academy and first team with the first XI acting as an inspirational purpose as well as an aspiration tool for young players. Some felt that simple attention to detail could have great influence/impact on the development, endeavour and overall ability of players. To explain this better I was provided with a few examples of how this could be achieved. For example:

-       If a player achieves good grades at school, grant them opportunity to train with first team for short period i.e. part of training session/one whole training session/one day etc.

-       At the end of first team training - first XI players come and spend 15 minutes playing with younger age groups.

-       Before first team training commences – players to spend 5/10 minutes watching youth teams train.

-       First team players tutor one/two academy players.

-       First team players to watch academy games whenever possible.

-       Arrange for first team players to speak to academy players – share experiences regarding living away from home and missing family – providing reassurance.

I sincerely hope that this doesn’t come across that I am criticising the current set up at Juve. Football as all followers know is a game of opinions and whilst I am entitled to mine, I totally respect those of others. Juventus is not one of the most iconic clubs in world football for nothing and their proud past and current successes means they must be doing a lot right!!

All in all I believe my trip to Juventus was a successful and insightful one, opening my eyes to a professional setup with such a high emphasis on winning in contrast to my other European travels. I am extremely grateful to Riccardo for making the trip possible, granting me access to the academy and for providing such fantastic hospitality as well as the players, Mauro and his coaching team for making me feel incredibly welcome, and providing such an awesome experience.

Gratzi Juve!

Derbyshire County Cricket Club

When I formulated the plan for my 2 month coaching roadshow, my objective was clear.

I firmly believed that my coaching ability would be enhanced by observing elite coaches. Every coach I have ever met has been forever busy with their own work but my feelings were that if I was making a commitment to excellence, I would have to force myself to regularly watch other professionals working at their craft.

Observing other coaches would allow me to think critically about what is seen and not seen, and I could make mental notes of positive teaching methods and compare and contrast my style to theirs.

Now those nearest and dearest to me will know about my love for coaching; not just within the football setting, but cricket also. Aside from my UEFA B football coaching license, I recently acquired Club Coach status from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which is an award that sits between Level 2 and Level 3 of their ever changing pathway. I therefore sought an opportunity to observe cricket coaching at the highest possible level.

A mentor during my earlier years pulled some great networking skills and I had an invite to spend a few days with Karl Krikken, Head Coach at Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

A pleasant train journey northwards saw increasing amounts of snow adorn the English countryside. I arrived at my hotel to discover that my room overlooked the Derbyshire County Ground which was also covered in the white stuff.

Whilst the best part of my stay at Derbyshire would be spent alongside the first XI with Karl, that evening I was invited to observe an Academy session take place at the indoor cricket centre, where I was warmly welcomed by Howard Dytham (Head of Development) and Andrew (AJ) Harris (ex-Derbyshire CCC bowler and current Second XI Coach). I witnessed a technical bowling session led by AJ, focusing on bowling to both right and left handed batsmen with varying lengths to consider for different playing surfaces that the players would encounter throughout the forthcoming season. Right and left handed batsmen interchanges were distinguished by the placement of a foam target on top of off stump.

For the best part of this session the players were encouraged to bowl from the 'bound' phase of their bowling action rather than from a full length run up, utilising small wooden blocks to aid their 'take off'. This I found particularly useful and have since used these as a coaching tool in my own bowling coaching sessions. AJ explained to me that there were numerous reasons for this set up, such as to increase bowling repetitions, to enable technical fine tuning to be identified more easily and to essentially increase the pace, drive and momentum of their bowlers during the off season, in preparation for the season commencement.

With a big interest in Video Analysis myself, I was fortunate enough to witness some technical fine tuning take place by Luke Storey (Strength and Conditioning Coach) using an iPad. Eager to note the difference between club and academy level cricket analysis, AJ kindly explained to me the type of things he looks to identify and adjust/correct when observing his bowlers. With this, Howard and AJ introduced me to Luke who works closely with the players in developing programmes that facilitate and maximise their bowling potential. Luke explained that he specifically looks into the mechanics of bowling, utilising his knowledge to provide further attention to detail into knee flexion, reflexes and how stride length can provide additional pace. This I found fascinating. For the record Luke used an app called 'coachmyvideo' solely as a means of recording each bowler, but claimed that the app's functions were not great in his opinion.

For the second part of this evening session, a selected group of players from minor county cricket club Staffordshire joined the Academy players in the running of a conventional net practice with a mixture of further bowling, wicketkeeping and batting against bowling machines. During this period, I was fortunate enough to speak to Alan Hill (Emerging Players Programme Head Coach at Staffordshire CCC) and Bob Askey (Development Officer for Club and Performance at Staffordshire CCC). After inquiring about their roles within Staffordshire cricket, they explained that Staffordshire CCC acts as a feeder club to Derbyshire CCC, travelling to the County ground 3-4 times throughout the winter period for three reasons: firstly, to enhance their relationship with Derbyshire, secondly, to provide additional practice for their players and thirdly for Derbyshire's coaches to observe any talent that could potentially represent their county age group sides. 

During this practice I was advised to watch a promising young prospect, wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein who had played Second XI County Cricket in 2010 at the age of 13, and was more recently selected for the ECB U17 England Development Programme. It was easy to see why! Harvey showed excellence in not only his technique but in his attitude, concentration levels and session focus. This was demonstrated superbly during the net practice where he kept wicket for roughly 45 minutes without touching one ball, yet reacted each time should he have been required. A pleasure to watch.

As the evening session drew to a close I returned to my hotel room exhausted after a long day. An early night was on the cards in preparation for a 9am start the following morning.

I arrived at the indoor centre the following day and was greeted by Karl Krikken (Head Coach) and introduced to a selection of the first XI squad, before being run through the day's itinerary. 

With the season due to start in roughly three months’ time, much of the focus was on pre-habilitation exercises (injury prevention), strength and conditioning training and core stability work, along with technical batting, bowling and fielding practices. 

Karl firstly invited me to observe a technical batting session with Derbyshire batsmen Dan Redfern and David Wainwright, both of which were seeking to address and improve specific individual aspects of their game in preparation for the start of the season. This was a fantastic opportunity to witness elite coaching at first hand. Karl made this experience considerably better by constantly taking the time and effort to explain the type of movements he was looking to identify and rectify with each batsman. As expected, the attention to detail at this level was immense and in turn enabled me to eventually identify the things that Karl could. I was loving it!

As this session drew to an end, I was then invited to "the nest" (player's gymnasium that overlooked the five lane indoor centre) to spend time with James Pipe (ex-Worcestershire CCC and Derbyshire CCC wicketkeeper and current DCCC physiotherapist and wicketkeeper coach alongside Karl) and the first XI squad in their pre-habilitation and strength and conditioning training. 

Here I was introduced by Karl to Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen as well as other squad members: Wes Durston, Paul Borrington, Ben Slater, Jonathon Clare, wicketkeeper Tom Poynton and ex-Essex player Tony Palladino, and I was made to feel extremely welcome by all.

James Pipe or 'Pipey' as he was more commonly referred to, was particularly excellent, not only in his responsiveness to the players' requirements, but his entire character with whomever he came into contact with. Aside from his playing career achievements, Pipey was well respected by all for his evident ability to make everyone feel special with the positive attitude, friendliness, notable eye contact and undivided attention that he gave staff members and players, and I was no exception to such fantastic treatment. Pipey took a great interest in my travels, asking numerous questions about my plans and commending me wherever possible. A real 'people person' with the type of vibrant communication skills that could make even the most downbeat person feel ten feet tall after just five minutes. I once read a quote that has stuck with me during my coaching career so far, and one that I look to implement in my own coaching style. It simply reads: "If your presence doesn't make an impact, then you're absence won't make a difference." Pipey personifies this even more so with his infectious positivity. Being on the receiving end of such uplifting treatment has encouraged me to replicate this with everyone I come into contact with both inside and outside of coaching.. 

Morning session over, Karl invited me to his office where he answered my questions. With the majority of my travels being predominantly academy based, this was a fantastic opportunity to inquire about the workings of coaching at the highest level. Whilst Karl advised me that the focus of Derbyshire's academy is solely on development, he explained that the first XI's focus for the season was to win every game. 

We then discussed the season and match preparations that the staff and players carry out on a monthly, weekly and daily basis. I was shown the types of individual goal setting that occurs between Karl and his players, from technical and physical goals through to season-long targets such as scoring a minimum of 1,000 first class runs amongst others. 

Furthermore, Karl took me through match preparations that usually occur the week leading up to a game which typically involves watching and analysing videos of opposition batsmen in order to depict weaknesses and common themes in their performance. For example, some videos showed certain batsman being dismissed more often than not playing back foot shots, meaning this may be a potential weakness in their performance. This information would then be used by Karl and his team to form a game plan that will hold them in greater stead in winning their upcoming fixture. I found the attention to detail at this level both exemplary and fascinating.

Next on the agenda was observing Karl deliver a wicket keeping session with three keepers focusing on posture and reaction times for off-side and leg-side feeds, predominantly using 'Katchet' boards. What became apparent at this level was that there was very little technical coaching, which Karl explained to me a few reasons for: firstly, all three wicketkeepers were highly technical already, secondly, any technical coaching is only fine tuning and thirdly, on the vast majority of occasions the players would know the reason for their mistakes and could self-correct. Here then, Karl provided challenging drills and offered positive feedback to build player confidence levels whilst repetitively and relentlessly feeding balls for each keeper (a job that's not easy on the shoulders!!!) 

During this session I was joined by AJ Harris who accompanied me in observing Karl at work whilst showing great interest in my coaching background and the reason for my travels. I was also fortunate enough to meet and speak to Ian O'Brien (ex-New Zealand opening bowler) who had arrived at the County Ground to sell a new business product of his to the players; compression pants. Like everyone else at Derbyshire CCC, Ian was very welcoming to me and had a great presence. 

Due to the snowy conditions, after lunch, the entire squad headed to Derby County Football Club's indoor training facility for the afternoon's fielding practice. This consisted of a fielding circuit following a traditional football warm up by the players, during which Karl asked for my assistance on one of the fielding stations; to simulate a batsman playing and missing a ball, for the fielder at first slip to catch. I happily obliged!! How Karl had picked up on my particular skill set of playing and missing the ball was a mystery – I guess that’s what makes him a good coach!

Karl demonstrated each station to the squad, which consisted of a range of fielding practices. After a little moment of embarrassment where I unintentionally edged the ball behind to first slip, only to receive a unanimous appeal and celebration from the entire squad, the tone of the session was set! As the players rotated around each station, what became instantly apparent was the team camaraderie and atmosphere that bonded the group together. The squad were evidently still in high spirits following last season's promotion and were a pleasure to be amongst.

Friday was more of the same. I was invited to join Luke Storey in the nest for further strength and conditioning training. The intensity was high, and I had the opportunity to see Luke work at first hand; this time of year being the most pivotal stage for him to prepare the players for the upcoming season. I must thank the players for making me feel incredibly welcome as even whilst they focused on their preparations, they made the effort to discover more about me and my reason for visiting (along with giving me plenty of stick about being from Essex!) Their kindness extended to them inviting me to join them for lunch where their team spirit and togetherness was very apparent. 

I'd like to thank everyone at Derbyshire County Cricket Club for making my stay so superb. In particular I'd like to thank AJ and Pipey for making me feel incredibly welcome and showing great willingness to provide insight into the workings of a team at the highest level, with a special thanks to Karl Krikken for not only affording me such a fantastic opportunity but also for the hospitality that made my experience at Derbyshire CCC one that I'll remember. 

I Wish the first XI the very best of luck for the season. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for their results! 

Up the Falcons!

Bolton Wanderers

If you read my blog about my visit to St George’s Park, you will recall that I had the good fortune to spend some time with Sammy Lee, the Head of Coaching and Development at Bolton Wanderers Academy and that he had subsequently invited me to witness the workings of the academy first hand.

A few weeks ago, I made the five hour journey to the North West of England, to snap up that opportunity.

With the snow falling heavily on the UK, I was rather sceptical as to whether I'd get the opportunity to view much football action. Undeterred, I went anyway, with nothing to lose and much to gain.

Here then is my Bolton Wanderers story:

I arrived at the Eddie Davies Training Ground in Lostock, the home of Bolton Wanderers Academy where I was warmly greeted by Sammy Lee, and introduced to his staff and work colleagues  Jimmy Phillips (Head of the Academy) together with  David Lee and Tony Kelly ( U18 coaches), before explaining the itinerary of the first day.

Once again, I was immediately aware of Sammy’s character. He is definitely what I would describe as a 'people person'. He makes everyone he comes into contact with feel special, by way of his welcoming nature and doesn't let anyone go unnoticed or ignored within his environment. He has a willingness and desire to listen and speak to anyone whether it is a player, coaching colleague, visitor, or even the tea lady. These types of man management skills, I aspire to replicate within my own sporting environments.

Meanwhile, despite the ground staff working tirelessly in an effort to clear the field of snow, it was falling just as quick as it was being removed and so outside training was cancelled for the day, meaning all players were in the academy gymnasium instead for the morning session. This was a good opportunity for me to witness a different side of academy football training. Here I was introduced to the academy's strength and conditioning coaches Matt Dewhurst and Adam Rowan along with physiotherapists, rehabilitation specialists and several sport scientists. Matt explained to me that the objective of the gym session was to create an intensity that would replicate the exertion level of the players should they have trained on the field. As a result, pre-habilitation (injury prevention) exercises, strength and conditioning, core stability and footwork training ensued, proving an intense session.

With very little football looking likely for the afternoon, Sammy introduced me to David Gardiner (Head of Foundation) and Nick Spooner (U6-U11 Development Manager) who both kindly afforded me some quality time to ask any questions that I had regarding the academy set up. 

I discovered that the club philosophy is to play through the thirds, keeping the ball on the floor whilst looking to create goal scoring opportunities, and this applies to all teams throughout the academy. Therefore, all academy coaches must adopt this philosophy in order to create a coherent transition for players as they progress through their respective age groups, until they reach first team level.

To ensure that this style of play is adhered to by coaches and players, a developmental mindset is adopted by the academy staff up until the age of 14. From here onwards, greater focus is placed upon achieving results through expanding on player tactical knowledge and implementation. David described this process better with the use of a four stage model that the academy utilises as players progress through each age group. The four stages are as follows:

1. Learning to train (U6 - U9)

2. Training to train (U10 - U13)

3. Training to compete (U14 - U16)

4. Competing to win (U16+)

Within the academy there are eight teams in total ranging from U9 - U16, of which there is only one team per age group with each squad consisting of roughly twenty players. Throughout the developmental stages of player performance, Bolton focus on late specialisation in terms of player positions, to prevent players becoming one dimensional in their style of play. As a result, players are often rotated from game to game to provide opportunity to develop into more complete footballers that are best suited to the style of play they strive to adopt. With this style of play in mind, I inquired into the scouting process, specifically asking what scouts were requested to look for when identifying a potential academy prospect. David advised me that scouts are instructed to predominantly look for technically gifted players, although conceded that other aspects of a player's capabilities may prove beneficial to the academy system in accordance with the FA's four corner model, which incorporate not only technical aspects, but psychological (attitude, game knowledge and intelligence), physical (speed, strength, power etc) and social (personality) attributes also. All of which are deemed key at the Bolton academy.

Upon entering the academy, players are offered contracts of varying lengths depending on their age. For players aged 9-11 a rolling one year contract is offered, players aged 12-16 a two year rolling contract and for players aged 16 and older, a three year contract. However, much like every other professional football academy, the renewal of a player's contract is dependent on their level of progression and development throughout the season. 

Regarding the academy's coaching staff, the majority of its coaches are contracted full time under the newly implemented Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which requests that each academy fulfils certain criteria on a category 1-4 basis (category one being the highest and four, the lowest). For the sake of the reader, Bolton Wanderers Academy secured Category 1 status thanks to the tireless work of the academy team of which David Gardiner, along with many others, were instrumental. The academy also employs temporary staff, but these are offered rolling one year contracts with a yearly salary. 

With little expectation of witnessing some coaching first hand on my second day at the academy due to poor weather conditions, I prepared some questions overnight that I hadn't yet asked on my travels, but could prove vital for my overall development in the game. 

However, I arrived at the academy and to my delight, the ground staff had cleared the 3G pitch of snow and training had the go ahead! Once again I was treated to a warm greeting ‘Sammy Lee style’ and invited to observe the U18 squad carry out their pre-habilitation exercises prior to practice, which included light stretching exercises using foam rollers and Swiss exercise balls as well as utilising the gym's exercise bikes to prepare the players for the ensuing training.

As the players warmed up on the field, Sammy shared with me the format of the morning session, consisting of a short passing drill before progressing into two 25 minute games refereed by ex-Premier League referee Mark Halsey; a welcome outdoor session for the players having been confined to the gym a lot of late following the poor weather. 

Prior to entering the field, every player was fitted with a heart rate monitor together with a 'Catapult' vest equipped with a GPS tracker. This enabled the academy's sports scientists (employed under the newly implemented EPPP requirements) to measure and record each player's speed, work rate, agility, distance covered etc throughout the training session, similar to the Adidas 'micoach' player analysis I experienced at Ajax's Academy (see previous blog). During Sam Alladyce's reign as Bolton Wanderers Head Coach it was common knowledge that sport science was high on his agenda. Now, long after his departure, it was good to see the academy still utilising its benefits to better their player performance output. Video analysis of academy games is also a regular occurrence to improve performance.

Throughout the session I got a real taste of firstly, the high expectation levels and demand for quality from each of the coaches and secondly, the experience of being on the sideline of an academy game amongst its coaches. Whilst the two games were played amongst academy squad members, both were treated as serious fixtures by players and coaches. This gave me great insight into the knowledge and information provided to players at half time, listening in to what the coaches had witnessed and what they demanded from their players in the second half. What I found particularly impressive, however, was something that I overheard and fully understood within the first 5 minutes of the session commencing. Having studied Spanish at A Level, I watched and listened in awe as Sammy communicated fluently with a Spanish academy player. The impact that this powerful tool had on the young Spaniard's game genuinely came as a massive surprise. Thinking about it afterwards it actually came as no surprise that Sammy possessed this in his coaching armoury and I was later informed by his academy colleagues that Spanish wasn't the only language he had in his locker. Incredible.

I have to confess that this event has inspired me to continue studying and practicing my Spanish speaking alongside my coaching work

Lunch was next on the schedule and I was treated to some hot soup; the perfect cure for the bitterly cold weather. During this break I was fortunate enough to meet Kevin Davies (Bolton Wanderers First Team Captain) who had arrived at the training ground for his UEFA B Licence Final Assessment, coaching a couple of sessions using the U18 academy squad. It became evidently clear that Kevin was highly respected around the academy not just by the players, but by all coaches and staff members alike. 

After lunch I took to the field early, using this as an opportunity to make some notes on my experiences so far before the players arrived for their afternoon session. However, this was interrupted by Kevin, who kindly requested my assistance in helping him set up, to which I happily obliged! After taking a short interest in the reason for my visit and my coaching background, Kevin then explained to me his session topics, his aims and objectives, the continuity of his progressions and the scenarios he was hoping to see occur that would trigger his coaching points. Having within the last year gained the UEFA B licence myself, I knew how nerve wracking this final assessment was but having a renowned footballer running through his coaching session plan with me seemed a surreal experience, but one that I relished!

As the players entered the field and Kevin commenced his sessions under the watchful eye of his assessors, I sought out the opportunity to ask the questions I had prepared the previous night. However, for the first time on my European travels, it wasn't a coach or manager I was firing my questions at, but a couple of players: Glenn Matthews, Bolton born and U18 Academy left back and Rob Holding, born in Tameside and U18 Academy centre back. 

With aspirations of coaching at the highest level I possibly can, I saw this as a great opportunity to learn from a different perspective; what the player's want. What do they feel the difference is between a club coach and an academy coach? What do they think makes a good academy coach? What would they like to see their academy coaches do differently? These were just some of the questions I sought answers to.

After introducing myself to Glenn and Rob the boys happily agreed to answer my questions for which I was very grateful. Both informed me of their love at playing in the Bolton academy, claiming numerous 'best bits' such as having the opportunity to play football every day, the company of their team mates, the relationship with all of their coaches and the general enjoyment of the overall experience.

When asked if there was a 'worst bit' about the academy, both Glenn and Rob couldn't answer but rather claimed that their less favourite part was the college work that coincided. They explained the strictness of the academy education; that failure to complete coursework resulted in exclusion from training. However, both mutually agreed that completing the college work was far easier than complaining about it.

I was then interested to find out Glenn and Rob's perception of what they thought the difference between a club coach  and an academy coach was. The boys pondered this for a few seconds, recalling their experiences from pre-Bolton academy days, before answering that academy coaches hold greater expectation levels for every player, demand the highest quality possible, show greater care for player development and welfare and finally are less tolerant of misbehaviour. These they believed were also requirements of a 'good' academy coach along with the following: someone who makes players feel special, possesses an excellent player-coach relationship, explains difficult concepts easily, provides information to aid player development and generally wants the best for everyone with the player's best interests at heart.

When asked if there was anything they wish their academy coaches would do differently, they claimed that generally there was nothing they would change. However, Glenn and Rob explained that when they've made a mistake, either in training or games, some coaches can occasionally show their frustration verbally from the sideline as well as portraying negative body language, detrimentally impacting player confidence and performance. Whereas other coaches will give reassurance, encouragement and advice to help relax and find alternative solutions which the boys feel has a greater positive impact on their performance. 

To reiterate what David Gardiner had explained the day before, from the age of 16 attention switches from a developmental mindset to a winning mentality under their fourth stage 'competing to win'. Glenn and Rob confirmed this, claiming that whilst the coaches care about the team's performance in games, there is more of a focus on winning now at U18 level, developing player tactical knowledge.

My last question to the boys was to simply identify who they believed was the 'one to watch' at the academy, giving them every opportunity to nominate themselves! Immediately after identifying each other as future stars (tongue in cheek!!) both Glenn and Rob mutually decided without hesitation that Chris Leicester was the pick of the U18 squad. The boys explained that I had actually witnessed Chris play in the morning games, and after describing his appearance it jogged my memory. I recall this particular young man being technically sound, fast paced and sharp in his position on the right wing. I shall keep a further eye out in the near future on his developments. 

As Kevin's assessment drew to a close, I thanked both Glenn and Rob for their time before heading indoors where I was invited by Sammy to join himself and Jimmy Phillips to fire some questions at them. Specifically I asked what Jimmy and Sammy look for from their academy coaches in order to gain an insight that could potentially prove highly beneficial in my near future as an aspiring professional football coach. In short, both mutually agreed upon the following: an excellent rapport with the players, the ability to engage players in all areas of the game, a teacher (particularly for the younger age groups), a healthy relationship with other staff members, qualifications and experience.

Whilst some contemporary coaches with playing experience at the highest level are offered academy coaching jobs out of respect at Bolton Wanderers, what was especially pleasing to hear was that Sammy and Jimmy both believe qualifications (coaching and/or educational) coupled with coaching experience will eventually override playing experience even at the highest level across all football in the future. They were of the opinion that some of the best coaches around haven't played top level football.

Further questions that I asked Sammy and Jimmy along with their thoughtful, insightful and invaluable answers will temporarily remain with me, but I promise to reveal in due course in a later blog of mine that I have planned. 

As an unforgettable day drew to a close, I was invited to lastly attend and observe the academy's U9's and U10's train at a nearby soccer dome facility at St Joseph's school where I was warmly welcomed by coaches Stuart Cowling and Chris Jacques. Much like I'd witnessed on my travels around Europe, the young players were completely enthused for the session duration and highly responsive to Stuart and Chris, much to their credit! Development was instantly visible as a priority for both coaches, with no emphasis on winning but great emphasis on praising player effort levels which, in my opinion, is always refreshing to witness. Furthermore, Stuart and Chris' effective use of open ended questioning to encourage the players to think and take responsibility for their own learning was also plausible.

I'd like to once again thank everyone at Bolton Wanderers whom I came into contact with over my two day study visit for a number of things; the warm welcome, the effort in organising such a fantastic itinerary considering the poor weather conditions, the willingness to take an interest in myself and my travels, the time afforded by influential personnel, the effort to respond to any questions that I threw at them (both coaches and players), the welcoming soup!! and overall for making my visit an invaluable and worthwhile experience. Above all though, I'd like to thank Sammy Lee for being a top man and for affording me the opportunity to visit.

Finally, I wish the U18 squad all the best in their FA Youth Cup run.

Up the Trotters!!

St George's Park - A trip to remember

La Masia and De Toekomst. Walk down the average street and ask people what these are, and only the very most committed of football follower will tell you they are the 'talent factories' of FC Barcelona and Ajax. 

The Football Association of England is hoping that the most famous of all becomes St Georges Park.

Situated in 14,000 acres at Burton on Trent in rural Staffordshire in the middle of England, it has cost a whopping £105m to build. When the idea was first muted for St George's Park, I was 9 years old. Eleven years later and I was fortunate to be one of the first to visit. The occasion was the 2012 FA Coaches Conference for Level 3, 4 and 5 coaches.

It was my first experience of a coaching conference and here are my findings:-

I travelled to St George's Park with my close friend Chris, a local football coach from Essex who, like myself, has travelled abroad to further his coaching knowledge and experience.

Pulling into the entrance we passed a sea of pristine football pitches (the majority named after ex-England footballing legends), and the sheer scale of the facility became instantly apparent, as on the approach only the rooftops of the newly opened National Football Centre could be seen. 

Upon entering the hotel reception at St George's Park the modernity and state-of-the-art facilities were instantly apparent. Congregating in the Sir Bobby Robson Conference Room, the place slowly filled with passionate football coaches from both the grassroots level as well as some well known names within the professional game; this was clearly not only an opportunity to visit the hub of future English football, but also a fantastic opportunity to network and converse with some of the country's elite coaches. For instance, I was fortunate to share a table on that first morning with Sammy Lee (Former Liverpool star and current Head of Academy at Bolton Wanderers ) and Steve ‘Stan’ Staunton (ex Republic of Ireland manager and holder of over 100 international caps including captaining Ireland at a World Cup), both of whom were extremely welcoming and eager to discover my coaching background. What a way to start! If this was a taste of things to come, bring it on!

We were all welcomed to St George's Park by Mark Clemmitt (BBC Sports Reporter) and Sir Trevor Brooking (Director of Football Development), who briefly outlined the development and aspirations for St George's Park and what was in store over the coming two days; an excellent programme as anticipated.

Day One commenced with an opportunity to observe a technical themed coaching session by Gines Melendez Sotos (Spanish Technical Director) and a behaviour management session delivered by both John Allpress (National Young Player Development Coach) and Merfyn Roberts (Sports Psychologist). These sessions took place on the new full-size indoor 3G "Sir Alf Ramsey" pitch. 

Eager to see the Spaniard in action, I was particularly drawn to Gines' bubbly character on the field. Through his body language alone, he was able to communicate instructions clearly and effectively, despite the language barrier (for which his personal translator was at hand for the spectators' benefit!). Gines was very intense, animated and tactile with the group of young English players he had been given to coach. There were plenty of hugs and smiles, demonstrating plausible man management skills of which the players responded accordingly. This was accompanied with a noticeable high demand for quality throughout, whether this be mental focus/concentration or physical and technical execution. 

This observing experience was enhanced greatly by the fact that Gines and all subsequent coaches were mic’d up, which allowed me to listen for key information and instructions given to the players. With coach education and development a key theme throughout the two day conference, I personally found this a great learning tool.

At various points on the first day we were invited to attend various presentations and interviews. A particular one I enjoyed featured Dr Steve Peters, a Consultant Psychiatrist who has been deemed instrumental in the success of Great British Olympic cyclists Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Bradley Wiggins etc and also Multi World Snooker Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, to name a few. Dr Peters spoke passionately about the psychological issues, thought processes and corrective measures for athletes at the peak of their respective sports. Specifically, his role involves controlling athlete emotions, enabling them to maintain focus and retain the confidence to deliver on the big stage.

This was followed by an interview with Gines Melendez Sotos and John Peacock (Head of Coaching at the FA) regarding Spanish football, in particular detailing their technical outlook including style of play, developmental mindset throughout its youth systems, player camaraderie and likemindedness amongst all involved on the international stage. Questions were fired at Gines in an attempt to uncover "the secret" to recent international Spanish success. It came as no surprise to me when he explained that there were numerous contributing factors over a sustained period of time that have resulted in such unparalleled success. 

Whilst given the opportunity to observe much of St George's Park astounding facilities throughout the two day Coaches Conference, a tour was also provided by its staff, granting access to all areas including the Performance Centre, Human Performance Lab, Sports Medicine and Sports Science Lab, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre, Hydrotherapy Suite, Strength and Conditioning Gymnasium and Medical facilities to name a few.

The clear ambition for St George's Park to become one of the best talent factories in World football was becoming evident especially with its impressive state-of-the-art facilities. I certainly believe that the foundations and infrastructure are in place for both St George's Park to achieve its full potential, and also for the up and coming players that experience what it has to offer, to maximise their potential.

Tour over and back to my plush hotel room and time to get suited and booted for the evening’s entertainment of a Gala Dinner. The guest speakers were Gordon Taylor (Chief Exec of the PFA) and Alex McLeish (ex-Birmingham FC, Aston Villa FC and Scotland Head Coach and current Nottingham Forrest Manager). In between the sharing of experiences and knowledge by Alex as well as some humorous anecdotes from Gordon, came the opportunity to converse and network with other coaches from a variety of backgrounds/football clubs around the UK, with a member of the FA conveniently placed on each table to strike conversation with. As the evening drew to a close, I was fortunate enough to speak to Alex McLeish, a true gentleman who willingly gave his time and attention to not only answer my questions offering invaluable advice, but to share some further experiences of his coaching career (both positive and negative) to further my development, of which I am extremely grateful. 

I was up bright and early on Day Two and proceedings began with a guest interview with Alex McLeish following on from the previous night. This was followed by an Olympic/Paralympic Report featuring Toni Minichiello (Coach to Jessica Ennis), Stuart Pearce (England U21 and Team GBR Football Head Coach), Hope Powell (Women's National Coach) and Jeff Davis (Disability National Development Manager) who discussed their various roles, and shared their knowledge and experiences to facilitate the learning and development of all present. This was an interesting insight into how different sporting backgrounds and leadership styles can still be applied to football coaching.

Much of the hype of the day was to follow next, as Roy Hodgson (England National Team Manager) was to deliver a practical coaching workshop. However, a short break before Roy's session commenced opened up an opportunity for me to approach Stuart Pearce and ask a few pre-prepared questions that I had. Stuart was very open, providing me with his undivided attention and some great advice in furthering my coaching potential. This was really turning out to be an incredibly inspiring two days, and my enthusiasm and passion to learn was in a heightened state. 

Conversations continued as everyone packed into the indoor 3G pitch, filling all seats and balconies to their capacity to observe Roy Hodgson in action. What was rather disappointing though was that due to the high attraction from a number of media outlets, Roy decided not to wear a microphone. My disappointment was shared by all around me but despite this, the opportunity to observe his work at first hand was a good experience nevertheless.

After lunch was the session on Day 2 I was most looking forward to. It was a practical workshop delivered by the highly respected Dick Bate (FA Elite Coaching Manager). His session was focused on coaching players at the professional phase of their development, specifically targeting ages 17-21 and much to the delight of spectators, he utilised the microphone to better the experience. Personally, having coached players of this age range at University level, I was keen to pay special attention to the type of language used by Dick throughout his session; whether he'd look to feed information into the players drawing from his own knowledge of the game, or whether he'd look to utilise open ended questioning to draw/test the players' knowledge, a more modern coaching technique that I have grown to adopt when coaching at various age ranges. It was pleasing to see that Dick opted for the latter, asking many questions of the players for them to assess their own performance and respond accordingly, all the while with learning taking place. Similarly, Dick's attention to detail was praiseworthy, coaching a themed session of defence to attack transitional play, ensuring that each player received some individual coaching along with the main session objectives and encouraging creativity wherever possible during the attacking phases. 
Looking to make the most of my experience at St George's Park I approached Dick at the end of his session to once again ask a few questions that would further my learning. He happily obliged, which I was extremely grateful for, imparting knowledge from personal experiences and suggesting ways to overcome possible barriers.

With the Coaches Conference drawing to a close, we congregated once more in the Sir Bobby Robson Conference Room whilst Dick Bate delivered an Elite Coaches Award and Pro Licence update and Graham Keeley (National Game Coaching Workforce Manager) spoke about COACH bursaries and the FA Licensed Coaches' Club. The day finished with Jamie Houchen (Head of FA Learning and instrumental figure in organising the Coaches Conference) providing a review of the past two days.

My personal highlight of the two days? It would have to be meeting Sammy Lee. Not only is he a humble and engaging man but he has the fantastic capability of putting you at ease and making you feel special. I rather cheekily asked if I could visit him in Bolton to observe his work at the academy and without hesitation he agreed. I have subsequently made that trip and will write about that in a future blog.

To summarise, I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience at an FA Coaches Conference, taking great pleasure from the opportunity to converse and network with coaches from across the UK at varying stages of development over a range of performance levels. 
Furthermore, the open mindedness, willingness, dedication, time and effort demonstrated by all, regardless of their position within the game of football, to impart wisdom, share experiences and give detailed advice to anyone that kindly asked for it, was special.

If this experience is anything to go by, I can't wait to attend again in 2013!!