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!!

FC Twente

I may only have just turned 21, but I have long since discovered that it is very easy in life, and some will say British life in particular, to just look at the negatives. Somebody’s failings, are more often than not, deemed more newsworthy than their successes. The courage to take risks is rarely recognised unless those risks work out.

When I was 8 years old I met a guy at Orlando Airport who was returning from a family holiday to take up a new role. He was relaxed and very polite that day and I have followed his career since.

At the time he was Assistant Manager at Derby County and a virtual unknown. His new role saw him become Assistant Manager to Alex Ferguson (not a Sir in them days!) at Manchester United.

In his two and a half seasons at Old Trafford the side won three Premier leagues, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

He left this comfortable job where his visionary skill sets were highly lauded, to take a gamble and develop his career further. He took up his first managerial post as boss of Middlesbrough. His first season saw them reach the FA Cup Semi Final (beating Man Utd on the way!). Two seasons later and his side lifted the League Cup - the clubs first ever major honour - and thus guaranteed them qualification for a European competition for the first time in their 128-year history.

The difficult transition from coach to manager was complete. Jump forward a couple of years and a well-publicised gamble or two later and he turned up at FC Twente in the Dutch Eredivisie. In his first season they finished runners up in the league and also reached the final of the Dutch Cup losing on penalties.

The following season, they hit the top of the table in October and despite being chased by the much more fancied AFC Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, they held their nerve to win the league for the very first time in their history.

The ‘successful’ man is of course Steve McClaren, and when I was offered the opportunity to spend a few days alongside him and his coaching team at FC Twente I was ecstatic.

So one week after leaving AFC Ajax (see previous blog) I found myself on a train from Amsterdam going across Holland to Hengelo near Enschede, to the home of FC Twente. Once again, I had been afforded such fantastic hospitality and an itinerary had been organised for my visit that exceeded all my hopes. Here then is my FC Twente story…

Having believed and hoped that I'd left the freezing cold weather in England, I arrived at the Twente training ground fresh from a comfortable night at the local hotel to a blanket of snow covering every field, and the groundstaff working tirelessly to make training for each team possible. 

I was met by John van Miert, Head of FC Twente Academy, who welcomed me to the facility over a coffee in the players’ cafeteria and provided some insight into the academy set up, scouting procedures, philosophies and visions for the future. He explained that the club's philosophy was to play attractive and fast paced 'pass and move' football alongside creating highly technical and intelligent thinking footballers.

With this as their primary academy objective, John further advised that the club aspired to have at least 50% of the first team squad as products of the youth academy, within the next three years. To accomplish this, great stress is placed on ensuring that all coaches philosophies align with that of the club's, which is to encourage all players to play the way the club preach, building possession from the back rather than playing 'long ball' football. 

With this is mind, John emphasised that the academy and all its coaches possess a developmental mind-set, focusing on technical aspects until age 15, before developing tactical knowledge. Whilst they will endeavour to win all of their academy games, they believe that this shouldn't be sacrificed and overridden at the expense of player development. 

For them, winning becomes the main objective from the age of 19 through to first team level. Instead, at youth level it is deemed of greater importance that all coaches seek to progress their players onto the next stage of their development, building a cohesive unit that doesn't necessarily achieve winning results at the younger age groups, but does by the time they reach U19 level.

Until then, all players (excluding goalkeepers) are presented with the opportunity to play in multiple positions with equal playing time across the course of each season; to facilitate their development as well rounded footballers with excellent technical and tactical game knowledge. This, they believe, prevents them from becoming one dimensional in set positions and instead ensures that the roles and responsibilities of all positions are known and understood. What I found particularly interesting was when John explained that often, set positions for certain players are regularly unclear still at U17/U18 level. 

This is such a contrast to my personal experiences of playing and observing soccer in the UK and USA. There, I have witnessed many team managers coaching players as young as 7/8 that have already determined a players best suited position. These positions are often decided on physical attributes and will only be changed as a coach/manager looks to find his most successful line up.

From experience, this invariably relates to the coaches desire to win overriding player development, as assigning a position where a player performs best gives the team and manager a better chance of winning. Consequently, one dimensional players are produced that perhaps feed the manager's ego rather than creating players capable of fulfilling multiple roles on the pitch. 

John then invited me to view the training facilities, but not before he had introduced me to a few of his academy staff, Michel Jansen (Head of Development), Gerhard Wermink (Technical Director) and none other than ex-Barcelona and Dutch International footballer Patrick Kluivert (now Twente reserve team coach). Being a big FC Barcelona follower since a young age and watching Patrick at his peak, to say I was a little star-struck would be an understatement! Regardless, all were very welcoming and inquisitive about my reason for travelling, taking interest wherever possible to facilitate my learning and development and better my experience at Twente, of which I was extremely grateful.

Next was a short tour of the facilities: player cafeteria, staff offices, changing rooms, physiotherapy room and the football fields. Notably, all of the fields were in close proximity to one another, with a mixture of natural and 3G artificial turf pitches spanning the width and length of the complex, some covered in a blanket of snow, others not (thanks to the groundsman!). With the first team squad training (led by Steve McClaren and Youri Mulder) and reserve team training (led by Patrick Kluivert) about to commence, John left me to my own devices to observe some top quality coaching and final match-day preparations at first hand, an invaluable experience that I'll never forget.

It was evident that McClaren's entire focus was on the weekend's important top of the league clash with PSV Eindhoven rather than their Europa Cup fixture later that night; unsurprising considering Twente were unable to progress further in the tournament.

After lunch I was fortunate enough to be afforded what was supposed to be 30 minutes with Gerhard Wermink (Twente's Technical Director). However, two hours later and the conversation still hadn't come to an end! Gerhard described himself as a scientist and spoke about the game with great passion, the like I'd never witnessed or experienced before, opening up and sharing such invaluable knowledge in response to my questions. A common theme of our conversation was 'innovation'. Being a scientist, Gerhard applied his innovative personality to the game in virtually every aspect, for instance the style of play they seek to adopt, the formations used at each academy age group given their stages of development and physicality levels, coaching techniques to optimise player performance and general attention to detail.

I was extremely grateful for the time spent with Gerhard and thank him for his fantastic insight and eye-opening stance on the development of the game which will undoubtedly influence my future approach to coaching. 

I was then greeted by Tom van der Laan, organiser of my superb programme at Twente and Head of the Player Guidance department that coordinates the integration of predominantly young foreign players that are brought to the academy. With the numerous young players within the academy, it became evident within twenty minutes of meeting Tom that he possesses an incredible rapport with all at the club. All players would greet him with great warmth, confidence and ear-to-ear smiles, and many described him as an invaluable member of the Twente development team. Any concerns that a scholar had especially settling-in in Holland or homesickness, Tom was your man!  After discussing Tom's role it became clear that he works tirelessly to meet the needs and demands of everyone at Twente, a man who "walks the walk" rather than "talking the talk", and whilst I didn't want to be obtrusive during my stay, Tom included myself in that too, for which I express deep gratitude. 

Tom then introduced me to two more people: firstly, Frank Tempelman, the academy's U17/U19 head coach and secondly, a temporary academy staff member who was currently working with their U16 side. That person was ex-England U21 manager and for the past 18 months Head Coach of the Bahrain National Football squad, Peter Taylor. Once again, I was fortunate enough to be afforded a further half an hour in the company of Peter this time, who after realising I was from God's country (Essex!) like himself, took a great interest in my coaching and educational background and the reason behind my travels. Obviously I had a few questions to ask him too, to which he happily obliged, providing some invaluable knowledge, useful coaching tips and assurance in my coaching potential.

At this point I could've happily returned to my hotel room with the satisfaction of a superb and insightful day. But that wasn't the end. I was then invited to observe various academy teams train, to watch Gerhard Wermink, Peter Taylor and Frank Tempelman at work. Better still, having expressed my desire to learn as much as possible for my own professional development as an aspiring coach, Frank Tempelman repeatedly made the effort to approach me on the sideline to explain his session plan, his session objectives and to constantly translate his Dutch instructions and commands. I learnt a lot. 

Whilst observing, Michel Jansen (Head of Development at Twente) also ventured outside to brave the bitter cold weather on the training fields, taking the time to accompany me in viewing Frank's session, where we conversed about all things football; styles of play, coach mentalities/philosophies in other nations and personal experiences to name a few. Much like everyone else at Twente, Michel also took great interest in me, especially in my own coaching philosophy as well as my commitment and dedication to learn by travelling around to various academies. I was made to feel unbelievably welcome by all and after just eight hours since arriving at the academy, my experience had already surpassed all expectations.

Still, my day wasn't over. Tom had arranged for me to be picked up from the training HQ by Herman Voogtsgeerd, a Twente scout (among other roles) within the academy, where we would drive to the Grolsch Veste stadium, the home of FC Twente. Herman was a bubbly character with a spring in his step and seemed to know everyone as we arrived at the stadium! Clearly, a very approachable and welcoming guy - I'd come to expect nothing less from Dutch people in this and my Ajax trip! I was handed my complimentary ticket for their game against Helsingborg IF (from Sweden) for their Europa League tie that evening, and was further treated to complimentary beer (Grolsch of course!), hospitality and comfy leather seats in their VIP area!

After fielding a youthful side, the majority of which were Reserve team and U19 players I'd observed in practice earlier that day, Twente unfortunately went down 3-1. Maybe not a fairy-tale ending then but my spirits could not be dampened by my first day at the academy! Nobody was too despondent as aforementioned the tie was a dead rubber and all focus was on the upcoming weekend fixture against PSV Eindhoven.

Roughly nine inches of snow fell overnight, meaning that training for all academy age groups was cancelled the next day. However, I was still to be kept busy as Tom and I were off to the Grolsch Veste Stadium for a press conference. Steve McClaren would be facing various Dutch TV Channel reporters and media outlets, ahead of the table topping clash on Sunday and here was an opportunity for a front row seat!! At the stadium I was introduced to Richard Peters, Head of Communications at Twente, who had been instrumental in arranging my trip to this fabulous club. 

As I took my seat in the press conference it suddenly dawned on me that this could all be in Dutch which would have been quite surreal but thankfully it was all in the mother tongue of the Head Coach. I sat amongst a flourish of reporters with their numerous recording devices and simply listened as questions were fired at Steve regarding all aspects of the game; match preparations, player welfare and fitness levels, thoughts and ideas on previous games/future games etc. A fantastic new experience for me and one that I was grateful to be granted access to. 

As the press conference drew to a close I was approached by Richard who informed me that he had organised for me to spend thirty minutes one to one with Steve himself, an incredible and invaluable way to end my trip. 

I am indebted to Steve for the time he afforded me after recognising my presence at the previous days training and commending my efforts and desire to learn. I had prepared some questions for Steve, to which he took great time to carefully think about his answers in depth, to give me the best advice possible and impart some of his wisdom and knowledge onto a young coach. 

Furthermore, Steve also demonstrated great interest in my future coaching plans and travels having inquired into the reason behind my European trips, as well as my hopes and aspirations following graduating from University in 2014.

Before I could leave Richard insisted that he give me a stadium tour to round off my time at Twente. I was treated to walking the tunnel onto the pitch, sitting in the dugouts, viewing the boardroom and sky press boxes as well as the royal press box, should anyone famous visit. 

I really cannot thank all at FC Twente enough for their incredible efforts to accommodate me and ensure that my experience at the club was not only memorable but invaluable. I am extremely grateful for the organisation of such a fantastic couple of days’ worth of activity and have nothing but excellent memories of the kindness and warmth of all the personnel I made contact with.
Dank U Twente!!

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)