The Academy System part 2

Building on my first article, where I discussed the flaws in a club-controlled academy system, my aim is to posit a better solution. However, I would first like to examine the role and approach of a coach regardless of the system.

I believe that there are some outstanding coaches currently working in academies and a lot more who could be very good if they took a step back from the way things have always been done and push themselves to be an example to their players with an attitude of development and experimentation.

I would like to lay out the key things that a coach must provide:

Trust

My belief is that the player-coach relationship does not grow in a natural and optimised manner because the academy environment, in which a coach is made to decide if a player is “at the level” on a yearly basis, prevents the level of trust that is needed. As with any relationship, there is a level of collaboration that cannot be achieved if one member is not fully committed and looking at other options. The coach in this scenario whether consciously or unconsciously is not going to put the same effort into a player as they would if they knew that player was their responsibility until the end of the development process.

It should not be a coach’s role to make declarative statement about a player. Their sole focus should be in providing the conditions for that player to achieve their potential, whatever that is. Without the full trust and engagement of the coach, a player is not being provided the best conditions for them to excel.

Patience 

Repeated, purposeful practice in their own time, is a common theme that comes up when ex-players are asked what made them into professionals. With this in mind, a coach’s primary job is to consistently reinforce this approach to spare time in young players.

As I have stated in a previous article, the core work of developing the player should be done in the 5-12 period. It is also in this time period that the mindset of a player that wants to constantly improve, understands the process of learning, effectively sets and achieves long-term development goals and most importantly enjoys doing this, is established. This takes patience and a less concentrated focus on football, without it though a player is being prepared for failure regardless of their talent level. Coaches need to make sure even at a young age the player is not learning to enjoy doing what is easy. The coach at this level plays a huge role in influencing how a child self-evaluates a training session or game. If they do not push them to try something new or practice something that is difficult they are creating “soft” players.

Inspiration

The most skilled coaches at this age group are able to do one of the hardest parts of the role which is effective parent education, in the long run such an important contributing factor to the success of a young player, in regards to their role in supporting a young player on the journey of pursuing a professional career.

Parents are well-intentioned and passionate to do anything in the power to help their child but this can often be expressed in a way that does the opposite. Parents tend to believe that the match is the most important part, so if you can educate them on how much greater impact they can have by working with their child at home on personal technique work, goal-setting and positive self-reflection, they become reinforcers of the coaching messages you are presenting.

By inspiring parents to be a training partner for the player away from training sessions, that player is more likely to reach the 10000 hours of purposeful practice they need plus have a stable support system to aid them in the difficult moments that they will face.

Experimentation

A coach must be a role model and example of the values they are promoting to their players, therefore a coach who arrives with the session plan in hand and an idea exactly how the session is going to look, is not endorsing the spontaneous qualities needed for successful play. Players need to feel a sense of freedom of expression and a confidence for them to take out of the session what they need to on that day or in that moment.

An informed coach will create the setup that allows players to learn collectively while at the same time not stifling tangential learning opportunities and needs. Risk taking in session selection, management and outcomes as well as the way in which unsuccessful sessions are handled will send a clear message to players that learning is not a linear process and that success comes from working in the space just on the edge of failure.

Interest in the person

The real art of coaching comes when dealing with difficult players. Instead of filling the group with good listeners, hard workers etc the test of a coach comes in connecting with a player who is missing an element like this. By engaging and showing interest in a young person a coach can be the catalyst for an area of development that allows a player to stop preventing their own success.

This can come in many forms but the basis point for me is that there are a great number of young people who are unable to identify the developmental requirement that is unique to them. A coach may need to either provide them with the tools to self-assess in a more effective way or identity the requirement  for the player and work with them to fulfill it.

The psychological side of coaching in the 13-21 age group is so crucial yet constantly is overlooked and sidelined for a more technical/tactical emphasis. It is in doing this that so many players are “allowed” to fail and that failure is later justified as the means of deciphering which players are suitable to be professionals. I could not disagree more with this idea.

Honesty

When I hear talk of a “player that thinks they have made it”, it is an acceptance of failure by the coach as far I am concerned. Once a player enters the youth development phase, the most important work with a player is in helping them to understand the professional career that they are preparing for and working with the player to develop the mental skills required. If a player thinks they have made it this can only come from a limited amount of sources:

• Circle of influence (Friends, family, agents)
• The club or coach
• Outside influencers (Rival clubs, scouts etc)

If a coach is doing their job properly then all three of these factors can be eliminated with clear, open dialogue with player and parents. The art of coaching is telling truths that may not be what people want to hear at the correct moment whilst maintaining the trust and buy-in from the player you are working with. Ultimately the responsibility is down to the player but your job is to fight for them and help them in moments where they make mistakes on and off the pitch. True coaching doesn’t involve writing people off.

Consistency

I believe if this approach is put together in a consistent and applied manner the style of player coming through and success rate of academies would improve. On top of this, the experience of the players who do not make it would be more beneficial, from a personal and footballing perspective.

As I mentioned previously, I don’t believe the academy system is the best option and in the third part of this article I will put forward my suggestion for an improved alternative.

Thanks