The Academy System part 3
In the third and final part of this article I am going to propose an alternative system that I believe would help to address some of the development areas that are currently being overlooked and most importantly give young players the best opportunity to become a professional in an honest and supportive environment.
General Layout
- Regional Development Centers - minimum travel time & maximum training and game time, elimination of monetary barriers
- Open Entry - Maximum training provision to maximum players
- Premier League, Football League, FA and Government funded and controlled system
- No professional club involvement until professional contract
- “Safe play zones” to combat the lack of street football - Open access courts where kids turn up and play. Supervised by welfare officer for medical and safety requirements but otherwise left to play.
- Specialised coaches for each age group augmented with educational, sport science and psychology experts.
5-12 years
- Age-specific athlete monitoring and athletic technique correction
- Clearly defined and integrated syllabus focusing on technique, futsal and creativity.
- Games program developed around problem solving, personal development, and redefining “ enjoyment”
- Data collection to begin at 5 and continue to 21 so that scouting is more informed and done over a longer period of time
- No grassroots clubs - It is vitally important that you have the best coaches working with players and allowing them the freedom to explore, enjoy and learn. If not then players develop bad habits and many are lost to the game through bad early experiences.
- In the long run if the FA take a more serious approach to the Mentor Scheme then grassroots involvement at this age group would not be a problem but without it the damage that is done by coaches creating an unsavoury environment is too great.
13-21 years (Key Focus)
- Grassroots clubs to come in and offer alternative learning environment now that players are involved in 11v11 football.
- Players can continue to train and play in the development centre pathway as well as joining a grassroots club.
- Individual-driven development strategy where the onus is placed on each player to build their profile and take responsibility for gaining a professional contract.
- Training and games will be based around the principles of patience, creativity, problem solving, risk taking and career focused development.
- No fixed team or system - Players will play with different teams and in different systems to expose them to new challenges on a regular basis and make them accustomed to regulating their own performance regardless of external variables.
- Research, expert led with constant innovation and experimentation
- Clear, honest parental dialogue using statistics and other quantifiable data. No promises made
Obviously, the system that I am suggesting is a more complicated and time consuming process but as with anything in life the best results don’t come easy.
What I see as the main benefit is that from day one it is made clear to players and their influencers that they are in charge of their development and ultimately gaining a professional contract. Similar to a university environment they will be provided with access to experts who can help them but it is down to them to make the most of it.
It is fundamental to me that player and personal empowerment become the cornerstones of youth development. Prepare the best players to be the best they can be, and prepare the rest to be autonomous, capable young people able to succeed in whatever path they end up taking.
This should be the aim of every coach and the intended outcome of a development system.
Don’t provide them everything, provide them what they need.
Focused on allowing the advisers to advise.
8 年Really great read here Harry, over the last nine years or so I have seen both sides of your discussion points and agree with lots of what you say. If you look around the academies you will find many that do already adopt parts of what you suggest but unfortunately it is all about the money in the end! As a nation we need to engage and invest more with the grassroots coaches as allowing the kids at the youngest age group to think freely will help the game longer term.
Technical Advisor | Bodyshop Estimator | Warranty Controller | Rugby Coach
8 年Three brilliant reads, I particularly like "There is an inherent hypocrisy in claiming that you provide an elite training environment and having players from outside that environment reach the later stages of the process in favour of the ones you have been training" . There are so many inherent faults with the academy system and the failure stats are extraordinary, any other institution and it would be shut down for its failings.
Soccer coach. Hanoi Sports Academy. Pohnpei Soccer.
8 年3 good reads Harry. I like the sound of the alternative system. Even though I consider myself an ambitious coach, I don't have much interest in working in big club academies because I'm not comfortable with a lot of the way things are done, and I don't think they particularly work for either the players or clubs. As someone that's worked across the world, do you see an alternative system like this more likely to replace the current British system or to be something a developing football nation could start from scratch?