"Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast!"

Great coaching is just not enough for a football developmental strategy! This might sound odd but there is a ceiling for what you can achieve with great coaching. Many players just don’t respond because of their limitations. Many organizations do not understand how the developmental process works. It’s not just about quality coaching, there is much more. The best countries in the world, their kids culture of development starts way earlier than the rest. This is key. I have seen many "strategic plans" over the years created by federations, associations and clubs, that wind up in the dustbin having never hit the intended targets for development. Why, because of the lack of understanding on how development works. The reality is, the countries that develop the best players in the world are not always the result of "better coaching." These countries culture of development start way earlier than the rest which makes their competition so much better from the youngest ages. This is a key point to understanding development. The strongest football nations starting line starts much earlier at home where kids are sometimes getting as much as a 4 year head start.

Getting a head start, is the key to most everything in life but especially in education and sports. Participating is just not enough and this is a big mistake that many make. Too many organizations focus on participation numbers for financial gain with an unintended consequence which results in a high dropout rate. Kids just don't continue to enjoy activities they are not good at. A majority of kids that play football are technically poor. The strongest countries that develop the best youth are very good technically from a young age which leads to a lifelong love of playing and watching the sport. In the best countries, families become lifelong fans. When kids start out playing at the youngest ages they lack self awareness. You can observe a little 6-8yr old playing in a game that doesn't touch the ball at all, they lose that match and come off the pitch giving a high five to the coaches and parents. This is the most misunderstood part of development because most believe, rightfully so, it should all be about the participation rather than the performance and result. And yes, it should be about fun but it quickly changes at the older ages when a child's self awareness kicks in and they realize they aren't that good at playing and quickly fall out of love with the sport. Eventually, kids figure out they're not that good and quit in large numbers! We see this with the retention rates when a few years back the Aspen Institute of Sport did a survey and found that approximately 38.5% of kids that play in the US quit by age 7 and another 50% quit by age 10.

These are alarming numbers and I believe it's not the best kids that are quitting, it's the kids that never learnt the basic building blocks to succeed. Of course there are other reason's why kids quit; pushy parents, bad coaching, burnout etc. However, I believe the majority that quit lacked the basics to enjoy playing. Add in, the older you get the more commitment you usually need for practice, travel and play. All the strategy documents in the world and imported overseas Experts, will not produce the same result that these stronger countries are getting, unless, you get your entry level correct. Most countries do not.

Devising long term developmental strategies is perhaps more important than the actual coaching. The two C's, Culture and Competition are key components. Developing a culture in your community, club and country where people and organizations are all on the same page by sharing the same values and beliefs, (culture), outweigh everything else.

The best countries have a culture of development and understanding which is highly conducive to developing players. They have a culture of development that starts way earlier than the rest, usually at home, which makes their competition fierce once they join organized play from the very start. Additionally, add in good coaching and, Voila! Buy-into this early start strategy and Football Starts at Home is the key component that sets the best apart from the rest. Getting kids comfortable with ball at their feet as early as possible and educating parents on their vital role in doing so should be at the core of any football development strategy.

Since 1930 there have been 21 FIFA World Cup Tournaments. Today, there are 211 FIFA Member Association Countries and only 8 have won a World Cup Tournament on the Men's side. Half are serial repeat winners. There have been only 5 other countries aside from the 8 winners that have ever made it into a World Cup final. This is a very select group. I'm sorry so say but it's not overwhelmingly the coaching that got them there! Also, to the best of my knowledge, no country has ever won a World Cup Tournament with a foreign Coach.

Also, aside from England, I don't believe any World Cup Champion has ever had a foreign Coach. The point being, Culture is King! It’s the Entry level that’s key at the bottom of the Pyramid. In the best countries the starting line for development has been moved way back before entering formal play. These are cultures that are very conducive to developing top players. Lack of finances to fund grassroots activities is not the problem either. The problem is the lack of understanding and innovation to design programs that are investable. Grassroots football is by far the most misunderstood part of the game. It's seen more as an obligation rather than the opportunity. Just look at the tons of government organizations spending money on many initiatives such as, child obesity, early child education, preschool, physical & mental health, crime, bullying, etc. Billions are being spent on trying to figure out how to prevent, intervene and mitigate, many social ills. Families are key to combating many of these problems and what's happening at home is a huge predictor of many problems we face today. Football Organizations need to be more clever and align their interests to meet their community challenges. Every country has similar potential. You just have to figure out what’s important to these organizations that spend the most amount investing into people and align by offering solutions with great programming. Football can provide much more than just good coaches. That’s what I’ve done my whole career, successfully.

If you know how to design grassroots programs for communities, states and countries, there is a ton of funding out there you can tap into. Another big problem is the lack of innovation. Organizations are stuck in the traditional way of thinking regarding development and don't even know what the components are that are needed. The irony is, there are so many hotly debated topics regarding football development because the development models have been failing many countries. The unintended consequences are that the developmental outcomes which were intended were usually created by the same people and orgs that have been complaining today that they currently don’t work. Football development is a marathon, not a sprint. It normally takes 10 years to see the impact if gotten correct. Unfortunately, it can also take another 10 years to recorrect after you've realized you've put the wrong strategy in place for the previous 10 years. It's like running on an endless treadmill to nowhere.

Reimagine what player development could look like? Look at the trajectory of the best players and see what did they have in common. Behind the Curtain you will find an early start at home and the role that culture, community & families play. And yes, coaches are important, especially if they can actually coach kids who are "ALREADY" technically sound before showing up. Kids that can transfer a ball from one foot to the other. Kids that can execute a simple wall pass. Kids that can dribble at speed and change direction under no pressure. Kids that can attack a stationary cone and get around it with out knocking it over with no challenging defender. Kids that fall in love with the game early and become lifelong lovers. More physically and mentally healthier kids because they are active. Many young kids fail and quit because they lack the basics. The football world must do better to ensure kids are learning the basic building blocks so succeed. This is the fundamental mistake all "Strategic Plan's" miss.?Many Football Organizations from around the world try to implement Elite Program's from the best countries by copying some of these Elite Structures. The reality is that most of these Countries players are so technically poor that they can not benefit from any of these Elite Structures being put in place. Focus on creating an army of little boys & girls, who fall in love with a ball by focusing on ball mastery. Be innovative and create a better narrative of why kids who fall in love with the ball first will enjoy a lifetime of football. Many countries force kids to fall in love with playing the game way too early before any basic skill development. Yes, some kids will develop but not at the rate that is expected. Ensure that you close the gap between the very best and the least developed young players which results in an enormous Elite Player Pool without even trying. Only then can we imagine that the exclusive group of 8 countries that have won World Cup Tournaments will be challenged by the other 203 FIFA Member Countries!

Culture eats strategy for Breakfast, when Football Starts at Home!