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  • PARENTS’ WARNING – FOOTBALL ACADEMIES – A SIDE OF FOOTBALL NO ONE TALKS ABOUT

    PARENTS’ WARNING – FOOTBALL ACADEMIES – A SIDE OF FOOTBALL NO ONE TALKS ABOUT

    This is a story written by Simon Bywater. It gives you a real insight into how players are sometimes treated at Academies in the UK. To think that a player with so much ability and highly recognised can be treated like this is unbelievable.

    I cant sit back and bite my tongue any longer.

    With the new football season just underway I wanted to highlight a side of football only a few see and even less talk about.

    10 years ago our 9yr old son was approached by a number of professional football clubs to join their academy programme.

    At the time it was all very exciting for him. Having thought long and hard over what decision to make he decided to join West Ham United. Given the way they welcomed him and the history of the club it swayed our decision. There was however one small problem for us as we lived over 75 miles from the training ground. The FA clearly stated in their rules that any player under 13 years of age wouldn’t be able to do this journey of over an hour. Where we lived it was impossible for us to be within 1 hour of a premier league academy, a process seemingly penalising boys from rural areas.

    “Don’t worry” the Club said, we can register him to a local address and support you with any travel costs as this is perfectly fine. We didn’t think anymore and assumed by their proposals that this was standard practice. I worked for myself and had to make massive sacrifices to get my son to training and games at the least four times a week. My Monthly fuel bill was in excess of £400 a month and we often got home after 11pm on school nights. Make no mistake it was a massive commitment.

    Our son started very well at West Ham and from the age of 9years old he began to “play up” age groups every season. The coaches were always on the phone to us especially when they got the impression he was unhappy with something. On one occasion they even got paranoid and suspicious that another club had approached us to get him to leave the club. At 15years old there was even a suggestion by staff that he might be selected for England Schoolboys. I was unhappy about this as it built hopes up of probable trials which didn’t materialise as he was ill with tonsillitis in the match the representative from England attended and was not asked for trials.

    The then very well thought of academy manager told my son and us that he was very disappointed he was not given a fair chance or even asked for trial. He was not as disappointed as a 15 yr old with massive ambition / hopes and dreams. This was another example of how they built up hopes, only for parents to manage it when  it didn’t happen.

    On reflection this theme of false promises began to increase and became a familiar pattern, but at the time we couldn’t see this. Despite phone calls and promises I never once saw any financial support to get him to the club for training having convinced us of this would be the case when getting him to sign. How could I turn around and say “no you can’t go anymore”. It would have broken his heart as an 11 year old and given our location in the country where else could he have gone for his football as West Ham would have sought compensation. So in effect  we were  caught in a Catch 22 situation over his registration if he wanted to leave.

    Family life  begins to revolve around the club. As a Parent school holidays are full of football tournaments / games and you have to be prepared to arrange things at minimal notice. Dropping family events is the norm. The sacrifices as a family will be unseen by most and certainly ignored by the club. With hindsight we were naïve but like many we couldn’t see it and had no one to ask advice from.

    At the age of 13yrs we were seriously considering pulling him out of the club given the travel commitments and financial pressures  on us as a family. The club representatives suggested that he could start living at the club house from Wednesdays to Saturdays which would benefit us from reduced travel costs and thus reduce demands on our son. The club certainly suggested it would be to his benefit if he wanted to keep progressing. ( I now know this was complete rubbish). The club loosely liaised with his school and it all seemed fine. Make no mistake the school were the “kingpins” to making it work for him and not the club.

    On the night we were being shown around the impressive club house we were suddenly interrupted by a phone call to discover that our sons best friend had tragically died in a freak accident. He was 13 years old when he died and our son has never forgotten this night when we had to race home from London to be with our friends. This had a major impact on our son and it is still seen today during goal celebrations.

    Things eventually settled down for a couple of years until he reached 16. He had been scoring lots of goals and had been playing very well. We found it hard to go to a home game without being pestered by agents asking us to sign up. I didn’t like this part of the game and it was all “hush hush,” conversations. We avoided these individuals who circled training grounds like vultures.

    The Sacrifices our son was making at home, school and within friendship groups was massive. He was balancing lots of travel, school and large training programmes. Through no help from the club he managed to get all his GCSEs albeit we paid for a private maths tutor to pull him through the study pressure as a result of his football commitments.

    Sixteen years of age is a very important age for a young player. It’s the time scholarships are awarded by clubs. There was lots of pressures from agents to sign and explore avenues with other clubs. We truly didn’t have a clue who to turn to for advice and nobody spoke about it. It was if it was some kind of a dirty conversation to have. At the time, our son wanted to remain loyal to West Ham and he chose not to have an agent at that time. To his credit he went in on his own and spoke to the academy director to discuss the offer of a scholarship. Some might think this is nothing, but it takes a bit of courage as a 15yr old to do this. He had been doing very well and the then director offered him a 2 year scholarship with a 1 year pro contract to follow.

    The two years as a scholar went very quickly which saw him featuring at seventeen years of age for the U21s, playing against older players like Raheem sterling and Jonjo shelvy at Liverpool. Ian Abrahams (moose) even suggested via twitter he had been man of the match for West Ham setting up all three goals. He played behind a closed door game at Upton Park with the first team against QPR. He was captain of the U18s and U21s and during 2013/14 (as an U18) became the countries 2nd highest goal scorer despite being a midfielder. He was also nominated for the Academy player of the year. Videos and interviews started to appear via You tube and on the clubs web site. He regularly featured in “the goal of the month” videos at the club given that the first team were having a bad season and not scoring many goals.

    As for our son everything seemed to be progressing well and at 18 years old he was really enjoying his football with a smile on his face.

    That was until disaster struck for a second time with another tragic shock. One of his first friends from the Academy House, and someone he looked up to and admired both as a person and player- Dylan Tombides  became unwell with testicular cancer and after a brave two year battle sadly died . It was another huge emotional blow. During one home game he walked out as captain of the U18s on behalf of the Club and laid a wreath in Memory Of Dylan. I know privately this was very very hard for him as it brought back so many memories. There was no support from the club and it was left to us to help him through this before and after games.

    At the beginning of the 2014/15 season (his 1st year as a pro at West ham), everything seemed fine and he had been training regularly with the first team. A new Academy director had come to the club to replace the outgoing Tony Carr.

    The new Academy director  spoke to our son about his goal scoring and heaping praise upon him but was worried why he only had a year left on his contract. It all looked very positive for our son to keep progressing and in December 2014 he was asked to attend the Bobby Moore Foundation annual event in London to represent the club. Standing up with other famous sports stars like David Seaman and Mo Farah he was introduced as a top upcoming U21 player within the club. There was no indication that he would be leaving the club or hadn’t been performing.

    He was at this time playing every game for the U21s in preseason against lower league first teams and doing well. However I began to notice during these Barclays U21s premier league games that the manager at the time seemed to have a difficult working relationship with the new Academy director. There was obviously something going on behind the scenes as I and other parents could sense the tension between staff. The new Academy director  had brought in his own son and given him a long contract. Standing in the crowd watching games and performances his son who was a couple years older than ours was glaringly below standard to all onlookers and mutterings of how he was offered a contract were rife.

    On one particular day The Academy director approached me outside Cambridge United’s ground where I was waiting for my son after he had just played for West hams U21s against Cambridge United first team. The Academy director  asked me to confirm that our son only had a one year left on his contract and that he suggested he wanted this extended as soon as possible. We took this as positive feedback and I got the impression The Academy director  was worried of losing our son at the end of his year contract, as other lads who weren’t making the team as regularly as our son were now on longer contracts.

    Over the weeks before Christmas 2014 our son started every game bar one for the U21 due to injury. Scoring a number of goals in the European competitions, he was progressing well or so it appeared. There was no feedback to him from staff at the club, other than praise for performances, which is well documented in TV interviews on the clubs website. I can quote, “ he can score goals with both feet and play in any position”.

    Not long after this, I had a conversation with my son and he informed me The Academy director  had called him into the office to find out who his agent was. My son didn’t have an agent at the time so The Academy director  advised that he would get one for him and would then extend his contract for a further 2 yrs. It all seemed like a conflict of interest so I advised my son to be careful and to explore all options for an agent. i.e One whom he could trust and build a good relationship with that had no affiliations to the club. We found a really nice guy, who had worked for the PFA and been a Police officer during a short career break from the game. We felt he was the ideal trustworthy person our son needed in the game.

    The Academy director was unaware of this and again asked our son that he would get a further 2year contract and an agent. That was until he found out our son had appointed this different agent. Less than two weeks after appointing his agent (January 2015), The Academy director  called our son into his office and told him that he wasn’t getting a new contract and was free to leave. Simple as that!

    To say this was a shock to our son was a massive understatement. Everyone around the club was shocked. The Academy director  couldn’t look my son in the face but assured him that he had wanted to keep him at the club but claimed Sam Allerdyce ( the manager at the time) was the only one at the club who had over ruled him despite coaching staff recommendations. Who could we believe and where did our son stand in all of this? He was devastated  and once outside the office door cried his eyes out .

    So in effect after 10 years of loyal and dedicated commitment to the club our son became a victim of this whole academy process. Sam Allerdyce was later sacked by the board and 6 months down the line our son is still exploring options in the hope he can find a new club or even new career.

    As it stands a good young technical player released from a premier league academy has very little chance unless they have a club which is prepared to loan them out. So as a parent you must be prepared for this. When you are released as a young untested Professional at 19 years old it literally kills your career overnight, despite any previous performances in the U21s and such like.

    “Why you might be asking”? Well its simply because lower league clubs can’t afford to pay or take a risk on a young untested player when there is little money in their annual budgets for squads.

    Nobody around West Ham believed my son when he announced he was being released. We are still getting messages as I write this article. Our phone didn’t stop ringing from people stating they had heard the news and couldn’t believe it. All the clichés came out, “one door closes another one opens ”, “he will have no problem finding a club and be snapped up”, “they have made a huge mistake”. Privately this didn’t ease any of the pain for him and he is still without a club. He has even had to tell agents through his LinkedIn account to leave him alone and stop making contact.

    So why this article?

    I want to warn other parents going down the academy football route. You will hear so much storytelling and false promises. Trust nothing you are told and always have a plan B outside football. Clubs and  The Football association need to be brought to account as they are manipulating naive parents and young lads year on year for their own advantages. Clubs will say one thing but do something completely different. One minute your top dog the next your bottom of the pile and your son could become very isolated over night for no apparent reason.

    Some will think I’m writing this article because I’m a bitter Dad because our son didn’t get an opportunity at West Ham. That’s not the case but this whole academy process does hugely affect a lads opportunities going forward once released.

    What I’m bothered about here is the way clubs conduct themselves during the Academy process. I say this because I was recently stood on the touchline in the midlands of a U21 trial game. I spoke to parents of lads from Villa, Chelsea, Fulham and Arsenal to name a few. They all had similar stories to tell. Young lads facing the depression of isolation having given everything to a club from the ages of 7,8 or 9.

    Don’t believe a word you are told by football clubs. West Ham have used our son, in effect to big themselves up about player development and then spat him out the back because it didn’t fit with certain staff when he chose a different agent.

    I don’t personally have any frustration about what has happened to my son, more a huge disappointment given his selfless great attitude and a Commando ethos he learned from me over years of dedicated effort.  To see him being discarded like trash while others of lesser attitude and ability move forward “for having the right contacts and agents” is deplorable.

    We are very grateful for a number of coach’s who have supported our son , especially Nick Haycock and Steve Potts . Our son has many unanswered questions, but nobody at the club through the past 3 years has ever sat him down to say where to improve his game prior to being “let go”. On the contrary, staff were telling him from the age of 18 he was on a three year programme of development until he was 21. Why then did it suddenly change at 19. It was certainly not performance related. I suspect the only reason he was let go by the club was because he didn’t get the right agent. Very much like Ravel Morrison and the many other young players following in similar footsteps.

    That however is for my new book and I would be keen to hear from other parents and players about their stories at academies from up and down the country.

    I just hope our son and the many other players going through the same battle get the chance they deserve in English football. I hope English Clubs can start looking past trying to find the next Ronaldo in one off trial games and concentrate on consistent technical quality with excellent attitudes and ability to face defeat and learn how to overcome it.

    Sadly having witnessed events in the past 12 months I have many doubts about English Football and the way its heading for our young English Players. There needs to be a massive change in the duty of care of our young player’s because years of promises in a player’s development can have a devastating effect when it comes to an end.

    As for West Ham, the only person to have called our son to ensure he was ok is Nick Haycock who was incidentally forced out of West Ham by a certain person who has his own son happily in the squad. It’s a real shame because the fans at the club are probably the most loyal and dedicated fans in the world and the young players certainly deserve better protection.

    YOU CANT WIN ANYTHING WITH KIDS- ALAN HANSEN

    Simon Bywater has written a number of books and is currently working on a number of writing projects in the UK and USA

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say, please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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  • Get your players ready for the game

    Get your players ready for the game

    The single most important thing before a game, is yours and the players game preparation. Creating good habits from an early age will help children carry them for life. I always start by reminding the players not to have sleep overs the night before a game or any event (good nights sleep) that’s important to them.

    If they want to have a sleep over on a Friday (match Saturday morning) what I say is don’t bother coming to play if you haven’t slept. After all, the commitment works both ways. This is my opinion and each to their own. This is not about winning or losing it’s about performing and as a coach I want to give every player the best opportunity to do just that.

    For instance research suggest, if we haven’t slept we can’t process the information as well as someone who has.

    Information processing: During sleep our brain has a chance to sort, prioritise and file all the information we have taken in during the day. Mental functioning decreases nearly twice as rapidly as physical performance, so the player may feel physically fit but chances are he/she can’t recall the tactical information you gave them yesterday during training, and they will struggle to make effective decisions during the match.

    Emotional stability: Even minimal levels of sleep loss result in an increased perception of effort. The player will feel more fatigued, his/her mood will have dropped and clearly they will not be in the type of mental state needed for a top performance. This information is vital for any player to be aware off at a young age and develop good habits. 

    The same goes for Hydration. Many kids arrive at the game/training not being properly hydrated. This is a huge factor – especially in the morning when most kids don’t even drink a drop. Lack of water in their bodies is known to make their legs feel heavy and lethargic after a warm-up and still will transfer to the game. Players need at least 3 glasses of water (1.5pints) before they arrive at the meeting point and another half a pint during the warm-up around 100-200mls just before kick off. They key to get the players sipping on water all day and especially on match or training days.  This action alone will make a significant difference to their levels of energy. 

    So….if you have a kid who went to bed late, got up late, didn’t have a decent breakfast or drink much (if any) water – you will not see a performance in the game anything like what he is a capable of. If 4/5 of your players turn up in that condition, you will have a significant team performance issue.

    The key thing is – these are ALL controllable factors and you must educate your players about the importance of good habits as part of game preparation. If all your players prepare correctly, you will see a significant improvement in intensity and for longer spells. If the other team’s players have not prepared as well – your team will have a significant advantage straight away.

    The water intake is the biggest one here and will make the biggest impact. Players will actually feel sharper and fresher. It affects their concentration levels and stamina levels. At half-time make sure they are sipping on water and getting good intakes. Water cannot be replaced by any other drink. Isotonic drinks are not required and should not be promoted in youth sport. As a coach it’s important that you practice what you preach, so let the kids see you drinking water also. 

    Ninety winks of energy

    Taken from an article on Newscientist  30th June 2016 “One way to banish mental fatigue and boost everything from reaction time to mental focus is to get plenty of sleep. The bad news is that almost no elite players are getting enough, according to sleep coach Nick Littlehales, who has worked with players at Manchester United and Real Madrid.

    “The global 24/7 demand for sport and on the players involved has created schedules that are putting recovery under real pressure,” he says.

    The problem with too little sleep is partly physical. Researchers point out that sleep deprivation increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and because cortisol stimulates the breakdown of protein as an emergency energy source, a lack of sleep could reduce muscle mass and slow down recovery after a match.

    Littlehales, though, says the main benefit of sleep is a mental one. “Sleeping well creates a positive mindset and confidence,” he says, and this can “unlock many other mental benefits, like alertness, awareness, information retention, listening, patience and decision-making”.

    His advice to players is to forget trying to get eight hours’ sleep a night: it’s not realistic. Plus, there is limited evidence that this is the right target to aim for. Instead, he tells players to aim for five bouts of 90 minutes’ sleep every 24 hours and not to worry too much about when they get it. That 90-minute period – which just happens to be the same length as a football match – is the time it takes to go through all five stages of the sleep cycle.

    If five bouts a night is not achievable, then it’s best to aim for as many as possible and add a nap or two during the day. Littlehales reckons this allows players to plan sleep around training, playing and other commitments, as well as to relax, knowing they have had enough rest to perform at their best”.

    Read it here > https://www.newscientist.com/article/2094697-football-on-the-brain/

    Dublin GAA

    Dublin GAA recently posted on their Facebook Game Development page about how their players prepare for a big game. They answered the following questions: 

    What do you expect the players to eat for breakfast?

    Porridge with some fruit is one of the best options for breakfast as it provides a good nutrient base. In general cereals contain a lot of added sugar and are not as healthy. Eggs and a homemade fruit smoothie is also a good option but not everyday as the smoothie contains a lot of natural sugar.

    Before the match starts how long is required before they eat before the match?

    Players can eat a meal no later than an hour and a half before the match which contains a mixture of high quality carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats and vitamins. An example of such a meal would be grilled chicken fillets with broccoli and rice. Before the warm up commences the players can eat some more good quality carbohydrates in the form of berries.

    Assuming that players are of average height and weight how much intake or fluids do they take before the game?

    Players should maintain a good level of hydration throughout the day but before a match players should be drinking about 1L of water over the hour preceding the match. This water can be consumed during the warm up as well to ensure the player is properly hydrated for the match.

    What would you recommend water or high energy drinks?

    Water is recommended as high energy drinks contain a lot of additives that aren’t good for the body. If the player’s diet is adequate water will be appropriate for hydration. High energy drinks such as Lucozade sport should only be used in a case where a player’s diet hasn’t been sufficient. Even in this case the drink should be watered down to avoid some of the effects of the sugar and to make it more palatable.

    During the duration of the game (90 minutes) including the half time break do the players eat or drink anything?

    During the game players should take a mouthful or two of water every ten minutes in order to replace the fluids lost through sweat. At half time the players should drink between 250ml-500ml of water in preparation for the second half, this can depend on how much water was taken in during the first half. Following a match players need to replace the lost fluids by drinking more water. The amount of water they should drink can be calculated by weight. Players should drink 150% of the weight they lost in ml, for example if a player lost 0.5kg then they should drink 750ml of water.

    After the game do you recommend shower, warm bath or indeed an ice bath would aid quicker recovery time and also how long after a match should the player have a meal and what should they eat?

    A shower is usually ok but after matches that were very tough on the players a bath might be recommended. I would not recommend ice baths at all; ice should only be used as direct application for injuries.  After a match players should eat within half an hour. Once again the meal should contain a mixture of high quality carbohydrates and protein. The carbohydrates help to replenish the energy stores in the muscles and the protein helps to aid recovery to damaged muscle.

    -End

    This article on how Icing injuries ( which has been a thing of the past for a long time now) is for long amounts of time is not recommended and here’s why, read  ICE AGE also read how Chocolate Milk is good for recovery.

    Edited 25.07.16

    References

    Spark by Dr John J Ratey & Eric Hagerman

    Dublin GAA Games Development

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say, please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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  • Podcast 7: Luke Nolan St Patrick’s Athletic under 17s player

    Podcast 7: Luke Nolan St Patrick’s Athletic under 17s player

    This week I spoke with Luke Nolan Irish International & St. Patrick’s Athletic under 17s. We talk about his life in youth football so far, the sacrifices he’s made and his dreams of becoming a professional footballer.

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions. Please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com, if you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend.

    Thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

  • What’s with all the running?

    What’s with all the running?

    Pre-season for some reason means that you have to run the legs off the players, no matter what age. This is a blurb from Football coach Raymond Verheijen:

    Pre-season incompetence: Fatiguing non-football conditioning in morning followed by football training in afternoon with already tired player. Football is a ‘speed of actions’ sport. In other words, an intensity sport. It’s about the quality of training rather than the quantity. Players should start every training session totally fresh. In other words, with maximum speed of actions. So, no fatigue from previous session. Unfortunately, football is hijacked by clueless fitness clowns & scientific cowboys fatiguing players in morning before football in afternoon.

    Football coaches should understand periodisation/conditioning rather than non-football fitness coaches trying/failing to understand football. Fitness is an integral part of football. So, fitness is not something you need to play football but something you develop by playing football. By gradually increasing demands within football exercises (less space & time) players will be overloaded and eventually the body will adapt.

    • Overload in football exercises delivered by football coaches will result in increased football fitness & eventually better football (player).
    • Overload in non-football exercises delivered by non-football coaches will result in increased non-football fitness & better non-football (??).

    The problem of uneducated football coaches should be solved by coach education about periodisation rather than by non-football fitness coaches. Football coaches who don’t understand fitness assisted by fitness coaches who don’t understand football is like filling one gap with another gap.

    Raymond makes so many valid points here. As you would know from reading my blog my focus is mainly on youth sport and youth football. Over the last month (pre-season) all I have witnessed is coaches running kids all over the park. The most most significant point (in bold above). If you want to get your players fit then do exercises that involve the ball and overload their thinking also. Working the brain and feet is just as important as working the lungs.

    As a result football is an intensity sport, a speed of action sport and not an endurance sport. -RV

    Coaches need to ask themselves what’s the objective of the pre-season, what is your philosophy? Is it to have a team that is super fit or maybe you just want them to be very good at passing?

    Why not try and achieve both?

    As a coach you must set out your plan, priorities and the objective of pre-season. What’s important. The one thing you don’t need is injured players just as the season kicks off.

    Raymond recently stated in an interview: “If you keep doing this from day to day, week to week in pre-season, you accumulate fatigue and as a result the nervous system becomes slower and injuries become more likely because they’re still having to make such explosive movements in football training. So the one thing we should avoid in pre-season is accumulation of fatigue and by doing that you will reduce the injury risk significantly and when you reduce injuries you train and play with your strongest XI as often as possible and as a result you have maximum development of communication and teamwork”.

    You don’t need to run your players. Create training sessions where they are working in small spaces in overloads for 1 or 2 minutes with 3 minutes rest. For younger kids get them in exercises that includes the ball. The game is played in intervals. There is an action and then there is rest followed by another action. Running for long periods is not the game. Action followed by recovery followed by action and then recovery and so on. Sometimes there is no chance to catch you breath before the next action. Training must be specific to the game and the players age.

    Raymond went on to say: With intensity sport you don’t train the quantity, you train quality. You don’t train more, you train better, so the fourth mistake UK coaches especially make is that players accumulate fatigue in these double and triple sessions and haven’t recovered by the next day when you’re doing it all again, so what you’re doing is conditioning your players to play slow football. This is an argument for better coach education because the coach education in England and Scotland is very, very poor and as a result you have football coaches who don’t understand fitness because they don’t get the proper education and then they recruit fitness coaches or sport scientists who don’t understand football. These two people obviously have to work together and as a result you get all of these ridiculous non-football exercises.

    Another thing is many kids are football every day (quantity rather than quality in most cases) and running about with friends. These kids certainly don’t need to be running long distances but instead they might work for 30seconds to 1 minute try to maintain their fitness whilst also keeping them fresh. I revert back to game specific running.

    I suggest talking to your players in a 1v1 situation and find out what they’ve been doing during the off-season. For all you know they could have been doing duathlons for the last few weeks :). Based on the information you receive and the positions they play you may need to work these players a little less and give them more rest time. Others you might need to work more with less rest time. Training should be coached with maximum intensity so that the transition to the game is easy. Look to recreate scenarios with the maximum speed of actions. Demand the 100% from your players but also give them enough rest time to recover. Rest, recovery & hydration is equally as important as the intensity of the session.

    Summary 

    The main objective of pre-season is to have all your players back training at the same time. Organise as many friendlies as possible, this will stand to them team when the season officially kicks off.

    One of the golden rules in pre-season is NO conditioning session or physical testing on Day one. Players need 1st day to restart the engine. Also, never conditioning on consecutive days.

    At least one tactical day between conditioning days to avoid the accumulation of fatigue. To cut a long story short, with this approach your team will be as fit as any other team & look even fitter as their is no accumulation of fatigue. More importantly you will have significantly less injuries, so you can train and play more often with the  best players and develop your strongest team.”

    Your training should mirror the game, so don’t do anything that doesn’t resemble the game. Train less and play more… Good luck for the season ahead!!

    I’m waiting on a copy of Raymonds new book ‘How Simple Can It Be?’

    For more information on Periodisation check out Raymond Verheijen website and Facebook page 

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say, please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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  • Podcast 6: Coerver Coaching Diploma Weekend

    Podcast 6: Coerver Coaching Diploma Weekend

    In Podcast 6 I spend the day at the Coerver Coaching Diploma speaking with the course organisers, the coaches in attendance as well as the players involved in the exercises.

     

     

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions. Please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com, if you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend.

    Thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

    Email this page
  • New Season, New Level…Rejection or Selection??

    New Season, New Level…Rejection or Selection??

    So the season has only just ended for most and now it’s time to switch off from football before another season begins. Wait now….. it’s starting again!!

    As just as another season ends along come July 1st (open season). Which for people reading this outside of Ireland this is when players can trial for other clubs and potentially sign for whoever they like. As we know it’s not that simple.

    The team I coach has just moved up another level….the top level of schoolboy football on this Island (Others may think not) some might say. I spent 4 seasons with this team and we have come up four divisions year on year and finally we are at the summit. What makes this even more special is that we have only lost 3/4 players along the way…..Some had reached their level, some moved abroad and others to a different sport (GAA). Of the squad of 16, all are from the local area within 1-2 miles of the club and 12 have been with the club since academy or u9s.

    Previously, what I like the most about coaching outside the top level is, you don’t have to worry about coming back on July 1st with the players playing at a lower level it was less likely they would be snapped up by the so called top clubs.  I’m happy to say that we did come back July 1st because we had so many players looking to join us for a change. Success brings these problems.

    We have just completed a week of sessions looking at players with the final one this Wednesday (July 8th). We wanted to the give all the players the best opportunity to showcase their ability. So we scheduled the sessions around the players availability. In the sessions we included lots of ball control, possession games, rondos, 3v1, 4v2’s, 5v5 games as well as Cognitive exercises and finishing with 11-aside games.

    After Wednesday we will offer some players the chance to train with us and if they like still go and try-out for other teams. I want to be able to give these young kids the best opportunity to succeed. Unfortunately some of our own players will be dropping down for commitment reasons mainly. As for the rest of the squad, they have been planning for this for sometime now and the players are now both technically and tactically ready for the next level.

    “Young players have certain rights and specific needs that must be met by the coach, whilst learning the game”.

    New Players

    For the first time in 4 seasons, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Parent calling on behave of their sons and young confident players taking it upon themselves to call.  After some consultation, talking about our philosophy and training methods we invite the players to train for the week at first and longer if required.

    “My responsibility is getting all my players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back.”

    Of course a lot of parents thinks their child has the edge, however there are a lot of things that make up the type of player I like to work with. First and foremost they must be willing to learn, show 100% commitment and be respectful.

    “If you aren’t playing well, the game isn’t as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play as I did when I was a kid”

    Switching Clubs

    The decision parents make for their child or in fact (as I found out this week) the child makes for himself, must have the child best interest at heart.  The child may be one of the best player at his current team and enjoys having that responsibility.  Moving to a another team, he/she may not be the number one player or have as much responsibility as before. He/she may find it hard not to be the center of attention anymore and this could have an impact on his confidence. Moving clubs is a big decision and not only for the player. The entire family can be affected in many cases.

    I have put together a list of things, parents might want to consider when moving clubs: 

    • Be as honest as possible with your current club, good coaches want to see their players progress even if it means to the club up the road. A coach/club should always leave the door open for any player who wants to see if they can move up a level by trying a new team. If players feels they are always welcome back, then it makes things easier for everyone concerned.
    • You must remember to be respectful to your current club and communicating will always make things better. People like to speculate, so best to get in there early and let the manager know.
    • Most elite teams have 3-4 players who stand out more than the rest, your child may have been one of these players at his last club and now finds himself down the pecking order. This sometimes can be hard to deal with and can hugely affect someone’s confidence but it’s something to be aware of. 
    • He/she may have to work his way into the starting line up, again this may not have been the case previously. Again this could have an affect on his/her confidence or desire to play.
    • A whole set of new players and coaches to become familiar with and sometimes at the younger ages this can be difficult to adapt too.
    • You may have to travel more. This means more commitment, more pressure to get to training, and will certainly cost you financially.
    • The coaching will most likely be different and may NOT be as enjoyable as before or may be even MORE enjoyable. Again another thing to think about.
    • Are the coaches experienced or just good talkers and poachers?
    • If you really want to know whether you’ve made the right choice for your child, you need to attend training. This is where you will see the coach in action. How the players are coached and how the players are being treated. Don’t be dependent on your kid to relay accurate information.
    • Do the the sessions looked planned, are they organised, fun, age and skill level appropriate.
    • Ask about the ratio of kids to coaches. Eight to ten kids per coach would be ideal. You definitely wouldn’t want it to be higher than 14 kids per coach. It’s virtually impossible to coach and impact a team on your own for a long periods of time.
    • What time will the team be training. I found over the years that some teams can train at the strangest times. Make sure you find out the training times as this may impact on other areas in your life. Summer and winter training times will likely be different and at different locations.
    • Most clubs have good facilities however not all teams at the club get to use them, so no harm in   checking to see where the team will be training.
    • Speak to other parents and ask them about the club and the coaches. You are putting your child in the hands of these people, you have a right to know.
    • If you aren’t satisfied, take a look at the what neighboring teams do. It may be worth a little extra drive time to get your kids in a better set-up.
    • Check to see what the managers plans are? Is he a win at all costs type manager or does he develop the kids properly and try to coach in the correct manner…. allowing the players to take risks and be expressive?  Make sure he is not just picking the bigger stronger guys over the smaller more ones. Proper coaching and encouraging kids to get on the ball, play and have fun….this will always win out in the long run.
    • If its the case that they have been asked to move from the B team to the A Team again consider all of the above.
    • Make sure he/she is really wanted and its not just a ploy to get his/her best friend to the club and using your child as a screen.
    • The child must want to move and not be forced or pressurised in any way. Change is good but it must be his/her decision not yours.
    • Once training with the new team, ask your child how he/she feels and then ask the question again after a few weeks training with the team.
    • Do not sign straight way, make sure your child is happy and you have examined all the logistics. Speak to the rest of the family. Again this might mean less time with your other kids. 
    • Before you commit, maybe sure you are 100% committed.
    • The number one priority is to make sure your child is happy and enjoying his/her football each every week.

    Playing

    Slide1 copyRemember if you child is not having fun and playing with a smile then they might be playing with fear  and this will prevent them from performing at their best and this will most likely lead to more mistakes and lack of confidence.  The most important thing for any child playing sport is that they are enjoying themselves and playing regularly and this includes getting time on the pitch. So make sure they are playing that is inline with their ability and allows them to perform at their best. For sure, they won’t always play well, (the kids have off days too) just like us but once they are having FUN, learning & playing with a smile, that’s all that really counts.

    Soccer in Ireland is a recreational sport, we don’t have professional academies or professional teams and a huge percentage of kids that play each and every week see it as a game they can play with their friends and nothing else.  They play because it’s FUN, they want to improve at it but are realistic about their ability.

    Being a sports parents is not easy and driving your child/children to and from training/games every week for 9 months of the year, is a huge commitment. The worst thing you can do is start missing work because of your child’s sport…. because you want that career more than they do. It has to be the perfect fit for you, the family and your child……..

    After all you have to consider he/she may not even get selected and let’s be honest about this, it’s virtually impossible to make a selection based on a few training session or games. Unfortunately that’s the the process and most coaches are taking a gamble whether they say YES or No… it’s mostly down to luck, nature and opinions. Rejecting new players can be just as hard as releasing old ones.

    So, remember to consider your life also (you have one), as well as your child’s.

    Good luck for the season ahead!

    -End

    I always like to hear your opinions and views. If you feel you have something to say, please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com If, you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend. As always, thanks for reading.

    I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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  • Coaching Mastery Course – update

    Coaching Mastery Course – update

    Coaches

    I know with the end of school craziness that all of us are dealing with these days you may have missed my last few emails about the “Coaching Mastery” Free video series put on by John O’Sullivan of the Changing the Game Project. You have probably read many of Johns articles or seen his TED talk on youth sports, and hopefully you have been watching these great videos he has been putting out.

    So far the course has taught us some incredible ways to get our players to compete harder and play better, as well as how to deal with those difficult parents who can drive you nuts. There are literally thousands of coaches watching this series right now, and everyone is picking up some amazing tips.

    Today he is releasing his third video in the series on “The Secret Sauce of Winning Programs.” In it John will be teaching us about the things that great teams do that average ones don’t, and he will be interviewing a sport psychologist who has been part of 34 NCAA National Champion teams on building championship cultures. I saw this interview last year, and it is brilliant

    John will be pulling these videos down in a few days, and you won’t be able to see them again until next year, so if you haven’t already signed up and watched them, do so now.

    You can get them for free by clicking here

    I highly recommend you watch these videos and join the discussion before they are down, because I don’t believe you will find this type of in-dept coaching education anywhere else.

    – End

    I always like to hear your opinions. Please comment below or email me info@thecoachdiary.com, if you don’t have anything to add then please forward this on to a friend.

    Thanks for reading. I’m also on twitter @Coachdiary

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