Reader,

During my time working in academy football in England, one of the best parts of the experience was seeing how different clubs brought different philosophies to life on the grass. Whether it was through a clear playing style, monthly topics or themes, or breaking programmes into moments of the game, most clubs will have a philosophy, a playing style and comprehensive plans for individual players.

This presents questions around how traditional educational models impact sport.

What value does a ‘curriculum’ have?
How much structure should a youth programme include?
How do we find a balance between programme design, supporting individual development and ensuring environments we create present opportunities for freedom exploration, joy and decision making.

For me, a football philosophy is an overarching vision as to how the game is played. This may differ from development to performance contexts. A playing style and our tactics are the strategy we implement to bring the philosophy to life. However, we have to be careful not to overcomplicate this to the point that our programmes become linear, repetitive and frankly, boring.

In my opinion, we need a flexible framework that guides coaches and players, but allows for adaptation based on player or team needs.

Broadly speaking, the moments of the game can be defined as ‘in possession’, ‘out of possession’ and ‘transition’ but of course football (and sport) is subjective.

Three things to consider.

Does your team or club have clear values, identity and playing style?
What aspects of the game do you believe are essential for high quality player development?
What role can the players play in taking ownership of the playing style and how could this enhance their game understanding?

One thing for you to try this week.

How do you think the game should be played relative to the context you work in? Write down your philosophy and try to define the moments of the game within it. Establishing moments of the game can help in developing our players’ game understanding, design our sessions and provide a focus at training.

One critical resource on the topic.

Check out this Moments of the Game Masterclass with the PDP team as we discuss principles of play and the moments of the game in a model we believe can add value to how we look at the game, and how we design our sessions.

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