Reader,
Recently, I was fortunate to spend two days at two Premier League academies, observing, sharing ideas and reconnecting with old coaching colleagues.
Venturing back into these environments is always a brilliant reminder of ‘the level’ at which high-potential and talented players and top coaches are working.
The reality of top club environments in England or Europe is that they have more resources than almost any other around the world, and spending time working or observing can genuinely inspire us in our own work.
So, if we have experience coaching or going behind the scenes at truly world-class environments that have all the resources in the world, how does that translate to those working in more conventional grassroots, amateur or lower league environments? What lessons can we learn, adapt or apply?
Three Things to Consider
- Copy and paste won’t work. What works in one environment may not work in another. If you find yourself observing in a high-performance environment, it’s important to consider how anything you see may work. For example, it’s easy to copy sessions on the grass, but are they relevant to the needs of your players? Similarly, you may not have the contact time that a professional club and its staff have with players. So how can you strip back, simplify or adapt ideas to support players in your context?
- Elite expectations won’t stick in grassroots environments. Professional clubs and academies usually involve players who are in the top percentage of talent in their age group; the environment can be fierce. The coaches are full-time or part-time staff who are dedicated to coaching. In amateur contexts, whilst we can support our players by setting standards, we cannot expect kids who are learning the game or may not have the desire to be a professional, to operate at that level. What we can do is create cultures of excellence underpinned by joy, clear communication and shared ownership that assist them to become better people and better players.
- Don’t be a Premier League Manager with kids. Premature professionalism continues to infiltrate youth sport. Many coaches will strive to spend time observing senior football, professional men’s or women’s teams because it’s the “pointy end” of the football pyramid. However, the behaviours of a senior manager or coach may not correlate with developing players or even amateur senior football. Development is messy and chaotic, and the youth game will never replicate the professional game we see on TV. One of the highlights of my recent study visit was seeing coaches working with youth players in an age-appropriate manner.
One thing to try this week
If you haven’t had the opportunity to observe with a professional club or academy, consider who in your own network could open the door to expose you to seeing a different level of football.
But remember, once you’re observing, the context is likely very different to yours, so any inspirational ideas need critical thought as to how they could be applied to your environment with your players.
One Critical Resource on the Topic
Check out our Masterclass Discussion from the PDP archives with Academy Coaches Tom Mallinson & Mark Lyons as they share insights from their work in the foundation and youth development phases at Nottingham Forest and Leicester City.
