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The Blog

Diving. Professional fouls. Time wasting. These are extremely divisive things in the world of football. Why is it so? Shouldn’t we applaud players who manage to deceive referees? After all, isn’t this simply “winning at all costs” – a foundational idiom in today’s sporting environments? Aren’t “noble” players…

Is the FIFA saga corrupting our coaching? This blog is adapted from PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan’s article in Issue #8 of PDP Magazine. With the FIFA saga rumbling on, the team at PDP hope this post can shed some light on the game’s current corruption and the influence it’s having on our coaching.   The FIFA saga is not a long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away. It is here and now. Our game is being used and abused for financial gain, but what…

In this guest blog, TOVO Institute’s Todd Beane examines US Soccer player retention rates and how coaches can help keep young players in the game. Here’s what the Positive Coach Alliance out of California mentions as to major reasons why up to 75% of our children drop out of sports by the age of 12. 1. It’s not fun anymore 2. Pressure to perform 3. Lack of competence in the sport 4. Time demands As I see this disturbing information gleaned from research professionals, I…

Caleb Porter is a young coach with a decorated resume. Voted the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year after the Portland Timbers accrued 57 league points, Porter has brought a sense of stability to the club on the back of his time as USA Men’s U23 coach and a 12-year tenure in the American college soccer scene.

Talent ID is a topic that polarises opinion. In recent years, professional clubs have begun their search for ‘talent’ at a younger and younger age. Mark O’Sullivan examines the talent identification landscape and questions whether the process is merely a survival of the fittest. According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, organisms which are better adapted to their environment tend to survive longer. Does the environment we create influence the selection process and favour those that possess attributes that give them a temporary advantage while at…

The Pschology of Coaching Are you a scientist or more of an artist? Is coaching an art or science? These were questions asked of UQ’s coaching and sports psychology research group last week and this post explores the possibility that science and accounting are hijacking football and slowly killing the art of coaching. The simple answer to the art vs. science question is that coaching is an ever-changing mixture of both, but after a little digging some additional and pretty fundamental questions emerge. Precisely, what…

PDP Editor Dave Wright provides his report from the 2015 Norwegian Coaching Convention in Oslo. Known as the Cupfinalseminaret, this is one of the largest gathering of coaches in Europe and an event PDP highly recommends. The Cupfinalseminaret 2015 got into full swing on Friday afternoon. After the opening ceremony where a number of domestic coaches were given awards for their service to Norwegian football, the main hall of the Ullevaal Business Centre was full of coaches who were waiting in anticipation for the arrival…

Believe it or not, but every interaction and communication you have had today happened to more than 70% non-verbally. In a multicultural team, with players from different backgrounds coming together, how can you ensure that everyone receives the same message you are trying to communicate? Can non-verbal communication in international sports teams work seamlessly? As humans, we rely on our eyes and visual sense when decoding any message we receive (83% seeing, compared to 11% hearing, 3% smelling, 2% touch, 1% tasting). As an athlete…

PDP Editor Dave Wright provides his report from the 2015 Norwegian Coaching Convention in Oslo. Known as the Cupfinalseminaret, this is one of the largest gathering of coaches in Europe and an event PDP highly recommends. After a day of presentations from the likes of Bob Bradley, Flemming Berg & Chris Sulley, a night of conversation around all things football and player development continued in the bar of the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on Thursday. The one thing that was common in all of the…

It was 1993 and a 15-year-old Harry Kewell had just arrived at London Heathrow Airport with his friend, Brett Emerton. Little did they know at this stage that both would go on to have highly successful football careers and be regarded as two of the finest players to come out of Australia.

What characteristics do the world’s best coaches have in common? PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan shares insight from a study at the University of Queensland on the key attributes required to be the most effective coach. Last Friday, I was lucky enough to attend a presentation by Associate professor Cliff Mallett at the University of Queensland. Cliff is actually my academic supervisor, and a bit of a gun. On UQ’s website they describe Cliffs work saying: “This staff member is a UQ Expert in the…

Dan Senda is an example of someone who has always worked exceptionally hard for everything he has achieved. Desire and determination are traits that you easily identify in the man when you spend time with him. He hasn’t played in a World Cup, and he hasn’t played in the Champions League, but he personifies classic British hard-graft. What Dan Senda has done in his time in football is persist, and with that he’s managed to achieve what few do – sustain a long career as…

How do we help players develop resilience and tactical awareness to cope with defending out of balance? PDP Technical Advisor & UEFA A licensed coach, Dan Wright shares some advice. When playing an expansive or possession based approach there can be times that you leave yourself exposed, if you misplace a pass or get caught with players high up the pitch it can be costly. In these scenarios it is vital that defenders can actually defend in 1v1 situations and perhaps even worse! I had…

PDP contributor, Erik Imler discusses the importance of young players celebrating their success. Coaching my U11B team this weekend, we faced quite a good team. The opponent had one of those difference makers in their team. Besides his technical ability and confidence on the ball under pressure, he brought something different to yesterday’s dance (game)….the joy of celebration! The difference between him and the rest of the players I saw during the day (upwards of 100+) was the flair and joy he displayed when scoring…

This blog is an excerpt from the ebook, Performance Soccer Coach: A Guide to Positive Player Development by PDP Editor, Dave Wright. Click here to download your copy. Find Dave on Twitter @davewright07. Chapter 2: The Best in the Business “I’ve never played for a draw in my life.” – Sir Alex Ferguson If you examine some of the great coaches in sporting history, the likes of Vince Lombardi, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Sir Graham Henry, all of these men are…

Mindset is a hot topic in youth development and education. Founder of Changing the Game Project, John O’Sullivan discusses the work of Carol Dweck citing the importance of developing a growth mindset in our players. “I lost my starting spot on the soccer team. I’m just not good at soccer.” “I failed my math test. I’m just not good at math.” Ever heard such a statement form one of your kids? From one of your players? If so, it is very likely that the single…

The Portuguese Primeira Liga does not generate enough revenue for its clubs to compete with the ‘big boys’ of Europe. Despite this, however, 27-times Primeira Liga winners FC Porto regularly compete in the highest reaches of European football and produce a seemingly inexhaustible supply of talented players. So what’s their secret? Portugal’s three major clubs are Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and FC Porto – three big fish in a relatively small pond. Of these, FC Porto is the most intriguing, consistently ‘punching above their weight’ in the…

The road to success in football is not always straightforward. Now regarded a Premier League stalwart, West Bromwich Albion were a club once derided as the ‘Boing Boing Baggies’ for their succession of relegations and promotions in the early 2000s. Now a stable club under the guidance of Tony Pulis, the club’s academy are producing some exciting young footballers. PDP Editor, Dave Wright spoke to Jimmy Shan, the Under-21 coach at The Hawthorns, about his career and got an insider’s look at the WBA Academy….

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