Dan Kemp is an up-and-coming attacking talent currently plying his trade at the highly regarded West Ham Academy under the guidance of Terry Westley and Liam Manning. Starting his journey at the Chelsea Academy as an U9 before moving to East London as a scholar, Kemp, now 18, now represents the West Ham U23s in Premier League 2 and has already trained with the first team. PDP Editor, Dave Wright spoke to Dan about his journey, what kind of coaches he responds to and the…
Clubs and Academies
Insights from tops clubs and academies, focussing on how they develop players and the environments they create.
Claudio Ranieri’s dismissal as Leicester Manager this season has been one of the most controversial decisions in recent sporting history. Assistant Editor Jon Hoggard challenges the current football system and its tendency to place extrinsic motivators at the forefront of both clubs’ and players’ agendas. Who’d be a manager? The sacking of Claudio Ranieri just nine months after he led Leicester City to the Premier League title is one of the most gut-wrenching stories of the season. Clubs sacking league-winning managers isn’t that uncommon…
Edu Rubio is a UEFA Pro Licensed coach who works at MK Dons as the Head of Coach Development & U18 Manager. Edu joins the PDP team for an interactive discussion which covers a range of topics to help developing coaches. We question Edu on his personal journey, what coach behaviours he looks for in his staff, implementing a playing style, flexible formations and the importance of authenticity and empathy in coaching. This is a must watch for coaches of all sports as Edu brings…
In this excellent interview, PDP Editor, Dave Wright speaks with Head Coach of Team Wellington, Jose Manuel Figueira. Jose discusses his player development philosophy based around some four key learning pillars and also talks about the transition from overseeing one of New Zealand’s top academies to now being placed in charge of Team Wellington, a team that won the domestic title in 2016. Don’t miss this informative discussion around the football landscape in New Zealand and some excellent advice on player development. Jose Manuel Figueira is the…
In this Masterclass Discussion we are joined by Sean Reed, former first team coach at Fulham FC. Sean shares some crucial lessons from his coaching journey so far, which has taken him from the academy game to first team. Sean’s extensive experience has made him a wealth of knowledge. Some of the key topics we discussed were: Image Source: depositphotos.com
John Van’t Schip is a Dutch coach who developed as both a player and a coach under the guidance of the legendary Johan Cruyff. Van’t Schip has worked as first-team coach for both Ajax and the Netherlands. He now finds himself at the heart of FFA Cup Winners, Melbourne City FC in Australia’s A League. In this exclusive interview with PDP Editor, Dave Wright, we hear about John’s journey and what advice he has for developing coaches. Given his deep connections to Dutch football, it…
Piet Keizer was described as a ‘genius winger’ who was a critical component to the Amsterdam side dominating football in the 1960’s and 70’s. In May 2016, Player Development Project was privileged to sit with late, great Keizer in an old changing room at the top of the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. The Ajax legend was attending the NextGen Series tournament as a special guest, watching the future of top European U19 talent play. We spoke to him about the past and the future of football in…
Don’t miss this fantastic Masterclass Discussion with New Zealand Football Technical Director, Rob Sherman. PDP Editor, Dave Wright, drives the discussion around maximising player potential. Rob has travelled around the world working in senior coach education and technical director roles with the Welsh FA, Football Federation Australia & NZ Football. We tap into Rob’s vast experience in the game, hearing about his journey from playing to coaching. We talk skill acquisition and how to design sessions that enable maximum opportunity for players to develop as…
In this insightful and engaging discussion PDP Editor, Dave Wright, interviews Jose Barcala Garcia – Head of Coaching at Deportivo La Coruña Academy. Jose discusses the Deportivo approach to player development. We cover topics like positional games, developing the individual and speak to Jose about his experiences coaching international futsal. Don’t miss this brilliant discussion with a top Spanish development coach. Image Source: depositphotos.com
Enfield Town’s disability side have started a crowdfunding campaign in an effort to raise fund for new kits and training gear. Player Development Project spoke with their Coach, Shane Tant, to find out more about the club and what they hope to achieve with their fundraising efforts. Enfield Town Disability Football Club has been running for five years. It was set up with help from Enfield Town FC and funding from the Tottenham Hotspur FC Foundation, and now boasts a successful first team which plays…
Kristjaan Speakman has been involved in player development for almost two decades. He is leading a program at Birmingham City FC Academy where he emphasises the value of having an incredibly strong team and focusing the curriculum around a safe and open environment. As a result of that, he and his team are producing players. In his interview with Kristjaan, PDP’s Dave Wright goes in depth into how Birmingham City FC Academy operates and discusses the success of a program which has produced Demarai Gray,…
Steve Lawrence is a consultant to Cruyff Football and Ajax. With a Masters in International Sports Management, Steve is at the forefront of research into the topic of Relative Age Effect. Here Steve gives Player Development Project readers an exclusive look behind the scenes at Ajax’s brand new academic education centre, a building he worked on as a consultant architect. The project for the new academic education centre at Ajax football club came about following discussions about the nature of pedagogy in the elite youth…
Jose Barcala Garcia is the Head of Coaching at Spanish giant Real Club Deportivo de la Coruña S.A.D. His career as a development coach has taken him from Spain to Australia and back again, via a short stint as Physical Coach of the National Fustal Team of Libya. As well as his role as Head Coach, Jose is a Lecturer on Football Skills and Methodology at the Deportivo School of football coaches. In this interview, we discuss Spanish methodology, Jose’s lessons from his experience and…
Player Development Project Lead Researcher, James Vaughan recently attended the third annual International Congress for Psychology Applied to Football. He shares his notes from this prestigious event where some of the best thinkers in player development shared their ideas on the state of the game. An Introduction The AIPAF is partnership between academics and professionals who are dedicated to improving player development. By combining the stories and experiences of forward-thinking compassionate coaches, clubs and psychologists, AIPAF aims to forge a new path for player development…
Learning and hunger for knowledge is an essential ingredient to good coaching and personal development. Founder of Football For Good Academy in Uganda, Adrian Bradbury discusses the value in always learning, talent development and the challenges of football in East Africa. Full disclosure, I’m a Canadian (a country sitting uncomfortably in 100th position in the FIFA rankings), who didn’t play high-level football, but instead ‘clutched and grabbed’ my way through a very modest university basketball career. Imagine Rick Carlisle, without the height or ability. So, the irony is not lost…
Edu Rubio is a UEFA PRO License holder and the Technical Consultant at Crystal Palace F.C. He has previously worked for MK Dons FC, Chelsea FC, Nike Academy and The FA among others. Edu also has a degree in Sports Science and studies in Sports Psychology. His mantra is work with passion, stay committed and be consistent with both; and he truly believes in Team work and a holistic & multidisciplinary day to day environment. MK Dons are developing a reputation for nurturing thinking football…
Alfonso Del Percio The Big Idea Perhaps an analogy might bring home the big idea of this research paper. In the world of Western Pleasure Horse Competition, the competitor is penalised if the horse swishes its tail. Although now illegal, it was a common practice among competitors to eliminate this possibility by “nerving” the horse’s tail. Nerving was essentially deadening the tail by cutting the nerves in the tail. This prevented the horse losing points for the rider in the show. Now this abuse caused…
What is the Future of Academy Coaching? PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan discusses his experience from a trip to the Applied Psychology in Football Conference in Bilbao earlier this year. James shares some of the key questions and notes from the event. Earlier this summer I was lucky enough to attend the AIPAF III International congress of Applied Psychology in Football, held in Bilbao, Spain. This blog is based on the notes that I took at the congress, which were transcribed from discussions translated live from Spanish. The reason I…