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.
Interviews
Interviews with experts from around the world of coaching and player development.
In this Masterclass Webinar replay, as we discuss the power and benefit of using video as a learning tool both in your own coach development and the development of your players. New Zealand based, Simon Mead is our latest guest expert and he brings a range of experience and knowledge to the discussion. Currently working as a Performance Analysis Consultant for Sportstec and Hudl, Simon has a Masters degree in Coach Development and is one of the best in his field. Simon has previously worked as the Football…
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.
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…
In this Live Webinar replay, Founder of Changing the Game Project & TEDx Speaker, John O’Sullivan & Former US U17 Assistant Coach & Men’s International, Erik Imler join us to talk Player Development in the USA. PDP Editor, Dave Wright & PDP Co-Founder, Adam Wright host a discussion with John & Erik on how we can change player development for the better with a particular focus on the challenges that parents, coaches and players have in the USA. We discuss a range of topics including: Positive…
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….
We discuss coach innovation and development philosophy with Stuart English, Head of Coaching at the Brentford FC Academy, and one of most exciting young coaches in the game. PDP: Why is it important that long-term player development programmes have a clear philosophy? SE: A clear philosophy is of paramount importance within a long-term development programme because it allows the players, parents and coaches to have a shared understanding of the planned pathway ahead. It makes sure that everybody involved is aware of the demands and…
Former New Zealand footballer, Cameron Knowles may not be a household name but is journey is one of challenge and adaptation. From the bumpy fields of Auckland’s North Shore to the stadiums of MLS and defending against the likes of David Beckham and Landon Donovan, Cameron was somewhat of a late bloomer – working hard to overcome his lack of technical development through persistence, effort and intelligence. With four years of college football at the University of Akron (including two MAC Conference Championships) and…
Manager of the New Zealand National Women’s Team, the Football Ferns, Tony Readings has come up against some giants of the women’s world game. Taking on the likes of the USA (#1) , China (#14) and Brazil (#6), the Ferns have performed well beyond expectations. Tony and his team have created a truely unique team culture, which seems to be the key ingredient in the Ferns’ ability to consistently produce world class results. PDP: How would you describe the culture of the Football Ferns? TR:…
People who know their values are often happier; they’re more focused, and live a more meaningful life. This month Lara Mossman met with AHPRA endorsed sports psychologist Michael Inglis to discuss values and the important role they play in youth development. Inglis, who has a Masters in sports and exercise psychology, supports a holistic approach to sports medicine and is an advocate of values in sport. LM: Can you a tell me a bit about your experience working with athletes? MI: I work with a range of…
Born in Evergreen Park, Chicago, Illinois, Brad Guzan has gone from running around the various sporting fields of the suburbs of his home town to being a star performer for one of England’s most famous clubs, Aston Villa FC. Not only is Brad a top performer in the cauldron of the English Premier League, but he has also been a part of the USA squad for the last eight years and attended two World Cups. We talk to Brad about his player development journey. …
Scott Gilligan gives a unique insight into futsal’s development over the last 20 years. As a player and coach Scott represented Australia at the highest level. Visting Brazil and Spain he has amassed a wealth of knowledge about the game many credit with developing the most technically re ned players the world has ever seen. Scott is currently head coach of the New Zealand Futsal-Whites, a FIFA Coach Instructor and Technical Analyst at the last FIFA Futsal World Cup. PDP: Futsal has taken you around the world, can you…
Anthony Hudson has travelled the world on a mission to develop himself as a coach. He is a thoughtful character who is tasked with taking one of the world’s smaller footballing nations, New Zealand, to Russia in 2018. We caught up with Anthony in Auckland to discuss his story, his philosophy, his mentors and how he went from West Ham Academy player to New Zealand Men’s coach via the Middle East and picked up the UEFA Pro License along the way. It’s a warm, sunny…
Youth soccer needs to base the development process on “play” and then find the right moments to encourage technical and tactical information, says Tom Turner. Coach Developer, Mark O’Sullivan interviewed Turner to get a more detailed understanding of his views on US player development. Tom Turner is director of coaching and player development at Ohio Youth Soccer Association North, USA National Instructor and member of the US Soccer National Coaching Committee. “I consider myself a teacher who coaches soccer,” says Tom. “The primary objective with young…
DC United’s Chris Rolfe speaks exclusively to PDP Editor, Dave Wright about his career and early development years from college soccer to US international and the Danish Superliga along the way. Find out what makes Chris tick and what influenced his development in this wide-ranging look back at his career so far. Chris Rolfe is an 11-year veteran of MLS. After beginning his college career with the Dayton Flyers in Ohio, Rolfe was a third-round pick by the Chicago Fire in the 2005 MLS Superdraft….
Interest in women’s football is at an all-time high and on the surface it appears to be flourishing. Coverage of the Women’s World Canada 2015 is a testament to this. However, as a parent of both male and female youth players, it is evident that the gap between the women’s and men’s game is huge; a gap that exists from grassroots right through to the top level. At youth level, I see coaches with higher qualifications assigned to boys’ teams and parent coaches allocated…
Re-imagine the way you think about player development with Mark Upton and Al Smith. Two of the sports world’s leading minds share their player development frameworks and principles, informed by a unique blend of cutting-edge research and nearly 30 years experience in sporting environments. In this Live Webinar replay, Al and Mark about the key factors affecting player development environments, and how to get the best out of your athletes. Mark and Al have recently teamed up as co-creators of myfastestmile.com – a social enterprise…