Adrian Bradbury is the founder and academy director of Football for Good, Uganda’s only full-time residential elite youth football academy and scholarship program. He has over 10 years’ experience in international coaching, education, and community advocacy and development. In this article, Adrian explores the unique obstacles impacting young footballers in East Africa, and explains that we all have ‘outset obstacles’ to overcome in our coaching. Aubameyang, Mahrez, Mane, Salah and Wanyama are just a few of Africa’s growing list of global household names, rightly…
Talent Development
Uncovering the pathways which help players develop and continue to thrive in sport.
The environment surrounding the player must be understood to ensure we help players achieve their potential. PDP Lead Researcher and PhD candidate, James Vaughan discusses the holistic view of player development that the PDP team has been working on as a result of over two years of conversations, interviews, research and experience. Ruben Jongkind is the former Head of Talent Development at Ajax and now works for Cruyff Football. He and Johan Cruyff worked together to implement ‘Plan Cruyff’ at Ajax between 2011 and 2013….
We associate Albert Einstein with physics, but he was also a great teacher. Coach & analyst, Sam Polak discusses what we can learn from Einstein’s approach to learning, creating environments and how we can encourage the development of composed decision-makers. There isn’t a lot that physicist Neil Degrasse Tyson and former American President, Teddy Roosevelt have in common. However, both individuals understood that they could go further in their field by not limiting their studies to just their chosen discipline. Teddy Roosevelt read books…
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…
What are the benefits of learners exploring their environment and self-correcting? How can a coach guide this discovery? Founder of TOVO Academy in Barcelona, Todd Beane shares his excellent blog on the idea of discovery learning. I have six children and thus have personally funded a human laboratory in learning and chaos. Those of you with more than two children will understand this blog. I say more than two because once we have three or more children as a couple we are in a…
The question this week comes from Justin: “We are an U13 boys team, with half the team from last season, and half the team is new this season. How do I create an environment to continue the friendships from last season whilst integrating the newer players who may feel left behind socially, which could in turn, inhibit their development as a player?” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear…
Joseph P. Mills and Jim Denison The Big Idea While this research topic is specific to endurance running coaches’ practices, these authors believe their findings have implications for all sports. The more obvious sports would include those with family resemblances to endurance running, such as triathlon, rowing, swimming, cycling, cross-country skiing. But their findings could easily apply to the wider range of sports where human performance limits are not the primary impact on success. The topic these authors pursue is the relationship between how conventional…
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…
How important is self-awareness in athlete performance? John Haime cites examples from both golf & football, discussing the potentially hazardous ‘blind spots’ in an athletes development, how to look out for them and how coaches can support athletes in navigating around these challenging issues. I was inspired to write this article by a quote I come across from a friend of mine, Melinda Harrison, a former Olympic swimmer who specialises in helping athletes transition from the world of sport to their next great venture. “If…
A handshake? How important is it in sport? Sporticus is a PE Teacher, blogger and advocate for positive player development. In this contribution, he discusses the role of the coach to go beyond the game and ensure that values and rituals are respected in the quest to develop better people, and better players. Today’s game turned sour due to a handshake. Or to be more exact, the lack of a handshake. My team had been beaten well in all areas of the game and the opposition had…
With complete freedom to redesign talent development, what would you do? Founder of TOVO Academy Barcelona and top PDP contributor Todd Beane answers this question by providing an exclusive insight into the ‘TOVO way’. TOVO Academy offers football immersion programs for youth players, as well as coaching courses designed for innovative trainers and technical directors. They also train players and coaches on site worldwide via their Club Alliance scheme. The idea came about when I tried to answer the following question: with complete freedom to redesign talent development,…
Is your environment a place of learning? Todd Beane, Founder of TOVO Institute & Co-Founder of Cruyff Football shares his views around how to go about making your club or program a genuine learning environment for developing players. I have had the opportunity to visit many football clubs over the years. Upon arrival, it does not take long to determine what type of club I am visiting. Type 1: Image Centre Type 2: Learning Centre Image Centres Some clubs pay great attention to appearances. These types…
The concept of play is not only an essential element of player development, but also a key ingredient of performance. Founder of New Edge Performance & regular PDP contributor, John Haime discusses some psychological strategies for decision-making. If you are a football player, you know that overthinking in matches causes problems. Too many thoughts lead to hesitation, confusion and a lack of uncertainly in your abilities on the pitch. So, I’d like to introduce you to a strategy that might help you get into…
Mark Pearn has represented Great Britain in hockey at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, playing 246 games for England and Great Britain, scoring 74 goals, and is a European Championship winner at club level with Reading HC. Player Development Project spoke to Mark about his player development journey, transition to coaching and his philosophy when it comes to helping young players maximise their potential. After a long and decorated career as a player that included ten years as the player-coach of East Grinstead…
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…
Dan P. McAdams and Jennifer L. Pals The Big Idea One chronic problem with depending on research results as an aid to coaching practice is the practice of research itself. All too often researchers are engaged in an on-going competitive practice of their own: grand theory building. The theories themselves are generally not that complicated, but the continuous defence of them against adversaries creates a good simulation of a contact sport. A consequence is perpetual uncertainty regarding whether there is progressive improvement in our understanding…
John W. Mahoney, Daniel F. Gucciardi, Clifford Mallett, and Nikos Ntoumanis The Big Idea It would be difficult to find an adult athlete or coach who doesn’t have a favourite quote on the need for mental toughness in competitive sports. Who hasn’t heard the general adage that success in sports is 10% physical and 90% mental? Or who among us hasn’t read the mighty locker room posters from the past: from Babe Ruth, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up;” from Bobby…
Talent: Nature vs. nurture, is it relevant? Top PDP contributor and coaching innovator, Todd Beane discusses the preconceptions around talent and the role of the coach observing and assessing performance before adding value through a considered program of training. Was Leo Messi born a star? Is talent innate or acquired? While we may find the nature vs. nurture debate interesting it is completely irrelevant to us as coaches. A player will show up for training on day one and that is where we begin. Our…