Day two of the NextGen Series was the longest of the tournament and showcased just how some of the top youth teams from around the world dealt with the added pressure of fighting for semi-final places going into the final day. Day two of the NextGen series saw Tottenham Hotspur lose their first fixture to Ajax Capetown a team who have proved to be high energy and exceptionally determined, attacking with speed and vigour. Spurs came back later in the day and put on…
player development
Player Development Project is thrilled to be a part of the NextGen Series & NextGen Talks in Amsterdam from May 14-16. Day one began with the NextGen Talks & concluded with some excellent football from some of the world’s top U19 talent. The NextGen event kicked off with a fantastic morning of discussion at the inaugural NextGen Talks, hosted by Player Development Project’s, James Vaughan. James facilitated a round table discussion with Tottenham Hotspur Academy Manager, John McDermott, Chelsea FC Scout & Talent ID…
Doing your football apprenticeship at FC Barcelona is the kind of coaching education we all dream of. Player Development Project caught up with Josep Gombau, a man who emerged from Catalonia and has since travelled the world coaching at all levels. Josep Gombau is a much travelled man. Born in Amposta, Catalonia, his coaching career has taken him from Spain to Hong Kong, where he was named coach of the year twice, before a stint at A-League club Adelaide United. Between 2003 and 2009, Josep…
Grassroots football is where all players begin: it’s the heart and soul of player development. Recently, the football world has been lit up by Manchester United’s bright young talent, Marcus Rashford. Jon Hoggard caught up with David Horrocks, Development Officer & Skills Coach at Fletcher Moss Rangers to discuss what’s happening at this humble club to produce so many pros. It is a corner of the world which rarely garners headlines, a collection of football pitches nestled in south Manchester by the River Mersey a…
This is the second instalment of a two part interview with Dan Micciche, covering his early coaching career at Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur through to his position as Assistant Academy Manager at MK Dons, where he coached a young Dele Alli for 5 years. Dave Wright speaks with Dan about his role as England U16 national team’s Head Coach, building challenging learning environments, session/programme design, impact of playing styles and the challenge of nurturing creative footballers. After almost a decade in the academy system…
How does a coach help a player maximise their return on training? Todd Beane, Founder of TOVO Institute & regular PDP contributor discusses the value in prioritising learning and maximising training time to get the most out of every session. Wouldn’t you want to maximize the return on the investment of your time and energy? As a teacher, wouldn’t you want to know that you are using every hour afforded to you to maximize learning? As a coach, wouldn’t you want your training to bring about…
Mads Davidsen is a Danish Coach who holds the UEFA Pro License. Mads is currently a 1st Team Coach/Analyst and Head Coach of U23 at Shanghai SIPG F.C where he works alongside Sven-Goran Eriksson. We asked Mads to give Player Development Project an insight into the football boom currently happening in China and whether he believes they could in fact be the next football powerhouse? For the last 4 years I have worked in China. It is a time of massive improvements, heavy investment and a political willingness…
Momentum is a huge element in all sport. Dr. Martin Turner of the Smarter Thinking Project investigates how can players take charge of their own performance learning how to ‘control the controllables’ and implement the control triangle. Momentum is a huge element in all sport. Dr. Martin Turner of the Smarter Thinking Project investigates how can players take charge of their own performance learning how to ‘control the controllables’ and implement the control triangle. Sport is a dynamic, constantly changing, and unpredictable environment to work and perform…
Nick Levett, former FA Talent Identification Manager & regular PDP contributor doesn’t sit on the fence. In this blog, Nick discusses the disconnect between academic research and actual coaching. This idea is one of the key motivations behind the establishment of Player Development Project and more recently, our research review section. Are academics isolating themselves and their research and if you do get access can coaches comprehend it? So I had a short moment of ranting earlier on Twitter, as I often tend to do,…
PDP Lead Researcher, James Vaughan examines the simplicity vs. complexity debate using one of the great quotes from Johan Cruyff and asks if we have misinterpreted its true meaning. “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” Consider how this famous quote influences your training session design when the emphasis is placed here: “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” Or here: “Football is simple, but the hardest thing is to play simple football.” I think this…
This book review by Player Development Project Magazine Editor, Dave Wright of the best-selling book, Legacy by James Kerr outlines some fantastic examples of best practice. In this summary of some of the key points, Dave gives his view on the value of this book and shares several core concepts that you can utilise in your environment. “Excellence is a process of evolution, of cumulative learning, of incremental improvement” In your own personal development, having a breadth of reading and a desire to look outside…
Emotional Muscle, what is it? PDP Contributor & President of New Edge Performance, John Haime discusses the importance of emotional state on performance and provides some practical advice for building emotional muscle in football. Working with some of the world’s leading athletes in mental/emotional development has taught me many lessons about what is important to be a consistent high performer. One thing I have learned for sure is that emotions run the show in elite performance and they certainly do in football. Head and heart…
Hakon Grøttland is the Head of Player Development for the Norwegian FA. The Player Development Project were lucky enough to have an inside look at how Norway develops young players and how this is influenced by the nation’s culture. Hakon Grøttland never played football at an elite level due to injury. However, he counts himself lucky in that the series of events which led to the end of his playing days meant he could start his coaching career early. It is clear from talking to…
Javier Mascherano’s rise from squad player to first team regular at FC Barcelona is a example to young players everywhere: Seeking out challenges, switching positions, playing to his strengths and selflessly putting the team first Mascherano is a role model for all. Mascherano is an example of a player with a positive mindset. He has adapted, evolved and grown as a player at FC Barcelona. However it could of all been very different if it not for this – career defining – tackle. Playing to his strengths …
Dan Micciche has a reputation as an innovator and someone who encourages creativity in player development. Player Development Project, Editor Dave Wright was lucky enough to have 90 minutes with Dan to discuss his own story and pick his brains around session design, creativity, positive learning environments and more. In part one of this two-part feature interview we went on a journey inside the mind of one of The FA’s most talented young coaches. Micciche’s Evolution as a Coach After a number of years working…
Kellyn Acosta is a homegrown talent from Dallas, Texas who now has 50 appearances for FC Dallas who finished as Western Conference Finalists in 2015. PDP Editor, Dave Wright spoke to Kellyn about his player development journey. Now 20 years old with two U20 World Cups behind him, Acosta is a product of the club’s academy. A young player with big ambitions who speaks fondly of playing street soccer constantly as a key part of his development, we caught up with Kellyn to discuss…
The art of observation. What details should coaches be looking for? Todd Beane explains why it is important for a coach to ‘observe’ their players rather than just ‘watch’ them. Are you watching or observing your players? Many consider these two words synonymous. To watch is to observe and to observe is to watch. But, I find a distinction here that may help us become better at our craft. Let’s take a look at the definitions. Watch: to see what is done or happens. Observe: to regard with…
Bio-banding. Is it the answer or just another challenge in youth player development? In Player Development Project Magazine Issue #10, Cruyff Football and Ajax consultant Steve Lawrence gave some background to relative age effects, explaining why they occur and identifying the use of cut-off date rules as the causal culprit. Steve is at the forefront of research in this area, and in this follow-up article he explains the concept of bio banding and suggests how to solve the issue of relative age effects. Concerns about…