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:…
player development
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…
TOVO Institute Founder, Todd Beane, discusses the need for a holistic view of player development. One indicator of a footballer’s chance for success beyond sport competition is the way in which they’re trained as a youth player. Experts in the field of child development point out the importance of holistic development. That is, children are multi-dimensional by nature and need to be nurtured physically, mentally and emotionally. It is critical to offer the youngster a safe environment in which to explore and learn. Applying this knowledge to…
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…
Why are we always in a hurry to turn children into mini-adults? The topics of premature professionalism and challenging parents dominate youth football. Former US Men’s U17 Coach, Erik Imler shares his thoughts on the upside of a long-term approach. Recently, I found myself in a conversation with a group of youth academy (U9/U10 age group) directors from a neighboring club…a big club. We were discussing the new US Soccer youth initiatives – the number of players on the field format – to be more…