A young player will experience many challenges on their player development journey, many of which are outside of their control. PDP Editor & UEFA A licensed academy coach, Dave Wright highlights the importance of truly understanding the player as an individual, outlining the benefits of an approach that helps us understand how constraints shape players’ non-linear development. As adults we spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about systems, statistics, formations, results, tactics, outcomes and all the organisational factors that go on when working in a…
relative age effect
The physical elements of youth development are complicated by growth, maturation and a number of variables. In this PDP Webinar replay, Dan Wright hosts Nottingham Forest FC Coaches, Tom Mallinson and Lewis Bramley for an in depth discussion on integrating conditioning and managing load with youth players. Tom is a Professional Development Phase coach working primarily with the U18 players. Lewis is the Lead U9-16 Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Academy. Dan hosts a discussion that dives into a number of issues that challenge…
In this Masterclass Webinar replay, we are joined by PhD Researcher, Megan Hill from the University of Bath for an in depth discussion on growth and maturation in youth football. Talent development and understanding performance versus potential is a complex topic. The progression from childhood, through adolescence to adulthood is characterised by an individual experiencing growth, maturation, and development. This process is unique to each child, it can be slow and steady or be full of huge growth spurts and challenging injuries. These influences can…
The question this week comes from Callum via our Facebook Page Callum asks: “How do I balance developing athletic and technical players?” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook page.2. PDP Members can chat directly with the PDP team to ask questions, share ideas, and support each other on our exclusive…
The question this week comes from David, via the PDP Facebook Page: “How can I help develop a physically mature young 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 from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook page.2. PDP Members can chat directly with the PDP team to ask questions, share ideas, and support each other on our exclusive…
The question this week comes from Ryan, via Twitter: “What are the main criteria when considering playing a player down? My son is Q4 and physically small, but I wonder where ability fits in?” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook page.2. PDP Members can chat directly with the PDP team…
Despite all we know, size still matters in youth sport. Founder of TOVO Institute, Todd Beane discusses the challenge for parents and coaches in helping young players ‘control the controllables’ and embrace physical diversity on their non-linear journey. “What can I do to grow?” my son asks as we drive home from training. “Why?” I respond. “Because everyone is bigger than me and I just want to be their size.” When your child enjoys playing sport, size matters. Being short, slight, and weak compared…
The question this week comes from Spence, via Twitter: “What are your thoughts of the potential negative effect on players playing at a sub-standard level? For example, I have very good midfielder making great forward passes but other players aren’t making the correct runs or anticipating the pass.“ Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or…
The question this week comes from Paul: “I coach U11s and under U16s and the older lads want me to continue on to the U18s with them. It was never my intention to go this far, but if the boys want to continue what advice would you have on what differences I may encounter at this age?” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you…
Steve Lawrence is a consultant to Cruyff Football and Ajax in the Netherlands. With a Masters in International Sports Management, Steve founded the Football Analytics Lab and is at the forefront of research into the topic of Relative Age Effects. In this article, Steve looks at the age profiles of the teams involved in Euro 2016 and how these may have impacted the competition. In Issue #10 of Player Development Project Magazine I wrote an article on Relative Age Effect, which introduced the idea…
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…
Steve Lawrence is a consultant to Cruyff Football and Ajax in the Netherlands. With a Masters in International Sports Management, Steve founded the Football Analytics Lab and is at the forefront of research into the topic of Relative Age Effects. In this article, Steve explains how the Relative Age Effect works and discusses the impact of this phenomenon. Relative Age Effects have become a well known, if slightly puzzling, phenomenon in youth football where players with birthdates at the beginning of the season have a huge…
In this Live Webinar Replay, PDP host Nick Levett & Steve Lawrence for an in depth conversation on talent identification and relative age effect. This discussion is honest and passionate as Nick and Steve debate various points. Our Masterclass Webinar discussion will include: Nick Levett is now the Head of Talent & Performance at UK Sport. At the time of this conversation, Nick was Talent Identification Manager for The FA in England where he has worked in a variety of roles. Nick’s philosophy is simple…
Age appropriate learning is a vital consideration in coaching and positive player development. Children and adolescents aren’t just ‘small adults’. Understanding the various differences in learning processes that exist between the age groups gives coaches and managers the knowledge they need to be most effective. Understanding the differences in the thinking processes of different age groups is the natural starting point in helping coaches choose the appropriate technical and tactical activities needed to meet individual players’ needs. The process that a coach may adopt needs to…
US-based coach, John O’Sullivan, founder of Changing the Game Project and best selling author, provides a perspective on the potential pitfalls of the US development model. As our ability to accurately measure players’ tangible development statistics improves, are we losing sight of the intangible factors which can’t always be measured? The cost of focussing exclusively on the numbers may be greater than we imagined. In 2005, the coaches at one of the top English Premier League Youth Football Academies held one of their semi-annual meetings to…