The European Approach
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Why do our European neighbours seem to produce more technical gifted players that seem to play with so much flair & creativity compared to our home grown talent? Over the years I have visited Holland, Spain & Portugal to see how they develop their players from grassroots through to pro clubs. What is the relationship like with players, parents & the link from Pro Club to Boys' Club. You will be surprised with some of my findings...
The UK
I have been fortunate enough & made to feel very welcome with a number of top pro clubs in England. The facilities are second to none but one problem I noticed straight away is the location. Many of the training centres are in the middle of nowhere so unless you drive you can't get there. Talented children from low income families may struggle to get to the venues. This was commented by a club official when I visited Derby County. When we arrived at the training complex I commented on how nice the first team players' cars were...he laughed & informed me they were the parents cars!
Coaches should always look to learn & evolve
The other factor is the schedule. Children are in school all day & then when they get home they are trying to do homework before Dad leaves work to get them to training on time...many occasions families struggling to eat dinner together. So location & schedules are a problem but as we look closer at how a child starts playing football & progresses what is the typical learning experience?
Although the FA are improving education & development for clubs it will take time to filter down to grassroots. For too long children start playing for their local club run by volunteers who aren't qualified. This is not a dig at those people who give up their free time to cater for young people but the FA, the professional clubs within the area & those members in the club should do more to improve a child's first experience.
For too long training for children in the U.K. involves a number of laps around the pitch before coming back in for long winded conversations with the coach before doing long boring line drills. Too much emphasis is on fitness & the adult game rather than a child centered approach.
Then when it comes to the game children as young as 9 are playing on a full size adult pitch with full size goals. The 'coaches' scream instructions to the kids. When they aren't doing it the parents join in. The shouts of 'pass it' & 'get rid of it!' put pressure on the child. If a child tries something different like taking on an opponent with a bit of skill that doesn't come off they get shouted at for losing the ball. This is a culture that is teaching children to play in their comfort zone & not take risks. As coaches are telling a child how to play the game, what to do in training all it is doing is creating robots that can't think for themselves. How can we create exciting players that play with flair, creativity & imagination? We have done it in the past. As a young child I remember the magnificent squad England had under Sir Bobby Robson that went to Italia '90. They got to the semi finals only to be beat on penalties by the Germans.
Let's think about that for a minute. In that squad we had exciting flair players of Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley, John Barnes & the entrance of a young Paul Gascoigne. These were players that could change games. Add in the grit & determination of Terry Butcher, Stuart Pearce, Bryan Robson with the goalscorers of Gary Lineker & David Platt coming from midfield. For too long the nation stood still & we never evolved. In every walk of life you need to keep moving forward & looking to develop, to evolve, to create.
Spain
I suppose the Spanish are one of the best nations to look at first having won the last 3 major tournaments. I spent a week in Barcelona viewing their famous youth set up.
While a host of other top European Clubs spend millions on players hoping to buy success Barca continue to develop their own home-grown players. Messi, Iniesta & Xavi all came through the Barca Academy & cost nothing. Barcelona’s youth Academy, which in Spanish goes by the name of ‘La Cantera’, meaning the quarry.
Start of a youth team session at Barca
Other players to come through the Academy include Cesc Fabregas, who Arsenal took away at the age of 16 (has since returned), Mikel Arteta from Everton (now Arsenal) & Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Ex Barca manager, Pep Guardiola, also came through the Academy. In his first season as manager he helped Barcelona win every competition they competed in, 6 in all, including the Spanish League title, World Club Cup & the Champions League against Manchester United.
Against United in the Champions League final, 7 of Barca’s starting line up were all produced from the Academy. Goalkeeper Valdes, defenders Puyol & Pique, midfielders Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta & forward Messi.
When I visited Barcelona I loved the fact that the training complex was beside the Camp Nou. The club has a boarding house that accommodates the older boys from the Academy. Boys from the age of 13 or 14 that live outside the city are housed here so they don’t have to worry about travelling to and from training. Typically they will train for 6-8 hours per week along with playing a game. The club insures they also develop their lifestyle & attitudes along with their football education, preaching the importance of healthy eating & early nights.
The boys live, sleep & eat together. Each morning they are bussed to the best local schools. Barcelona stresses the importance of finishing their education to the boys. They return at 2pm for lunch & siesta, with training early evening. They do their homework in a library with access to private tutors & have a games room with table football, pool & PlayStations.
The boys have 3 objectives when playing matches. First, they must be the more sporting team, committing fewer fouls & being less aggressive. Then they must try to win by playing very well, more creatively than the opposition, with attacking football. Finally they need to win on the scoreboard.
Reina and Arteta were great friends at the Academy. Although Arteta suffered from homesickness & cried himself to sleep many times. Iniesta also had problems with homesickness after moving from central Spain to Barcelona at the age of 12. Saying goodbye to his parents at the end of each weekend would become a mini-drama. Although Iniesta only had to look out & see the Camp Nou to remind himself of his goal to play there.
Messi arrived at Barcelona from Argentina with his family at the age of 12. He had a growth deformity and no club in Argentina would pay for the drugs he needed to treat it. It is no surprise that Barcelona took on Messi unlike in England, where size, strength & the ability to throw your weight around is highly prized.
The model of Barcelona is that 50% of their team should be from the Academy, 35% should be the best players from Spain or Europe & then 15% from the top ten players in the world. Although the Barcelona Academy is so successful it is also producing players who are among the top ten in the world. This season their starting XI has included a team made up of academy graduates!
The Academy has 12 boys’ teams. In the Academy each squad has 2 coaches & there are 23 or 24 players in each group. At least half of the coaches have a UEFA Pro licence. The club provides the budget, around 6 million Euros per year, & is fully responsible for the academy facilities & training programme.
The qualities that Barcelona look for in a young player is pace, technique and someone who looks like a player. The speed of decision-making, the way he approaches the game, the vision to pick off a long pass – in other words, the mental qualities to go with the technical ability. The emphasis is on speed. When this speed is combined with top-quality technique, then they believe they have the ingredients.
From the age of 7 to 15 everything is about working with the football at the Barcelona Academy. With the very small boys, the most important thing is to control the ball very well, to have the ability to run with the ball & to think very quickly & execute their passes very well. They use the same playing system as the first team, so all the youth teams play 4-3-3 formation. The development teams have to play attacking, attractive football. Barcelona believe if they do everything well, the winning comes as a consequence.
Every team I witnessed dressed exactly the same as the first team, right down to the youngest age group. All sessions focused on ball work. A high percentage of the time at the start of the sessions was given to the children to play with the ball.
Sessions also featured plenty of 1 v 1 duels. Again, the kids were given a lot of freedom. No lines, no cones or coaching area. The concept was simple. Half the group started on the throw in line with a ball. They were partnered up & had a duel with their team mate to get to the other side using turns & tricks. A slight competitive edge was introduced with scoring being kept between the boys. The boys were given the freedom to dribble from one side to the other going forward, back, left or right. It was realistic & fun as everyone was involved.
Sessions developed to passing & possession games. Plenty of shooting drills were evident throughout all age groups. All sessions finished with small sided games.
The older sections became more tactical but was set in a relaxed pace but roles were given to each individual. Although lost in translation , coaches talked to their players in a calm voice. All the players from the youngest group up applied themselves & were all comfortable on the ball.
They also like to keep an open mind & expose players to different playing roles as part of their education. They work intensely on the individual skill, but also on group play, including each line of the team. They train the Barca way which involves fast movement of the ball, player mobility, use of width, & a lot of fast, effective finishing. They watch the passing movements of the first team as they provide the role model of the youth teams.
Another factor which helps continue the development of young players is that Barcelona have a ‘B’ team. They play in the lower Spanish League. This helps the club continue to develop young players between the ages of 18 & 21 in a controlled environment. In England the FA prevent Premier League clubs from having feeder teams in other domestic leagues.
The Barcelona model is based on a number of people providing specialist skills & all working in the same direction, with the same objective: to prepare players for the first team.
Other European Nations
One thing that struck me when visiting the European clubs was their openness & welcome they offered. Especially in Holland, a nation with 'no secrets' that wanted to work with all coaches. The relationship from professional clubs to grassroots clubs seemed so much closer. Yet listening to the pro coaches the concept was simple & refreshing. At PSV Eindhoven they informed us that they had links with a number of grassroots clubs, as does all Dutch Pro clubs. They regularly visit the clubs & offer coach education & session plans. This helps the grassroot coaches deliver better sessions & in turn help develop better players. The junior clubs know exactly the level of player that the senior clubs require as they visit the academy on a regular basis. So when they feel they have a talent they contact the club to come & watch them.
At PSV Eindhoven the Academy Director gave us a presentation on the blue print to their academy! On another visit the first team manager talked to us for 30 minutes. Players posed for photos, signed autographs. In fact at the PSV training complex they are happy for coaches & fans to visit. On my last visit I sat drinking a coffee while watching the first team train only yards away!
The academy players are transported from their homes to the training complex & school. This offers opportunity for them to train twice a day without missing out on their education. I watched the pre development squad train. It happened to be their last session of the season. After the session they were all given a signed poster from the first team & a letter from the club. My Dutch friend translated the letter. It was coming direct from PSV Eindhoven thanking them (the player) & the parent for their commitment & hard work. I found this so refreshing, a top European club thanking the child & the parent!
Portugal
Although it is common for these pro clubs in Europe to be so respectful toward the player & parent. My good friend, Hugo Vicente (ex Benfica & now assistant academy director of SC Braga), explained that without the parent they don't have the child so the respect is there. Although I often remember some of the great stories his Benfica Academy Director got up to.
In a staff training meeting he brought one of the staff up to the front & slapped him on the face. The dazed coach looked at him as he said, 'you weren't expecting that'! As he went to slap his face again the coach was ready for him so this time he kicked him! The member of staff received a slap on the face then a kick to the leg! Why? This was his way of asking his coaches to preach to their players that he wanted them to play with creativity, to improvise, to play with surprise! Simply put if a player always attempts the same skill there is no element of surprise for the opposition & they can prepare to expect it. But the coach who was hit on the face was expecting the same thing again as the hand moved toward him then in a split second he got kicked! Expect the unexpected!?
The same Academy Director had a novel way of dealing with parents shouting from the touch line telling their kids what to do. In England the parents are told to stand behind a piece of rope normally 50 yards away from the pitch. In Portugal it is different. If a parent shouts or tries to coach their son they simply sub their child! This way the club don't need to speak to the parent the kid does it for them as they don't want to be replaced. Although on one occasion they had a repeat 'offender'. The Benfica AD went up to the father before kick off & passed him a Playstation remote control. The puzzled parent looked at him & was told, 'If you want your kid to shoot press the 'X' button, hit 'O' for pass & the 'triangle' for tackle...now shut up'! Brilliant!
Juggling education & training can be a challenge
It isn't always perfect in Europe. One problem they have in Portugal is the balance of school work to training. School times vary in Portugal. Some mornings start anytime from 9am to 11am & lessons can go through to 5pm, although they have a longer lunch break. When I met with a young player called Pedro from the U13's it was nice to speak about his schedule & experience.
A typical day for Pedro starts at 7.30am. Wake up call, shower & breakfast. The club will then send a car or club bus to take Pedro to school at 8am. Lessons will start at 8.30am & continue through to lunch at 12pm. Pedro will then head to a restaurant before returning to school at 1.30pm.
In Portugal they have extended lunches but school can finish later. On this particular day lessons didn’t finish to 6.30pm. He then travelled back for an evening training session with Braga U13′s at 7.45pm. The session was shorter on the night we were there, it lasted one hour. Pedro then showered, changed & head for a meal at 9pm. Club officials would insure the young players are accompanied to restaurants.
Pedro arrived home to start homework at 10pm before bed time at 11pm.
I must stress that this schedule is variable. Some day’s school finishes at 4pm & home work can be completed then. On other days lessons will start later so Pedro can have a longer rest.
Personally I was surprised at the long days. Pedro admitted on this particular day he was feeling tired but I was impressed at the same time how the club monitor their young players.
Schedule
The club will always arrange transport for players that are away from home. This includes too & from school, training & meals. At meals they will always insure, especially the younger players that they eat with a club official or the U19′s.
Although Pedro lives away from his family & misses them he simply told us he adapts. He lives in an apartment owned by the club with 3 other boys & looked after by a ‘Nanny’. The adult will look after the boys. Generally the boys will partner up & share a room each. He will see his family generally every weekend. If he has a game on the Saturday his father will come along to watch the game. After the match Pedro will travel home with his father & return on Monday morning.
The club try to send all the children to the same school so they can adapt a schedule to suit their training sessions. They eat together so that the club can control what they eat & when they eat. The players will generally eat red meat on Monday & Tuesday, white meat on Wednesday & then pasta, etc. thereafter. The nutritionist talks with the restaurant to adapt & suit the weekly programme. The boys’ height & weight are recorded every month too. The club also has 3 Doctors to attend to any sickness.
Players, at this level, will generally train 4 times per week. The U19′s will train every day & also receive wages. The accommodation, schooling, transport & food are all paid for by the club.
Braga has psychologists that work alongside the club. If a coach knows he will be releasing a player the psychologist will work closely with that player but not obviously tell him right away. The club will also try to find another club for the player.
Summary
The first thing that I picked up on from my first visit to this club was the family feel it had. Everyone greeted each other with a welcome, smile & hand shake. This is very positive & creates a real togetherness. The set up is very impressive. All sessions concentrated heavily on the technical side of the game. This includes use of the ball along with pressurised drills & sessions.
Personally I was surprised at Pedro’s schedule when I was talking to him but I suppose we have to consider that this was possibly his busiest day. Other days of the week had later starts, or earlier finishes or a non training night. Although in some cases it is no difference from a child living in the UK that has to juggle schooling, homework, meals, transport & training.
The big difference I feel is the interest they take in each individual child. The club record everything from school work to eating habits & from training to simply monitoring their height, weight & rest. Also for the players living away from home. The effort they put into for accommodation, transport & duty of care. Then the long term development & future of the child is put as most importance with every last detail thought of – even if they unfortunately have to let a player go.
It was nice to sit & have a meal with one of the players at this age group. It also, I suppose, shows how quick they mature as in Pedro’s words he simply ‘adapts’. He obviously enjoys what he does even if he does miss being away from his family. I found all the Braga Academy players to be confident young players that behaved & worked very hard in all sessions & games.
Europe v UK
Overall I think the relationship with grassroots & professional clubs is so much closer throughout Europe. England at times can seem to have a massive gap in that respect. The focus on ball work, dribbling & small sided games is evident but to be fair England are now rolling out a programme right down to grassroots to focus on this. I feel the major problem will be converting the old school at the bottom.
Data from the 2008 UEFA Coaching Convention shows that England has 1,759 B Licence coaches, 895 A Licence coaches & 115 Pro Licence coaches. France has 15,000 (B), 2.400 (A) & 188 (Pro). Spain has 9,135 (B), 12,720 (A) & 2,140 (Pro). While Germany has 28,400 (B), 5,500 (A) & 1,070 (Pro). Although the FA's acclaimed & highly respected Nick Levett has responded to say that each Football Association roughly develop the same amount of coaches per annum & that the results weren't realistic, i.e. The Spanish apparently awarded many 70 year olds with their B Licence who most likely no longer coach.
At the same time the UK has a mentality of having 8 mini clubs within each club. Although they share the same identity through badge & colours they compete against each other rather than forming a strong youth system. There is many stories of parents falling out with coaches & taking their son away & starting their own club! I feel there is too many clubs which result in too many unqualified coaches resulting in a poor youth education for the player.
In Holland they generally only have 1 or 2 clubs for each village or town. Many clubs with have 100 teams within their set up. Rather than U9, U10, U11, etc. They have A, B, C, D, E, F & G. 'G' being U10 but they could have 10 teams at that age group, i.e. G1, G2, G3, G4, etc. G1-G3 teams will be the most developed kids playing against other clubs G1-G3 teams. While G7-G10 will be the late developers, the recreation players, etc. who will play against players there only level. This means the Dutch will very rarely have a game that will finish with more than a 3 goal deficit. They also play with a lighter ball on reduced playing fields. They have 15 & 16 year olds refereeing the games while parents use the games as a social event.
When I took my academy team over to Holland many of my parents were shocked that the kids played in such a relaxed atmosphere. The main voice you could here was the children's voices. Parents stood & chatted while watching the game. All the clubs ask in return is what can you offer when you register your child. They mean what time can you offer. You could have someone volunteering 4 hours per week that will simply assist with kit or working in the bar area.
I can't stress enough, if you are a coach you need to visit Holland to see what I mean. The Dutch are so organised & the club we visited hosted over 50 games on that Saturday! This was from children to seniors including women's & an over 65's team!
The coaching style across Europe is simple. They encourage the players to think for themselves & let the small sided game be the teacher. They get away from the 'stop / stand still' tactic to coaching within the game & summarizing at the end.
The Future
Certainly it is not all doom & gloom. Manchester United are renowned for their way of thinking. When they play 8 v 8 they will ask the opposition can their 4 subs play Manchester United's 4 subs a 4 v 4 game so everyone is involved. The focus on the technical side of the game is improving at all levels.
A recent visit to Watford FC & the Harefield Academy was very refreshing. Nick Cox is the Watford Academy Director. It is very interesting listening to Nick & seeing the thought process & the importance of everyone at the club to the school backing the concept. The typical English Academy system will have boys going to school as normal then returning home to start homework, eat dinner & then to be transported by a parent to training. This adds a busy schedule to each individual boy & adds pressure to the family life. It is not uncommon for a father to return home from work early & to eat on the way to take his son to training. Nor is it uncommon for that child to be up at 7.30am on the morning & on the go all day to 9.30-11pm at night.
Watford made many visits to European Academies to see what suited them best to move forward as a club. The Dutch Academy set up was one of choice, especially a club called Willem II. They have a similar set up in terms of stadium size, club structure, fan base, etc. The big difference in the Academy structure was the club would work in partnership with a school. This is what Watford FC based their concept on. Although it was not copying the Dutch club they would simply set up an academy to best suit Watford FC & their Academy players.
The main positives for club, school & player include;
- Increased contact time for training with the boys. From an average of 3,500 hours to 9,000 hours (approx 10-12 hours per week but up to 15 hours available)
- Greater Academic support & discipline – less conflict between school & club.
- Prime time training – day light & on grass (indoor 3G dome available too)
- Better home lifestyle – more family time with less inpact, i.e. transport & finance.
- Professional lifestyle – more training, less late nights, regular meals, less hectic.
- Better relationship with players – get to know them better.
- Optimum time for education & sport.
Typical Day
Below you will find a typical schedule for a Watford Academy player attending Harefield Academy. Classes are mixed, i.e. not exclusive to all WFC players.
- 6.45am – Pick Up
- 8.15am – Lesson 1
- 9.15am – Football Training with WFC Academy Coaches
- 11am – Lesson 2
- 12pm – Lunch
- 12.30pm – Lesson 3
- 1.30pm – Lesson 4
- 2.30pm – Normal day ends
- 2.50pm – Study (home work / support)
- 4.20pm – Day ends
- 4.45pm – Football Training with WFC Academy Coaches
So you can see as a nation we are moving forward. It wasn't so long ago that Manchester United produced Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville & Nicky Butt. Although important to research other nations & see what they are doing it is important to find the right formula that suits the UK. For me a closer link to grassroots & more contact time to players is a massive start along with more qualified coaches & focus on CPD.
