"Every player has their own talent": Inside Vitesse Arnhem

Between 17-19 May, I attended a coach education tour of Vitesse Arnhem's youth academy. This was run by Murray Jones of Football Tours and Events, which you can find out more about here. The below blog is my summary of the three days...

Vitesse Arnhem are (proudly) one of the oldest existing clubs in Holland. Founded in 1892, the club celebrated their 125th year of existence by winning their first ever trophy. Last May they beat AZ Alkmaar to lift the Dutch cup, goals from Ricky van Wolfswinkel (remember him) sealing a two nil victory.

Vitesse have more recently been in the spotlight for their 'close working relationship' with Chelsea, as their owner Alexander Chigirinsky is close friends with Roman Abramovich. Whilst this has helped bring in young talents, the owner has also placed a close emphasis on the youth academy with a budget on a comparable level to category one clubs in England.

Over the three days were fortunate to have a great level of access not only to their facilities, training sessions and games but important staff members such as Bart van Rooijen and Richard van Der Lee (both co-ordinators within the academy). As a club, they are very proud that they are one of five clubs awarded 'International Certification' by the KNVB (Dutch Football Association). The other four clubs being Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar, so they are in good company!

Facilities

View of the 1st team training pitches

The Papendal Olympic training centre lays home to Vitesse's academy and senior training ground. Whereas when I visited Ajax's de Toekomst everything was very close together, Papendal is a very open and scenic place. It's very pleasant to walk around and has a very relaxing nature. There are many pitches, some specific to the first team (with positional play lines much like Ajax had) and also an astro pitch in front of the shiny newly built main building, financed by the owner. Every age group through to the senior side can be seen walking through the building, which generates for a great environment in which the young players know the senior players well. Mason Mount, loan star from Chelsea, is one player who was highlighted and praised for their interaction with the academy players.

Gelredome (minus pitch)

The Gelredrome stadium, leased by Vitesse as they no longer own due to previous financial difficulties, holds a capacity 34,000 people. This is more than enough space for a club like Vitesse, whose fan base is much smaller and average gates of around 14,000 fans. It is a very interesting ground however. On arrival, t is instantly clear that it is not owned by Vitesse, with as many pictures of popstars on walls as there are footballers! The ground is particularly interesting for two reasons, it's retractable roof and convertible pitch. When we had a stadium tour the roof was on and the pitch was retracted (see picture), which made it feel very un-football like! As the roof is so heavy, the corners are filled by concrete which you could imagine takes away from the atmosphere.

Vision

The youth academy's vision places an importance on the individual player. Developing the individual to make the most of their talent is number one on the agenda. However, they can not develop or win alone, meaning players must learn to work together and work as a team. This will also enable them to learn to play in the framework that Vitesse set for the coaches to teach the players.

"Players will make their debut in the first team, not the team!"

Essentially, it is more about the individual than about the team. As they move through the age groups, it is still about the needs of the individual player. Although the teams play in competitive leagues, if a player needs to be challenge further, they will move them up a team even if that could negatively affect results (for either side). A good example of this was a fixture we watched between Vitesse and PSV, who had won the league already, at  under 15s level. Vitesse needed just a point to finish in the top three of the top division, but had several under 14s players in the side. The game was still competitive, both teams really going for the win and ultimately PSV won 2-1, but their players would have learnt a lot against a good side.

The main target of the academy is that the first team squad will be filled by 40% of players trained by the academy. Furthermore, 50% of those players will make up the starting eleven. As it stands they have many players in the squad, but not the starting eleven, hence the second of those targets. These targets are set not just because they want to develop talent but also so that they can sell talent. The club often lose players to Ajax, PSV etc at youth level but if they can hold onto their best talents until senior level they will bring in more money when they sell them. So in part, much like Ajax openly admitted when I visited them, it is a business model.

Interestingly, they cite the connection with Chelsea as a means to help their young players. If a young player with potential is not ready yet for a first team place, rather than sign a player (on a multiple year contract) they can loan a player for a season. That way, the academy product has another year to develop which they can evaluate without a player blocking their path come the next season. This was an angle I had not previously considered!

At the core of their vision is developing a passion for the game. The players who make it through the age groups will be the one that have the most passion and love for football. For that reason they aim to make football a fun game to play (again, parallels with Ajax's ideals). In addition to this, they can then develop creative players, who play with initiative. "Every player has their own talent".  

The Vitesse academy look for several qualities in the profile of a player; Proactive, Quick learning, Athletic skills, Winner's mentality, Technical ability and, last but not least, their own character. The club look for potential and not necessarily performance. To them, it would be very easy to look at current performance but they feel it is important to take the tougher route and attempt to find players who with time will grow into better players, using the qualities mentioned. Furthermore, as people they are looking for curious individuals, who are respectful and again, have their own character.

In terms of Talent ID, Vitesse work with ten grassroots clubs in the region. These partnerships are not financial but the clubs they work with get benefits such as coach education and tickets to games. The obvious benefits for Vitesse themselves is the opportunity to build a network to help them identify potential talent. This is something I feel is sorely lacking in the English game. It is something that would come at minimal cost to clubs but create a network of people to help find the right players for a club. Equally, it can strengthen the grassroots game with coach education to help make the level of player coming through stronger.  Looking more broadly, across the county, Vitesse have 20 national scouts. This gives them the opportunity to recruit in areas such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam where there may be missed talents in more densely population regions.

"Are you ready for the game of the future?"

At Vitesse, they stress that football is always changing. To stay ahead of the game, they must keep thinking forwards and being innovative. In order to keep progressing, they must keep adapting and looking at others and themselves. 

Vitesse want to "play dominant, attractive and dynamic football with players who can translate this in all circumstances in practice". 

We had many excellent presentations in the media room!

They do however have guiding principles for how they want to develop players and the style in which they want to play for. They start off simple eat the younger ages with less topics/areas but as they get older they are exposed to more detail and depth around the Vitesse way of playing. These fall under, very simply; Defending, Attacking, Transition from Defending to Attacking and Transition from Attacking to Defending. 

We were fortunate to have a presentation from the U19s head coach, Ben van Dael. Ben had a wealth of experience, working at VV Venlo for 15 years (spending time as assistant coach of the first team and also as the interim head coach) and had also been manager at Fortuna Sittard just a couple of years ago. He gave us a great presentation after a training session about what they had worked on and it's relevance to their upcoming game (which had unfortunately been cancelled). One thing he said that really stood out to me however was "it's not all about systems, it's about spaces". Vitesse play with a 1-4-3-3 formation, but that in itself is very flexible to meet the needs of the individuals and the demands of the game. 

Freedom and fight

Ajax U14 v Vitesse U14

As we witnessed training sessions across the age groups there were many different types of sessions, covering different topics under those four areas stated. What was apparent to us, which Bart (van Rooijen) confirmed to us, is that the coaches have freedom to decide what they coach the group during the course of the season. This "lack of structure", if you can call it that, was a point of discussion amongst many attending alongside myself. Their thinking is that the coaches know the players the best. They are the ones that see them in training, and especially see how they play in fixtures in a competitive environment. The coaches just need to make sure that over the course of the year they cover the guiding 'principles' for that relevant age group. There is not a syllabus, so to speak, which is what those I attended with (including myself) are used to. 

Another similarity that lies with Ajax is that the coaches are there to 'help' and allow the players to do a lot for themselves. Each player has a talent and Vitesse are looking for the coaches to connect with the players, be positive and not get too emotional about mistakes - as it is important to remember the players are children. When players are struggling, they want to develop a player's character to 'fight' and keep going. This is evident when we witnessed Vitesse U14s v Ajax U14s, a fitting conclusion to the tour. Both sides showed a lot of talent, but despite having very little to play for (in terms of the league table) Vitesse's battling spirit prevailed, winning the game two nil. This gave a really clear image of what Vitesse Arnhem were about. They try to play football in an attractive manner, using a positional game but equally they display a hunger and desire to win the game. The players understand what it means to play for the club.

The three days or so that I spent there most certainly weren't enough, and I would love to visit again and learn more about how they implement their vision and principles of play into the teams and players across the age groups. I look forward to seeing how Vitesse, a club certainly on the rise, continue to develop their players and how they continue to utilise the relationship they have with Chelsea!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comment section below. Thanks again to Murray Jones, who organised the whole trip and a top person too! 

Expected goals, expected scepticism...

As Jeff Stelling fumed about Arsene Wenger citing expected goals post-match (what does he even know, anyway?), his Soccer Saturday cronies laughed in the background. 'Yeah, you tell 'em Jeff!'

It is not the first outdated rant that a member of the Soccer Saturday team has made, as poor Marco Silva will tell you.

It is no surprise that these 'Football Men', as they often referred as within the game, are as usual off the mark with a new approach within football. I would guess that it threatens their own positions, as they begin to look more and more outdated. 

It is also not surprising that he had absolutely no idea what expected goals really is, as many who dismiss it as pointless do. 

A rant like Stelling's about expected goals is a dangerous one however within football because it will have been lapped up but unsuspecting fans, players and coaches who also have no idea what expected goals, or 'xG' as it can be known, even is. As a result, they will themselves be dismissive as it's a load of nonsense according to good old, lovable Jeff. 

Jeff rants about xG, Marco Silva and
 how football was better in his day

But if you dig a little deeper the whole concept of expected goals is very interesting and above all, useful. How many times have you been discussing a game you've just watched, particularly as a fan of one of the teams, bemoaning the missed chances that have impacted the outcome of the game?

Expected goals actually helps us work out if that is true or not. It is a metric that quantifies the likelihood of an effort on goal actually being scored through an algorithm.

Why should fans care? Well, they don't have to, and they probably don't, but when someone is bemoaning a team's fortunes such 'on another day that shot goes in' or 'we were unlucky' you can actually go a long way to proving it to be true or not.

xG has come to prominence somewhat more as it has started to appear on MOTD (after the corner statistic flashes for each game, how sad am I?) since the start of the 2017-18 season. For anoraks like me, it's really cool that something like this is being embraced in the mainstream media. It is something I think will quickly become the norm amongst football fans in the coming years.

For coaching, scouting and analysis, it is just one of many developments in football analytics. Any team who outwardly promotes their use of analytics is labelled as using 'moneyball', which I think again shows that there is a long way to overcoming the dismissive nature of football towards stats!

A metric like expected goals can be huge for departments across a club. Coaches can assess where they might need to work with a striker, in terms of their finishing or the positions they pick up. Analysts can identify exactly that for them. Scouts can back up subjective attitudes towards a player with objective data like this. If a player truly does pick up good positions but just isn't scoring them yet 'xG' will help identify this, making the recruitment process a whole lot more efficient.

I am by no means an expert on this area, far from it (!) but I do recognise it's significance and how it could aid my own coaching in football if I wish to pursue it at a higher level one day.

As analytics becomes more sophisticated it is slowly being dripped into youth development in the professional game - which can only be a good thing. The more objective we can become to supplement that alongside the more subjective information and ideas we have about players the more informed decisions can be made about young players and their future. Too often, decisions on young players are made on a whim because of a personal opinion from one coach, which may not be representative of that club as a whole. 

In terms of grassroots football, it may not have as much significance due to the nature of the game at that level with various constraints that would not really allow for it, not least of all; time. But just by educating players, or coaches, they can start to think a little more objectively about things rather than relying on their own confirmation bias.

The dismissal of expected goals as a metric by the more old-school thinkers is a strange one, but as I said above not surprising. Statistics, especially the interesting ones, possibly threaten this type of individual's 'traditions' and 'values' and maybe they worry will be rendered useless as modern football develops. Those who embrace it however, will find the benefits. What is to lose anyway?

Though the 'Football Men' may not like it, expected goals is here to stay and is slowly becoming the norm. Furthermore, there will be many more useful statistics to come that will be far more meaningful than the original 'possession' that brought stats into play in football. Analytics is developing in football into something very meaningful, so think before you dismiss it without even understanding it!
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To learn more about expected goals and analytics in football, here are some interesting articles!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40699431 - BBC article

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/nov/22/jeff-stelling-expected-goals-stats-xg-soccer-am - Guardian article

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLcXH_4rwr4 - FourFourTwo documentary

https://experimental361.com/ - Very good website that breaks it down

https://statsbomb.com/2013/08/goal-expectation-and-efficiency/ - Goal expectation and efficiency

Youth football: Where do we draw the line?

This blog post is inspired from reading Michael Calvin's latest brilliant book 'No Hunger in Paradise'.

The book does a fantastic job of capturing youth football and its realities within the professional game. At times it is heart-warming, at others it makes you despair.

And while reading it, it reminded me of everything that is wrong in youth and grassroots football.

Four, five, six year old boys are sold the dream. They are invited to 'academy development centres', promised contracts once they turn eight, their heads are filled with ideas of the riches that come with the game.

The reality is, barely any of these players will end up in the professional game as footballers. That is the cold reality. So why are these young people so unprepared for this? The percentages are tiny, minuscule. To be clear, I have never stopped a player progressing to an academy that I have coached, nor would I ever. It is a wonderful opportunity. Nevertheless, the reason I am so passionate about coaching in grassroots football is because although children do not all become professional footballers, they do all become members of society.

Do kids truly get to learn to love the game?

And inevitably, whether it be at eight, ten, twelve or as they approach the potential offers of scholarships, these players are discarded by their respective clubs. On a visit to AFC Ajax last September (blog here), their academy recognised that by releasing players, they are admitting that they have failed the players and that the coaches are not doing their own job.

I see similar parallels in grassroots youth football. Young children are released for not being 'good enough'. Firstly, good enough for what exactly? Secondly, why do they need to be good enough? The very definition of grassroots football is the introduction to and enjoyment of the sport.

How do we change the ever growing commodification of academy footballers, though?

I firmly believe players shouldn't be registered with professional club until fourteen years of age, but we know that this is never going to happen, nor is it practical. Clubs find loopholes round the fact that clubs are not allowed to sign players until they are eight as it is, as identified earlier in this article. An alternative might be that you can not release players on the grounds of ability until the age of fourteen. That way, you my get some degree of patience. For example, some players may struggle through a growth spurt (or a lack of one). Quite often clubs will get rid of a player like this whereas all they need is someone to give them the opportunity once their body settles down. I would be interested to hear people's thoughts on this!

Another cause for the concern in the growth of young players becoming commodities for clubs, if they are not already, is the presence of intermediaries. I find this abhorrent, simply put. As players approach sixteen they no doubt need some form of support in this area but surely that should come from the club providing education? That way we will get less players getting caught in a tug of war battle, incited by an 'agent' which would let them get on with their development with minimal distractions.

No doubt there are good agents about, as highlighted in Calvin's book, but does a nine year old really need an agent? There are too many people looking to milk the next superstar for everything they have and it is a stain on the game.

As players become shifted from club to club looking for the 'best' offer, this throws up many issues not just for the child as a footballer but as a person. Is this really what is best for the child?

It all came too soon for Sonny Pike

Clubs ask players to relocate at young ages to be near enough to the training ground - otherwise they may not be asked to stay on. I have witnessed parents share a genuine concern for having to move their child just to play for a professional club's academy at just ten years old. Equally, there are some parents who push their children too far. Taking them to clubs left, right and centre. Are they being given sufficient education on their child's welfare and what is truly best for their development as a player?

I am indeed aware that this is the 'nature of the beast' that is academy football and the professional game, but does that make it okay? Clubs are going above and beyond now, seemingly having no shame in the length they will go to sign a player. Two huge clubs now have been punished and yet it feels like we are only just scratching the surface here.

And finally, is it all a bit too much? Children can not cope with the same strains as adults, battering them year in year out, is it a dangerous game to be playing with their mental health, as well as physical? These players train up to four times a week plus a game. Will they be able to form a stable social life? Are they getting as much time to concentrate on other areas in their education? As I said, not every child can become a footballer.

I guess my question is, where do we draw the line? And are we currently crossing it?

Review: The FA Youth Award

On Friday 7th April, I was delighted to undertake (and pass) my FA Youth Award assessment. This was the completion of a 'journey' that I had begun in 2013, having just turned eighteen and coming out of the level two course I had completed at college. 

With the introduction of the youth module content into the level 1, level 2 and soon to be UEFA B, I thought this represented a good time to review the FA Youth Award, and the impact I have seen it have on myself (and others). This blog will hopefully give an accurate account of the course, and the messages it hopes to give coaches. 

Youth Module 1 - Developing the Environment

A lot of people I talk to, who have been through at least two of the youth module courses, claim that this is the better of the courses in the FA Youth Award. From my perspective, I think this is due to the way it changes people's perceptions. 

The youth module one is a fantastic introduction to the award, and the course overall, as it starts with the most important thing. The kids. And more specifically, how we allow them to enjoy football. 

Our very neatly prepared 'Space Recognition'
session on the Youth Module 1!

The four days on this course were intense, but fun! We were being educated in the exact way that would be expected of ourselves when working with our players back at our clubs. The exercises we were shown were fun, but worthwhile. A game as simple as 'skills corridor' had your technical focus for players to practice but with a fun element and challenges to it (depending on how you adapted it). This is a session that I used with under eights that I coach just a couple of weeks ago, albeit slightly adapted and renamed 'skills volcano'! 

As with the title of the course, the environment created by a coach is the key focus here. How do you manage mistakes? This in particular was something of an eye opener for candidates, as we began to recognise mistakes as learning opportunities. Looking back, this seems so obvious but it is not always as simple as that. Looking after a player's self-esteem is equally as important, and ties in well with this. This was something I connected well with, as it has always been my belief that you should make each and every player you coach feel valued. You will always see more development than berating them for mistakes, in my opinion. Have you ever seen a player perform better in tears? Probably not. 

Youth Module 2 - Developing the Practice

I attended the second module of the youth award almost a year later, a good time between having attended module one. This gave me the chance to consolidate my learning from the first course, and I was raring to go for the next instalment. It didn't disappoint. 

We were now moving onto 'the practice' and this was a great course for working on how we design our sessions. The practice spectrum (Constant, Variable, Random) was introduced and it was time to consider the returns we wanted from our sessions. High levels of repetition (constant/blocked practice) with less realism or less repetition but more context to the game (Variable, Random). There is no right or wrong answer, only appropriateness for YOUR players based on their needs and stage of development. It is important to remember that these courses were largely centred around being age-appropriate, which forced us to justify everything we did in our coaching, an example of good practice we should try to do as often as possible. 

Another area of focus was in our planning and evaluating. This is an area, where I think now we make some key mistakes, as highlighted on this module. We love to plan, to the smallest details but this creates a rigidity, and means we do not adapt the session to our players needs. In comparison, we do not put as much time in to our reflections. Our evaluation is usually the journey home, or in the de-brief with players after a training session or match. If anything, I think we are doing it the wrong way round. We need to have a flexible plan for the players which can be adapted and moulded, whereas we need to be more stringent in our evaluation. However, it has to be said that for volunteers, which we mostly are in grassroots football, time constraints can make this process difficult.

Youth Module 3 - Developing the Player

The third and final course, this was a really good four days to tie everything together. I attended a CPD event which was an introduction for what to expect and also gave lots of information about the assessment that you can chose to do at the end of it. What it was really good for was bringing together the elements from the level 1 (top tips), level 2 (STEP principles) and the content covered in the youth modules one and two. What it would allow us to do, was select the right tool at the right time. 

I wrote a blog about the first two days of the module three course which you can read HERE. What I will say is, looking back, that this gave us the chance to think about how we develop players specifically. In my planning for my portfolio, I have become more player specific with my planning, and my challenges. The trial and error method through challenges is a really good way of developing players individually I find. But when you begin to make loads of challenges, it will dilute it somewhat. Be meticulous in what you do!  In your planning, if you focus on individuals it will also allow you to manage difference in your group. How often do we extend, and challenge players further who are forging ahead? Can we help those who are striving to keep up?

A challenge card I created for players! 

After the third module I also began to focus on the principles of play in greater detail. I am lucky in that the group I have been working with towards the youth award assessment has some eager learners, and they enjoyed learning about the principles of play, defending and attacking wise. This is where you can see that as you go onto module three, it makes the link from level two to level three/ UEFA B.  It also introduces the whole-part-whole methodology, which you are expected to use in your portfolio (and if not justify why!). I enjoyed trying this in my sessions, as it was something new and that I have been able to add to my repertoire. This design of practice aims at giving the session as much context to the game as possible. It encourages the coach to give players practices that look like the game. This is important as it can be easy for coaches to get drawn into creating fancy sessions that have lots going on but look nothing like a game of football. 

The assessment

The assessment is optional. At the end of the module three you can, if you wish, not take the assessment and get a certificate for attending. The assessment however, is not straight away, or during the course. The first part, the portfolio gets you onto the second part (practical session) and that gets you onto the final part, the question and answering. 

For my portfolio, I had tried to keep a good flow with the session topics, whilst catering it towards my players needs. We started with four in possession sessions, followed by four out of possession session, with as logical an order as possible. I then had a transition session, with another attacking session to complete it. I think this is a pretty good mode of assessment, however in future I would suggest a visit at some point during the sessions, like with the new level two. I think this would give a good opportunity to ensure the candidate is on the right path. That being said, I was able to send my sessions in to an FA tutor to do just that, minus the visit! 

The practical is fairly straight forward in what is expected of you. I was asked to deliver an arrival activity, part practice and whole practice from my portfolio. As it was on a different topic for each I had to stop and explain at the beginning of each to my group but in general this was fine. And it should be, as they should have already done it in your previous sessions! In between the 'part' and 'whole' I had a quick chat with the assessor, to see what I needed to do more to pass and this was massively helpful I felt. Assessment sessions can die a death because the coach has no idea towards the end what box they need to tick and it turns into a bit of a mess. This way, the coach has a clear focus and they don't have to get anxious. This helped me massively.

Finally, the questions as the final part of the assessment. I spent many a night revising from my different learner packs and pre-course reading. What I will say is that if you have got to this point, you probably will know the answers to these questions. So do not worry! 

Overall thoughts

Here are some overall thoughts that I like about the course, or what I gained from it. 

Pre-course reading - This is a useful idea, as coaches will often turn up at a course not truly knowing what to expect. The pre-course reading in each of the youth award modules gives a good indication of what to expect. However, they only usually covered the physical corner of development in these booklets. I understand why, as it may not be the most interesting to discuss in a workshop during the course, and saves time, BUT I do think the pre-course reading could give more information of what candidates will be doing on the actual course in a bit more detail. I think that is a minor detail and overall this is a very positive idea. 

Quality of tutors - My experience of the FA tutors through this process has been overwhelmingly positive. I have been fortunate to have Matthew Joseph, Jamie Godbold, Keith Webb, Mark Leigh, Ray Lee on the courses and also Mike Antrobus who came out to assess me. In addition, other tutors and coach educators would stop by to observe and help. I learnt a lot from each and every single on of them in different ways. 

Learning from other candidates - This was equally as important. On the module one, I produced a session as part of a group of three with Anthony, an A License coach who is a county coach developer and Gillian, who at the time was working with a similar age group to myself. While putting on a session as part of a three can be quite difficult, the planning and evaluating was a valuable experience and as a young coach I learnt a lot from both. I have been fortunate to keep in touch with several people from the different modules, one example of the benefit of this was me being able to observe a UEFA B assessment day as a result. Put the effort into talking to other coaches as much as you do with the coach educators! 

The cost - I have been fortunate in my experience that I was able to do two of the modules through my charter standard club (and McDonalds, oddly) in order to attend the course for a minimal fee, possibly even free in fact. However, this is not the same for everyone and I think the FA need to become more creative in their pricing. With the content of these courses going into new Level 2 and 3 courses we may see a welcome change as it is asking a lot of coaches who put a lot of time and money into grassroots football as it is. While I do think you get value for money, the cost can be quite prohibitive I feel. 

Realism - This is not so much a limitation of this course but a problem for all coaching courses. When candidates are asked to produce sessions on a course, they do so in an environment that does not match the one they work in with their squads. This is why the new FA coach education course assessments are being done with visits to coaches' clubs, which is a positive. On the second day of my module three, one of the coaches invited his players as it was a half term, which was a great idea. It meant that we practice sessions closer to what we usually do, with children! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience the FA Youth Award has given me. It has helped me stand in good stead for future courses and further coaching experiences!

I think it is interesting from my perspective as these courses are now being implemented into the level two and three. For anyone who is going through these courses currently, I would be very interested to hear your views and thoughts on these courses in the comments section below. Equally, if you have any questions, or would like to see my portfolio, feel free to ask! 

Scratching the surface - AFC Ajax study visit

"You are the coach. You are responsible for the system and the philosophy." 

These were the words of former Dutch international and Ajax legend, Sonny Silooy. Sonny was presenting to us the Ajax philosophy that is admired across the footballing world.

We also took a tour of the Amsterdam ArenA. 

Sonny himself is a great example of what the club do so well. Players who are entrenched in the Ajax framework, who have been adored at the club in recent history are welcomed back to the club with open arms to help the next generation learn and flourish. Another example is Johnny Heitinga, now coaching with Jong Ajax, the club's under 23 side. His experience in the game and understanding of the club's philosophy is vital. No one is brought back on a whim however, they still have to be the right person for the club and they are paired with a trainer-coach at each age group.

We were fortunate enough to have exclusive access inside De Toekomst, the famous training centre of AFC Ajax. Ajax's record for producing talent is in a league of it's own. 'De Toekomst' translates to 'The future' in English - something held dearly as key at this club. The two days spent at the centre were incredible, hardly enough, but incredible.

For the duration we had the wisdom of Eddie Van Schaick, who has been at the club for nearly ten years as a coach and now consultant, sharing his wonderful wealth of knowledge with us.

Taking and giving responsibility

Responsibility comes from top to bottom. The club strive to improve their model everyday. The coaches have an obligation to those that are selected to play for the club. There is no screaming and hollering at this club - there is a quiet seriousness about the place but what is important is that the players are treated how they should be, as people. The coach must connect with them on all levels, not simply as footballers. Patience is a key quality of a coach at this club throughout the age groups.

The responsibility handed to players here at De Toekomst is in stark contrast to what I have witnessed at English clubs where, without wanting to generalise, players are often handed everything on a plate. The tools are given to the players, but it is what they do with them that is most important. "The most learning happens when a player takes it upon themselves" says Eddie. They are keen to see players putting in the extra work to develop, as that is what makes the difference. Additionally, the players do not need telling to leave the area clear, bring kit, move equipment, collect the footballs in. This shows on the pitch - the players are quick to correct each other, to help each other and make decisions with their own minds.

Planting the seed

Everything done within the academy is so well thought out and to the smallest detail. In their incredible dome facility, there is a performance testing area that analyses an individual's movement. This is done to create an awareness of what you are doing. "Everyone has their own individual technique" and rather than correcting someone, they want them to understand and feel comfortable within their own style.

'Power Hill'

Out on the athletics track, players can take part in a variety of activities. Basketball hoops and mini courts are in place aimed at goalkeepers and attackers so that they can train the mind to be wary of rebounds. 'Power hill' is a steep track and it is easy to think of the old school 'hill runs' when they show us this but work on here is often done with the ball or devised into a game. "They don't even realise it's training". On the small pitch (almost street football like) grids are etched into the markings to promote positional play, a key component in Ajax's philosophy. Here they are encouraged to play 3v1, 4v2 possession games and concentrate on their spacing. The aim is that these things will fast become second nature to the players.

This is much like the practices we witnessed in training at several age groups. Whether it is a technical practice, possession game or small sided game, the conditions are set to replicate Ajax's footballing philosophy and system. Once again, this is so simple yet so effective. A simple attacking (unopposed) technical practice that the under 17s worked on showed the players exactly the type of passes they are looking for and exactly the movements when running into the box.

After watching the Ajax under 23s training, one criticism Eddie had was that in a technical passing practice the first pass in the sequence went wide. He felt that the first pass should go centrally as going wide straight away created a dangerous scenario if possession was lost. Once again, it is the small things but this is what makes them stand out amongst the best.

"They are playing to win within the framework of Ajax"

In Holland, academies play against each other every season in a league system. This, they feel, is important for the players to understand that the aim is always to win. This is always a topic of great debate in England, as we have seen the shift away from league formats until after the age of eleven.

I believe this is a case of culture. In England, there has been a need to come away from the win at all costs mentality that hinders many young players development. In Holland, certainly at Ajax, development takes priority already where they still have a league format. There is no need to take the incentive of winning away.

Games are played in four blocks (they have only recently come away from the traditional two halves) and at the younger ages are now played as "twin games". Because academies generally have around sixteen players in each age group, at the younger age groups they play two games next to each other. Previously this was not the case until Ajax pulled out of the league system a couple of years because players were not getting enough game time. 

Eddie states that "The game is for everybody". Once again they reaffirm the obligation to the players they have selected. They all deserve the opportunity, equal playing time is insisted upon. When it comes to international tournaments, this is relaxed slightly but each player still gets significant time on the pitch.

The club has set systems that they are keen for the coaches to use at different age groups. At under 9 for example, in six a side they would like the team to play with one goalkeeper, two defenders, one central midfield and two forwards. At eight a side, which is the next step it is a 1-3-1-3 formation. And at eleven a side, it is the typical 1-4-3-3 that Ajax are associated with.

Fun and T.I.P.S

"Fun is number one".

This will come as no surprise but at De Toekomst fun is a key component of learning. Not only does the most learning come when an individual is having fun, but the playing philosophy of Ajax lends itself to the players' enjoyment. They have the freedom to attack and express themselves. At the younger ages, not a great deal of importance is placed on shape. As they get older, the players are encouraged to push each other and themselves but at the same time they embrace each other as if they are family. Each player has a lot of personality and when we were fortunate enough to witness the

games throughout the age groups, there was a great deal of it on show.

Ajax used the famous 'T.I.P.S" model for their development and assessment of players. Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed. If a player has all four in abundance, they are seen as golden. This model does not disregard physical ability but size and maturation is clearly not something that comes into the thinking, a reason I particularly like this model. Focus on what you can control!

In phase one, ages 8-12 players at the academy train four times a week for two hours. When it comes to phase two, however, between 13-16 the length of sessions is reduced to an hour and a half. This is because of puberty, school and other pressures that come with growing up. By the age of twelve, the coaches will know the potential of the players and this is where they need to be patient. It is refreshing to hear about.

Only scratching the surface

This was simply a snapshot of the work that goes on at this world class set up. There is so much more that I could have, and probably should have, added (feel free to ask anything below in the comments). Two days was simply not enough as there was so much more to learn about and further detail to cover. However, I did learn an incredible amount and the experience did leave me with further enthusiasm for improving my own coaching and to visit more clubs. These widened experiences can only be positive and are something I would do again in a heartbeat.

This study visit was made possible by Murray Jones and Euro Football Tours and Events. They have links with many clubs and have covered many different clubs too. I wholeheartedly recommend attending one of their events.  You can find out more at: http://www.footballtoursandevents.com/

It's all relative: birth bias in youth football

As a coach, have you ever considered your players' date of birth?

If the answer to that question is no, you may be missing a trick.

Concerning statistics reveal that a large proportion of youngsters in professional academies are born in the first three months of the selection year (i.e. September-November). This is also found to be prevalent in grassroots football where there is competition and a league structure.

The Relative Age Effect was highlighted in the mid eighties in elite youth ice hockey by Roger Barnsley. It was discovered that those that had been selected at elite level were born nearer the set selection date. The Relative Age Effect proposes that in the higher levels of sport, participation comes largely from those born in the first three months after an eligibility cut off date.

Just consider it.

Your star player in your under sevens side may be standing out currently but just remember, he or she may be up to eleven months older than another of your players. Someone who is seemingly dominant at the beginning of the season can easily be caught up. It's often a mistake that a coach, or scout or even parents can identify an individual's early physical maturation as 'talent'.

We could be overlooking a large amount of talented young players because of the opportunities given at a young age based on their date of birth.

Harry Kane - one of many of Spurs latest academy
graduates who are summer born!

It is very difficult to get into an academy set up past a certain age. If you aren't being watched from an early age and having exposure to the academy life (i.e. three training sessions a week) your chances slip away as time goes by. Some academies sign up to twenty five boys at under nines.

A theoretical model was put forward to suggest why this birth bias occurs. It considers that there are three social agents that affect the relative age effect; the parent, the coach and the athlete.

The theory behind how the coach can impact the relative age effect is called the pygmalion effect. It suggests that when an individual places greater expectation on someone then they will conform to that expectation. So if a coach perceives a young player to have high levels of ability for their physical maturity, it is possible that they are shaping that player's development with those expectation levels. Meanwhile, little Jane or Johnny are being further disadvantaged.

Ask yourself this, do you find yourself praising just the players who you see as the stars? Or can you manage the whole squad and meet their individual needs?

On the FA Youth Module 1 course, the relative age effect is indeed touched upon. If you own 'the future game' book published by the FA there is also a large section around it.  Through education, coaches can help themselves understand and limit the relative age effect.

How can this be further combatted? Is it just down to the coaches?

Since last year, academies have begun to trial "bio-banding". This is a process of grouping young players according by their physical maturity. Sports scientists are tasked to work out a young person's biological age for this process.

My issue with this is that considerations for the other three corners (technical, psychological, social) of the long term player development model might now be taken out of the equation.

In Nick Levett's article on the relative age effect, he mentions that although there are fewer late born players in academies, those players are given a fantastic education because of the challenges they face.

Lots of early maturers can also be talented!

Those challenges can help them become better learners, deal with being smaller physically and improve the other three areas while they mature physically. For the earlier born players who were once considered the big talent in their age group, they are given less of those challenge and may not be asked to maintain as high a standard as the others. I have definitely seen that happen to players at a local professional club where I grew up. It works both ways!

West Brom have a late birthday project and Tottenham have shadow squads throughout their younger ages. It certainly is not something that has been ignored.

A key concern of mine is towards grassroots football and participation. Where there is less competition and in non-elite sport the relative age effect is found to be reduced. However, managements, coaches and parents are far less likely to have received the education on the matter to assist in reducing birth bias. It is entirely possible that in physical sports such as football less developed children will be out off by the demands, and also being perceived as having low levels of ability. Can this be considered a form of social exclusion?

I welcome your views surrounding the Relative Age Effect, and the possible ways you or your club may be looking to combat this phenomenon!

Central venue leagues: the way forward for grassroots football?

Starting up a grassroots football club is difficult (and then running it is pretty tough too!). There are so many considerations to take into account such as; insurance, affiliation, attracting players and finding volunteers amongst many.

Another challenge is finding a suitable home venue. One where a club can provide a pitch for all it's teams if required on one day. In the modern day it is rather difficult to find that kind of space and furthermore, if such a place exists it is unlikely that one club can have access to all the pitches just for themselves.

Hackney Marshes was - and still is - a great venue for football

So when the grassroots club that I work with in London looked to address this problem, a league in East London provided the solution. All games in this league were held at one venue with the pitch and referee part of the package.

For clubs who struggle with the logistics of arranging home and away matches at the weekend, this eradicates that issue completely. And for those who do not have a coach per age group, it allows them to travel from game to game with relative ease.

This year I have been coaching with an under sevens side in the Southampton area. The league they are in have a similar system but play the games on an astro turf pitch. They are able to run three games simultaneously, with each game filling roughly an hour slot. This runs most of the day on the Sunday so it allows plenty of teams to play football on a quality surface where games are also significantly less likely to be called off. And what's more, there is a great atmosphere about the place (below is a picture of the first thing you see when you arrive).

A great sign to see entering the pitches
in a youth league in Southampton

If this became a more common system across the country it could become a real positive for scouts and people working in talent identification. I mentioned in a previous blog that scouts appear more prominently at summer tournaments and I would imagine this is because they have access to more players in one place, saving them valuable time and money.  At central venue leagues this would be of a similar advantage for them to witness young players in a competitive, realistic environment during the season.

With the Football Association planning to create one hundred additional astro turf pitches over the next four years, when organisations and football clubs look to secure funding for these pitches a case for their proposal could be to have a grassroots youth league playing their on the weekend. This would provide evidence for it being financially sustainable, in addition to the potential stream of money that would come from the hundreds of people that will be there who may want to buy tea, coffee, hot food etc.

I hope that this can become a more common sight. I have seen so many stories of clubs having to fold and this could be one mechanism that can help to reduce that occuring so often. There is a real possibility I believe for creating a system that can be easily organised nation wide which would begin to improve and bring together the grassroots football community!

English colleges system playing it's part?

Playing football everyday is an unbelievable privilege.

I was fortunate enough to be on a sixth form programme where I trained four times a week, sandwiching in a game on Wednesdays, and played to a good standard as well.  Once you reach sixteen it is very easy to stop playing football entirely so the idea of increasing your playing opportunities is incredibly enticing. What better way is there to spend two or three years of your life, than doing something you love?

Me (central behind ball) playing at Birmingham
City's training ground

The sixth form course I enrolled on (a BTEC Level 3 Diploma) led me on to my university course, while I also had access to complete other qualifications that I could add to my CV and improve my skills for working in the football industry. Whats more, I had some amazing experiences (overnight away trips, tour abroad, visiting academies) that I will hold with me for the rest of my life and made me a better person for them. It was fascinating to see the change in people you met at sixteen that I saw a completely different person in them two or three years later.

There are people I now know, and I am sure this is the case elsewhere too, that have been afforded the opportunity to go to university that a few years back the thought may not even have slightly attracted them. Even though I am a fairly academic person, I was not sure myself what I could do or where I could go that would benefit me when asked about my next step.

Vardy - Stocksbridge Park Steels to England Senior team

Across the country now there are various similar programmes offering males and females leaving secondary school the opportunity to combine their studies with playing football and this system is producing some exceptional footballers out of it. From my course alone, Britt Assombalonga has now had millions of pounds spent on him by Nottingham Forest and Peterborough United. I was fortunate enough myself to play in an incredible team in my second year of my course, where we romped to the league title playing stunning football and scored over one hundred goals.

Players from that team are now at Huddersfield (on the bench for the first team just last week) and Sheffield United, whilst others have gone onto play in the USA, the Phillipines and Australia and a few more are fluttering around different non league sides, who I'm sure will get their break at some point. I have heard more stories of other sixth form programmes that have had players sign with professional clubs or go on trial with them, so it is clear this is the case nationwide rather than just a one off.

So not only is this system developing people through football, by offering the chances of social mobility, a better living, a career for these young men and women but it is also a structure that is helping to develop the game of football too. These courses can be seen as potential source of revenue for some clubs, or can improve their squad by finding players missed out by the talent identification system in this country, and believe me there are many.

We have already seen the rises of Charlie Austin and Jamie Vardy to the top level, so who is to say there will not be more late developers with a big impact?

The nowhere men who make a hash of matters

Talent identification in football, particularly at youth level, has risen in its importance for professional clubs. More money is being spent on the running of academy set ups than ever before with clubs identifying the need to produce the next top talent. Clubs are now competing vociferously with each other to be the first to snap up young potential, with development centres being set up for players as young as four or five.  The Elite Player Performance Plan allows “clubs that have earned a top category grading to recruit young talent from further afield than is permitted under the current rules”. Thus meaning that more clubs can scout in more areas, giving players more opportunities to be observed by more staff at more professional football clubs.

Is there a science behind talent identification?

The Football Association themselves are recognising the need for education on the matter of talent identification, in the process of developing the Level 1 certificate in Talent Identification. Former FA head of talent identification Mike Rigg insisted that “our talent ID process must move beyond the snapshot mentality," but with the demand and pressure to not miss out on the 'next big thing', scouts could be too worried to take their time watching a player when another club may take the chance on them straight away.

Developing the players I work with as a human being and as a footballer are always the key when I remember why I love coaching football. Therefore, when I am approached by a scout about a player in the team I am working with I am naturally delighted, knowing that I am doing a part of my job well and mainly, excited for the child identified.

What irks me, however, is when a scout does not feel the need to talk with the coach (whether it be me or someone else) and makes advances towards the child and their parents without anyone’s permission. As far as I am aware there is a certain procedure scouts are asked to follow, which involves the coach introducing the scout to the child’s parent. This was not the case earlier this year at a tournament I coached an under tens team at.

On this occasion the scout had indeed approached me and told me that he liked the look of one of my players. He added that he would come back and swap contact details so he could come see more of him, but when I next looked around he was already deep in discussion with the child and mother. I knew a scout at the same club already and found out that this person was in fact a scout coordinator! I would never block an opportunity for a young player, and he will be training with that club soon but we have received an apology too.

Worryingly accurate

In another case, just weeks previously, a supposed head of recruitment at a different club contacted a parent of another eleven year old at our club. We have taken this boy to two professional clubs already because of his obvious talent and we expected him to attract more attention. This time we had not received any notification whatsoever of their interest in taking the child in question on trial from the club. 

My primary concern here (lack of communication between grassroots and elite is for another day) is that these people are strangers first, employees at a professional football club second. We do not know these people and for all we know they could be anyone. There are so many children out there who dream of one day becoming a professional footballer which makes them so vulnerable to people who may or not work for a professional football club. I need to know these people are the real deal before we get to the stage of introducing and talking about a potential trial. Quite often a scout will approach me and fail to show me any form of identification that evidences that they are who they say they are. Leading me onto my next point. 

Secondly, the unprofessional-ism of not one but two football clubs is disturbing. These people are representing an organisation when they approach people, so they must act in a way that shows that organisation to be a respectful and thoughtful one. If there is a procedure they need to follow it strictly. If there is not then one should be implemented. It is very easy for scouts to wear a club tracksuit and show off who they work for but anyone can do that. When wearing old kit from my team (associated with a professional club) I played for at sixth form, children ask me if I am a scout, to which I politely tell them I am not. It used to be the scouts tried to stay out of the spotlight (hence the nickname 'the nowhere men'), now young men relish the attention!

I appreciate that talent identification courses are in their infancy and an effort is being made but clubs must strive to hold higher standards.  They can do so much more without a fuss to create a more stable environment for young players to be identified in the correct manner. I do not know if other grassroots coaches have similar experiences (please feel free to share if you have in the comments section) but these are people who hold important roles in the development of footballers in this country and leaves me apprehensive about the state of our talent identification system. I am hopeful with that more education for those working in the professional game will ease my fears but I believe that this needs to happen sooner rather than later.