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The FA Future Game conference took place on Thursday 9th December 2010, at Wembley Stadium. The day saw the launch of The FA’s new coaching manual for the grassroots game, The Future Game, Grassroots Guide to Coaching. More about the manual to follow.
The conference took place in the great hall at Wembley Stadium and saw 637 coaches waiting to hear from some of the biggest names in football. This included Fabio Capello, Peter Crouch, Sir Trevor Brooking, Hope Powell, Sam Allardyce, Stuart Pearce, David Sheepshanks, John Peacock and Eric Harrison.
The day was hugely inspirational and it was great see what the FA thought about the state of the game and where we are aiming to be in the next 30 years. In my lifetime the national team has never won a trophy, and apart from Italia 90 and perhaps Euro 96 we’ve disappointed on the big stage. We are not a world power and our “world class” players have failed deliver when it matters most, be it a technical, mental or tactical fault….there is room from improvement. This improvement can start NOW, coaches working with players aged 5-11 will shape the future of the game, and ultimately help determine if we go another 40 years without winning a competition.
Below is a quick synopsis of the key presentations, and the key points made. I have made over 15 pages of notes so I’ll try and keep it to the point otherwise this will turn in to 10,000 word dissertation!!
A Winning Insight: The Story Behind the UEFA European U17 Championship – John Peacock, England U17 Head Coach and The FA’s Head of Coaching
This was a 30 minute presentation on the success of the England U17 team at the Euros in Liechtenstein. The team won the championship, beating Spain in the finals. The presentation shared Peacock’s methodology and preparation for the competition, and how he covered all 4 corners of the FA Long Term Player development model; Technical, Physical, Psychological and social. Peacock came across as a great coach and an individual that left nothing to chance. The team practiced penalties, every player had a start in competition, the team played different formations; depending on the opposition (Fabio take note!).
The key points from Peacock in my opinion;
Technical – POSSESSION – PATIENCE – PENETRATION
Key to success – COMPETE – CONCENTRATION – COMPOSURE
His philosophy – EXPRESSION – RISK TAKING – BELEIEF
The Challenges and Expectations of Modern Day Learners – Alistair Smith, Learning Advisor to The FA
To be honest this speech confused me to start with, by the end of it I asked Alistair if I could have a copy of the slides!! Trying to summarise what he spoke about is very difficult, this speech covered so many topics all relevant to modern coaching and working with children in general.
Smith works for an external company (http://www.alite.co.uk/index.php ) and his job as a consultant is to work with the FA learning and discuss the “How” of learning. I have written to Alistair and hope to share more in the near future…
If you are interested in learning styles, psychology or the challenges of learning this speech was brilliant, visit his website or follow him on twitter @alatalite
Here are the key notes I took;
5 points to consider when developing yourself as a Teacher or Coach
1. Plan your journey
2. Put in the hours
3. Apply what you have learn in different contexts
4. Balance tacit and formal learning
"font-size: small;">5. Get a mentor or mate
Parents play a massive role in develop young athletes (not always positive) consider they talk TO,WITH and AROUND children.
As a coach “understand the talent in front of you and why it is unique”
“Do not praise for perfection, praise for progress”
Motivation = Opportunity + Expectancy x Value
5 points to consider when developing others
1. Secure and maintain a positive learning environment
2. Build in progression and build up the challenge
3. Create problem solving opportunities
4. Reinforce what you want and make it safe for individuals to fail
5. Balance ego and task related feedback
“Getting stuck is not a problem, staying stuck is”
The Role of a coach is “to make it safe for each generation to love and stay in love with football”
Club England – Coaching Philosophy and Insights: Q&A with Fabio Capello, Peter Crouch, Eniola Aluko, Sir Trevor Brooking and Hope Powell CBE
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| Fabio Capello, Sir Trevor and Peter Crouch |
This Q n A sessions was a bit safe, and there were no real surprises in the answers from key personnel. In my opinion Sir Trevor and Crouch came across well. I found Fabio Capello frustrating, I’m not sure if it was the language barrier but he didn’t really answer the question posed to him.
Brooking accepted that the performance at the highest level wasn’t good enough and that the whole purpose of the conference was to ultimately build a pool of technically better players that can challenge at the highest level.
Crouch came across as an intelligent guy and the key point he made was that the most important coach in his career was when he was 10-12, as he learnt, installed confidence in him and kept it fun. The aim of anyone working with children I would suggest.
Learning through Experience. Sam Allardyce shares some valuable lessons
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| Big Sam – Future England Manager? |
Big Sam was a breath of fresh air, he answered every question directly and honestly. He took questions from the floor and gave the best answer he could.
The key points I took from this:
Mini Soccer should be moved in to a summer season; more facilities and better conditions (light and pitches)
Professional clubs should allow more coaches in to view academy sessions and learn from top quality coaches.
St George’s Park: The Home and Hub of Future Coach Education – David Sheepshanks, Chairman of St George’s Park Board and Danielle Every, Head of FA Learning
I will write a separate article on this very interesting stuff.
The Value of Education and Lifelong Learning: Stuart Pearce England Under-21 Coach shares his journey and signals the importance of coaches remaining in-date and up-to-date to meet the demands of the modern g
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| Pearce giving his thoughts |
They saved the best till last, Stuart Pearce was superb. The guy came to the stage following a video of his career so far (Click here) and he was asked to sit down by host Mark Clemmit. Mark was set interrogate him, when Pearce pulls out a piece of paper and says “Preparation”. Pearce went on to speak for 30 minutes about his career as coach, his pathway, his failings and what he’s learnt as coach. This was an inspirational talk and I have no doubt that one day Pearce will be manager of the 3 lions.
The key points from Psycho’s talk were;
“Know yourself – know your strength and weaknesses”
To be a successful coach you “must park your ego” we are all learning
He has done all his coaching badges, a degree in Business Management and reached Level 5 in sport psychology. He wants to be as prepared as possible – being a good player means nothing as a coach.
“As a coach don’t be afraid to make mistakes”, you encourage it in your players
Ask your players to set the topics once in a while, think on your feet it will make you a better coach
He views his career as “a passion, not a job”
“Don’t rush – you have to put the hours in”
The conference finished with a standing ovation for Pearce, we got our free copy of the manual and sat in traffic for 3 hours!!
Overall this was a fantastic day and very motivational.
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| The view for the lunch time practical session |
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