Will football ever ‘come home’?
When it comes to football, England’s governing body, The Football Association (The FA), has set the benchmark for the development not just of coaches but the entire game, through the publication of its The Future Game document and through the high-profile views of head of elite development, Gareth Southgate.
The former England international defender has become the eloquent and intelligent voice of The FA as it looks to address two major issues: England concentrating on winning the World Cup through the development of world-class elite players, and coaches and players at grass roots abandoning the ‘win at all cost’ mentality in favour of trying to ‘play out from the back’.
The conundrum here is that it’s Southgate’s job to get all involved in the game to feel convinced that enough is being done to give the English national team a realistic chance to win the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup, while getting coaches and young players to not be so concerned about victory when they turn out on a Sunday morning to play their local rivals.
In other words, don’t worry about the winning now, and we’ll win the big one.
‘A new generation of parents and coaches are now watching more European football and realise that we need to concentrate on technical skills and possession of the ball, because children just don’t get enough time with the ball if they are playing 11-a-side at such a young age,’ Southgate explains.
‘We need to affect the mind-set of coaches and get them thinking not about winning, but what that actually means and the factors behind the outcome.
‘At pro level, most of the top academies are all about developing the players and the whole person, whereas on a Sunday morning, at all ages, it appears to be all about winning at all costs.
‘How can we change this? All we can do is to keep restating our aim to junior players and coaches that winning doesn’t mean everything – it’s how you win and how you develop the attributes that will allow you to win matches,’ continues the impassioned former Crystal Palace and Aston Villa defender.
‘We need to break games down into phases and ages; football should be about fun and development at an early age – learning to win shouldn’t really become an issue until about 16 or 17 years of age. The message to the grass-roots guys should be that it’s great to win, but football has to be about more than that for all involved. There are also positive messages a coach can get across to their players regarding lifestyle and education, and the coach can really be a positive role model for players.’
For former Middlesbrough captain and manager Southgate, it’s about coaching the whole player and nurturing technique so that when players reach their mid to late teens they can transfer their skills and game sense to a competitive environment.
‘When we’re developing them (children) as footballers, we’re also developing them as people, giving them confidence and skills they will use in other areas of their life. The long-term welfare of our kids is at the forefront of our thinking.’
In practice, sacrificing results for superior player development is an ideal scenario – but most coaches at grass roots know they can find themselves under pressure just like their counterparts at Premier League level if results start turning against them.
Professional coaches may face the dissent of the media, supporters and their own players, while those operating at the base of the football pyramid could encounter rebellious parents.
‘Coaches who want (their teams) to play out from the back and take players on, must not lose heart if they lose games in the short-term,’ states Southgate. ‘If they believe it’s the right thing to do, they’ve got to keep doing it, whatever the reaction of the parents or the opposition.’
But surely such an approach from a coach may be seen as stubborn and uncompromising by parents of children brought up on a diet of the Premier League and the fear of losing?
Ambitious youngsters (and perhaps even equally ambitious parents) may still think the only way to be ‘talent spotted’ is to be in a winning side which racks up the silverware.
‘Coaches have asked for literature they can give to the parents that explain that the focus shouldn’t be too heavily on winning,’ explains Southgate. ‘With my son, his team are looking to roll the ball out from the back; they concede goals, but they are learning to play and use the ball. Not all parents will understand this, and this can make life difficult for the coaches.
‘Coaches should seek “buy-in” from parents and those involved in their clubs regarding the development ethos’.
The FA’s education arm, FA Learning, has a comprehensive approach to training coaches from grassroots to elite level; for more details about the coaching pathway and details about FA Learning courses visit The FA Learning website.
Do you think The FA has the right approach to junior players?
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This article has been taken from issue 26 of Coaching Edge – the UK’s leading coaching magazine dedicated to sports coaching.
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