Is there an ‘ideal’ working environment, within football?

Having previously worked in various youth development programmes and speaking to different football coaches recently, there seems to be an overwhelming difference in what is being conveyed throughout academy set ups. Universally, all players and coaches take part in the same game, with the same rules. The differences occur at the level of ‘what’ the players are coached and ‘how’ this message is delivered. Whilst application is vital in every environment, I’ve learnt there could be better methods used, in what has been shared. Furthermore, some take the ‘how’ as a starting point and not ‘what’ the game is.

After these recent discussions with coaches here in the UK and overseas, some of the most common points raised were;

Taking the player as the starting point - The player is obviously pivotal on what the team does, but by taking the player first you could be neglecting the team and the possible progress they could be making. Team intentions, followed by the alignment of individual intentions, will guide certain decisions that the player(s) have to make. If you take the player first, you would be merely focusing on execution and possible ‘how’ solutions, without the team context. 

Using definitions, such as ‘our philosophy’ - It sounds nice and comes with good intentions, but the wording of ‘our philosophy’ is incorrect. Stating that something is your philosophy, actually means, your application. Your application to a certain situation, is ‘how’ you may apply your ideas to that context. When attacking we want to be to do ‘xxxxx’, as a team intention for example.

How we play - Strict guidelines on how to play could pigeon hole players to certain positions, as well as taking the decision making away from them. Furthermore, when children become teenagers and then adults, the game would have evolved to a certain degree, meaning that knowing and understanding different systems is imperative to learning. Are the players abilities taken into consideration with this, or is it a case of, ‘our way or the highway’?

The role of the lead coach differing - From club to club, the role and responsibilities of each lead coach was different. Whilst there is no ‘set’ framework for the clubs to adhere to, it could make sense to have guidelines in place for what the lead coach is required to do. This would be at the level of ‘what’ the job is. ‘How’ the coach chooses to perform in their own environment is their own decision, but there were comments that certain head’s of coaching ‘control’ their coaches by telling them what they have to coach. 

Non-contextual language widely used - Throughout the communication lines of certain clubs, the language used is different between a variety of departments, meaning that things will never be 100% clear. By not having a glossary of terms or universal football language being used, it causes more issues than it solves. The language being used, is at times non-contextual during meetings, training sessions and when feedback is delivered (to staff and players). 

Providing and implementing a set syllabus - For some it may look organised and allow coaches to plan ahead, but by using this educational framework for players, it could lead to slower learning processes. Why? If you’re chopping from topic to topic, it may not align with the problems that your team are facing, as well not being a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Some may need coaching with ‘A’, but the rest of the squad could be competent, so where does this leave them?

Are the players actually being educated? - Further to my previous point, in how a certain team plays, the question here is, what are players being educated on? Is there a process in place where there is plenty of variability, or is there ‘top-down’ control on what they players have to do. Even more, are the players told ‘how’ to do it? There is a tool widely used within the English Academy system, where ILP’s are formulated. Are these plans based on the coaches terms/interpretation (opinion based) or are the players football actions objectively evaluated, giving a more accurate summary of what is incompetent?

Whilst this list isn’t by any means exclusive to one football club, the discussions I had did share many similar patterns. We can’t deny the fact that academy systems have an important place within football and are used to assist the development of players, but, I do wonder how much emphasis there is on coach education within these football clubs? There are extensive foundations placed in ensuring the respective coaching team can produce players, but what about assisting them in order to progress further up the football pyramid?

I asked these coaches, that if they were to move to another football club, what would they really like to know beforehand. Some of the proposed questions were;

• Is there regular CPD available?
• Is the head of coaching regularly ‘on the grass’ observing and giving feedback?
• Is there a ‘strict’ structure in place for what has to be coached and how it’s delivered?
• Is there an emphasis on ‘what’ football is?
• Is there an objective starting point during discussions?
• Is there constraints placed on what the coach is allowed to do? Example - is there a ‘set’ warm up that has to be used before every training session?
• Is there a pathway in place in order for coaches to progress, within that respective club?
• Has there previously been a high staff turnover or has the coaching team been in place for a longer duration?

One topic that was widely discussed with all coaches was how much they received in payment. Speaking to two coaches from Scandinavia, there was a massive difference in what they got paid, compared to England, which was dramatically lower.

The perquisites that coaches have to meet here in the UK, range from; travel, experience in planning, knowledge of data input and obviously being a ‘competent’ coach. In return, the money offered failed to satisfy all the coaches I spoke to. Mentioned were fees of around £25.00-£40.00 per session and £55.00 - £75.00 for a match day, on a part time basis. Full time salaries ranged between £23,000 - £27,000. Surely there has to be more money trickling down the pyramid to pay for top professionals?

Some clubs require a UEFA A License, with others accepting a UEFA B License and dare should we mention certain degree’s via university. The investment coaches have to commit to is huge and even with this, there is still no guarantee of a job a the end of it. 

It would be a far cry to state that the academy system is ‘broken’, but with coaches being paid poorly and so many differing messages occurring within certain football clubs, it seems that the ‘ideal’ working place for all, really doesn’t exist?

Spencer Fearn Hugo Langton Jack Brazil Bart Caubergh Alexander Flattum Alexandru Bourceanu Alex Stylianou Julius Riemann Nico Koch Christos (Chris) Themeliotis Harrison Gilkes Benjamin Slator Anshul Kumar Tamta Rúben Cruz