Part 1: An Irish youth soccer industry - Coaching pathways.

In my most recent article, I highlighted what I believe a Irish #youthsoccer industry could look like, if properly funded by the State.

Four easy-to-achieve changes that can/will have a transformative effect on our #LOIAcademy setup & ultimately, our player development efforts over the coming decade and beyond.

In this article, I will go into the first change in more detail; the long-term impact that funding can have on our game if LOI Academies could fully invest in their coaches.

A youth coaching pipeline for coaches to realize a career in Ireland

There are ten full-time LOI Academy staff across 24 LOI Academies - no matter what way this is dressed up/reported, it is still an outrageously low number of FT roles for a League that is currently experiencing a popularity boom. We are currently 1 of 4 European countries with an average of less than 1 full-time employee per Academy - a shocking statistic.

We can now see LOI attendances skyrocketing, more sold-out games than ever before & team expansion in the WNL; outside of the LOI & WNL, our WNT qualified for their first-ever World Cup & are one step away from qualifying for Euro 2025. Momentum is building - but will it manifest itself into long-lasting, transformative change?

The League of Ireland highlighted three fundamental issues facing LOI Academies in their pitch for funding:

• Lack of coaching contact time
• Over-reliance on volunteer coaches & club personnel
• Ability to create financially sustainable Academy Development model due to perceptions directly associated with our Development Environment.

How can Government funding impact all three issues in one swing? Providing an environment allowing FT coaching roles to be maintained across the entire LOI Academy setup.

The graphic below makes for damning viewing but when spun in a positive light, imagine what could be if Academies were funded to vastly increase this number.

One side-effect of this funding may mean a cleansing of Academies - 24 LOI Academies is seven more than their closest compatriot - but they have 289 staff across seventeen Academies. Should more funding be provided to a fewer number of Academies or should the funding be spread evenly out among all 24? A difficult question for FAI decision-makers.

Either way, the Academy setup in Ireland is chronically understaffed & is punching way above its weight compared to the resources of other countries. Investing in more FT Academy staff across the board will allow players to realize greater contact time across the season (and post-season); there is zero drawback in such a situation.

Player performance & development feedback opportunities

If coaches can spend more time with players during the week, they can also be afforded more time from a post-match & IDP feedback engagement POV as well. Engaging with players (and their parents) with detailed, well-developed feedback on player progress, player weaknesses and enhanced development planning can only have one effect; an improved player.

Imagine a scenario where....

An Academy coach can go into work at the Academy each Monday at 9am to fully digest the weekend's performance. With players arriving that evening for a warm-down/debrief, the coach has the entire day to get this done & develop a more granular approach to their feedback - even allowing for individual one-to-ones over the week.

Now, imagine where the coach goes into their 9-5 job each Monday, with a debrief at the Academy that evening. Their day-job duties will massively hinder their ability to provide detailed, effective feedback to the team & almost certainly negate any detailed individual player feedback. The players miss out by not this learning opportunity not being maximized & the coach is placed under growing stress (mental & time) at the beginning of the week.

FT coaching roles allow coaches to devote more time to the players' feedback - giving players & parents the best possible feedback opportunities over a season & beyond.

The possibilities within coaching education & a career pathway

Within the FAI, there's a steady stream of youth coaches working their way through the coach education pathway each year. A lot of time (and their own €) is invested in extra-curricular coaching courses but at the moment, what is the likelihood of these coaches realizing a return (ie. a FT job) from this investment in themselves?

Government funding (in form of providing FT roles across the LOI Academy setup) can maximize the impact of this coach education pathway. Giving coaches sufficient time each week to assign time to coach education work & still be able to devote time to their players in their match preparation efforts.

It does not to be an either/or situation but ultimately, time is currently spread too thin for coaching staff to devote optimum time to coaching and to coaching education.

Funding to provide FT staff will solve this issue - releasing more time each week for coaches to more efficiently engage with coach education efforts. It can be assumed that more time invested in this will ensure maximum impact of the education itself & a career pathway for coaches.

Match preparation & analysis

With video technology now more prevalent at LOI Academy level than before, the opportunity to conduct extensive video analysis post-match to enhance the players' learning experience is at the coaches' fingertips.

The ability to do so means clubs must have the resources to:

a) Be able to afford the video technology across the Academy setup

b) Allow coaches the time to fully embrace video analysis for granular tactical overviews.

Ensuring all LOI Academy setups are fully equipped with video technology (ie. at least one camera available per game) will have a massive impact on the role of coaches post-match.

Having video footage of every game across each team's season will provide another boost to coach education efforts.

A bespoke, in-club video library would be available to all coaching staff & will unlock even greater value from a coach education POV - arguably enhancing the materials coaches produce as part of their coursework.

Most importantly however, the funding will provide the key, overriding advantage; time. Time for coaches to fully embrace & utilize the video technology post-match & use it for the greatest benefit for their players.

Nothing I've outlined is out of reach - nothing requiring a major shift in culture or approach.

Government funding will allow LOI Academies to drastically increase the number of FT roles over time.

• By increasing the number of FT roles, coaches can spend much more time with their players each week; vastly increasing a fundamental problem - contact time.
• This increased contact time will ultimately impact players in a positive way (re: development progress).
• Coaches can devote themselves fully to coach education efforts also; more time each week to focus on their own personal development, which can/will translate into enhanced player development progress efforts too.
• Finally, with more time at their disposal each week (ie. a FT role), post-match video/tactical analysis can be embraced fully, which will enhance player learning, player feedback and coach education materials.

It was once said that "we must use time as a tool, not as a couch".

Government funding will unlock potentially 1000s of extra hours each week across LOI Academy setups. The impact from a coaching POV cannot be underestimated.

It must be done.