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“Anyone who tells you they can spot a professional player at five years old is basically lying,” says former talent ID manager Nick Levett, an expert in the eight to 11-year-old age group. Scouting football players as young as five, persuading an 11-year-old to sign a contract with private school education or offering a teenager’s […]
Read More… from Are the Professional clubs getting scouting wrong with kids?
Result orientated football and emphasis on a passing game strips away ingenuity, whilst pressure from adults promotes the player to make the safe option. “None of that silly stuff”. How many times have you heard an adult shout that? There are very few coaches and adults that promote and prioritise ball mastery and tricks in […]
Read More… from Are British players being stifled of creative ingenuity
There’s no doubt that football academies are harsh environments. The FA’s official website even describes the process of getting released by one as ‘heart-breaking’, which, considering they’re trying to increase participation levels, is hardly encouraging… It’s entirely truthful though and not particularly surprising; when the stakes are so high, the consequences of being rejected become […]
Many thanks to Dan Yeo for this piece on football academies in England. There’s no doubt that football academies are harsh environments. The FA’s official website even describes the process of getting released by one as ‘heart-breaking’, which, considering they’re trying to increase participation levels, is hardly encouraging… It’s entirely truthful though and not particularly […]
