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Posted by
Ian McClurg,
April 16, 2013 |
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Ian McClurg
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@1v1SoccerFC |
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Over the next few months, RedNation Online will have the privilege to post excerpts from Ian McClurg's upcoming book on soccer development in Ontario and Canada. Ian is the technical director of 1v1 Soccer FC, a training academy in Ancaster, Ontario who has a relationship with Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in England. Below is the second installment that serves as the introduction of what is to come. Please watch out for Ian's upcoming columns.
A recent documentary on the long-running U.S. news show 60 Minutes provided the soccer world and non-fans alike with a glimpse of what is possible with a long-term development program. The FC Barcelona team is currently recognized as the best club team in the world and some experts argue the best of all time. What is somewhat unique about their academy model is that one of the world's largest clubs has spent the last 10 years developing their own players in-house. Yes, they have still spent millions of Euros to bring in some of the game's greatest players. But the fact remains that they have also developed 17 out of the 25 players in the current first-team squad within their own La Masia academy. Some of these players, like Cesc Fábregas and Gerard Piqué, have left to join Arsenal and Manchester United, respectively, of the English Premiership, but have now returned back to Barcelona.
See Also: Soccer in Ontario: Everything starts with a vision
A key reason that this team has been so successful is that the current group of players have grown up together and have all been schooled, quite literally in the Barcelona way. A soccer education is obviously a key component of this program but so also is the academic development of the players. The Barca academy employs teachers to provide lessons in all school curriculum areas, ensuring that the players there receive academic as well as soccer instruction. Several of the players have spoken openly about an almost "telepathic" understanding with their teammates, which has been developed during long hours on the training ground. After Barcelona's win in the Champions' League in 2009, two of the team's midfielders, Xavi and Iniesta, were asked how they managed to string together so many passes together. Iniesta reportedly answered that it was easy, since they'd started doing it when they were 13!
So, what relevance does the Barcelona model have on the grassroots levels of the game here in North America? The most important lessons are, I believe, that coaches and parents must be much more patient in a young player's education. Parents must look at all options for development, evaluate which options are best suited for their child, and be patient in their progress. At the moment, I see parents jumping from one program to another on an annual basis, looking for the next and greatest instant vehicle to propel their child to superstardom!
On many occasions, it becomes a case of a parent trying to ensure that their child is getting any advantage possible over their neighbour's child. It also seems that a large amount of time is spent identifying which teams within a 1 hour drive time are the best at a particular age-group and then ensuring that they get their child on this team, playing with the so-called "best" players. The parent assumes the role of "agent" and places the child, like stage acts, at the next gig! How unsettling would it be for young children to move schools every year, and learn math or English a different way every time? How would Barcelona's top stars of today have developed if their parents had switched back and forth between the academies of Barcelona and its neighbouring club, Espanyol?
Arsene Wenger once said that if your child is good at piano, then as a parent you would seek out the best teacher that you could afford and place your child there. How is soccer any different? Maybe in North America we have to park our need for instant gratification when it comes to our children's development. Maybe we need to research and find the program that best fits with our child's development requirements. And just maybe we need to be more patient and stress the love of the game over any potential rewards measured in terms of money or fame.. In youth sports, money and fame are awarded to the few, and on many occasions those "payoffs" are fleeting. However, soccer does provide many rewards that are underappreciated. It can provide a healthy lifestyle, fun with friends and nothing less than the joy of playing the world's greatest game.
I'm approaching the half-century mark, and willingly spend my time with many others in our over-40 league on a Friday night for this. Maybe our youth and we as parents are missing this. I have heard many times in life that it makes sense to dedicate yourself to what you enjoy the most. When you work at something you will enjoy, the thinking goes, you will be good at it and in turn the rewards will come! I traded the corporate world to pursue a soccer coaching career full-time based on this philosophy...and while the challenges are many, I wouldn't trade what I do for anything!
Maybe it's time for us as youth coaches to pave the way in North America. Educate parents on the benefits of long-term development, provide clear pathways for our players to learn, develop and grow. Provide a wide range of programs that can cater to players of all abilities and ambitions and build development programs based on skills development versus recruitment.
It's time to build it....and they will come!
Ian McClurg is technical director of 1 v 1 FC, a soccer training academy based in Ancaster Ontario. This article will appear in his upcoming book, The 1v1Way: Soccer Tips from an Emerging Talent Centre. For more info, contact Ian at ian@1v1soccer.ca or visit www.1v1soccerfc.com
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