Some clubs strive to develop the person before the footballer; some do not. The problem is that you don't know which club you are at until it is too late. Are you at a club that has a person-centred culture, or are you at a club that delivers what it has to, and that is your lot?
Over the past week or so, a debate has unfolded on LinkedIn, which caused me to reflect a lot. In doing so, I began writing down my thoughts and decided I'd share them with you.
The debate was started by a coach educator who posed the following question at the start of his article.
“Academies are great at producing players… but are they producing well-rounded people?”
When becoming a professional player hangs in the balance or someone has decided to release a player and becoming a professional seems further away than it did before, I have found it useful to explore with a player why they want to be a professional.
Players are often expected to balance their intense training and match schedules with their educational requirements. Yet, for many, the experience of formal education is far from a positive one. Last week, a parent of a player asked me how I explained this. What a good topic for a blog!
Love it or loathe it, the process of growing up and developing socially involves discovering our own spaces. It is something that has occurred in countless generations. But for young males who commit to professional football clubs, the process is different.
