Improving the Bottom Line
Freedom, Confidence, Experimentation, Expression, Bravery, Imagination = Entertainment & Commercial Value
Football is competing with other sports and entertainment options available for consumer/fan attention and is experiencing slow growth, fan retention challenges, unattractive unimaginative content (systems style approach has replaced individual flair) and a ‘tired’ audience wanting something new.
In their attempt to gain and retain fan loyalty and success, clubs pay astronomical transfer fees and salaries, even for ‘average’ players. The club and international playing calendar means clubs have to carry large player inventory to replace tired, injured, jaded players. In some cases player rights are valued more than club valuations. So investors, media, sponsor and football leadership who are aware they need to not just win but to also entertain, understand that it means they must create a spectacle and something of value to the audience and players, i.e. they cannot get by with only winning results but also must be enjoyable to watch and support.
We need players who can play ‘off the cuff,’ ‘break the mold,’ be unpredictable, and to be able to ‘expect the unexpected.’
For the game to survive and be a worthwhile spectacle, it needs more players with spontaneous actions and for teammates to anticipate this which takes a great deal of training at the youngest ages. Structure and shape and positional play as well as playing by numbers is a danger to this and stifles creativity. Players who have mastered a wide range of moves are less predictable and therefore more difficult to defend against. When learning this at a young age, it will become second nature when growing older.
Breaking defensive systems, structure, lines and organization designed to stifle creative attacking football.
We all know it's easier to destruct than to build. Easier to tear down than to construct. Easier to disparage than to build credibility and easier to criticize than to compliment. It's not enough to highlight weaknesses and faults. We need solutions for how to move forward and create and flourish and it starts with individual change and showing players how to take control of their own game and not wait on others: coaches, clubs, leagues, federations, agents, parents, media etc.
"freedom to play how they wish as long as they perform certain basic functions. It comes from improvisation. I play on the wing, I am a centre-forward, a sweeper, holding midfielder- it depends on how the game is going” - Socrates, former captain of Brazil.
Developing creative players and entertaining teams isn't microwave football. While tactical understanding (defending!) and physical fitness can be achieved in the short term, conversely, it takes many years to develop good technique and on top of this the confidence needed for players to take actions into competitive games. So one may not see evidence in terms of match results as players try to find their way as they make errors and as they break the mold. Sometimes, the creative process seems disorganized and lacking in structure because players are seeking solutions themselves and trying new ideas on their own initiative rather than being told by a coach. It's a form of 'organized chaos.'
Results won’t be glaringly apparent in the initial 3-4 years, but after 4-5 years, special players and special football will be evident and we should see players who play with flair and confidence and are able to make independent decisions on the field.
" (the) trainer of the team up to 12 years old wants to win in his first job, because then he will make a career. Then defending is the easiest. He locks things up and wins with two counters. That's wrong, because that's not how you train players. The individual then suffers from the collective" - Piet Hamberg
Players need to develop their own unique style, not the style coaches impose on them. While I think teaching styles and methodologies can be presented in different ways - dictatorial, socratic, self discovery and guided discovery - the most important thing is for players to seek their own style and identify and make sure that their qualities are differentiating. The better they are as a player, the more opportunities a player will have to play in a variety of teams in a variety of styles and positions because they are adaptable.
We see coaches make 15 minutes of time for ballwork in practice but if it's done only 3x a week that’s not enough time and won’t make any difference or improve a player in any meaningful way. You have to train the love and mastery of the ball first and then allow players to apply this in 'guided discovery' games especially from age 3-12 before they learn what fear is and learn the opportunity and consequences of risk taking.
Players need to feel they are permitted to experiment, risk and try to apply what they learned. This bravery and character needs to be trained in the formative early years before players lose the ability to adopt and apply techniques. Learning the materials, the habit and discipline of self training and then the application and development of self confidence is a minimum of 5 years, so it’s important for players to start before ego and super ego is developed and fear of failure occurs.
Most importantly, the player’s confidence grows when they grow technically, which in turn makes players even more motivated to train and improve, which leads, in the end, to a better performance on the pitch. Players are now eager to dominate their opponent with the ball at their feet.
