If the FFA National Curriculum Inspires You To Play Like Barca....Lots of Things Have Got To Work Together.?

Sourced from http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/9033287/for-real-in-salt-lake-barca-style-is-the-model/

The challenge this season in Junior Football in the ACT is to have coahes fully implement the 1-4-3-3  at all competitive levels at each age group. A big job in a volunteer environment!

As a very capable coach in the junior ranks, a coach who has never coached any rep teams, nor does this coach seem to have ambition to do so, who usually coaches Div 2 or 3, remarked to me on Saturday, before the start of the Women's Federation Cup final:

"When I say the "1-4-3-3" , what I really mean is, getting the young players to play a possession style of game, short passing and swift movement off the ball into good space, ready to receive the ball. Keep the ball, don't loose it. When they loose possession, defend as high and as quickly as they can and win it back. Sure, I'll play the 1-4-3-3 structure or its close relative when its 7v7 or 9v9, because that encourages an attacking, possession based game. I refer to Barca because they do it better than anyone else, even the Spanish national team. I know this requires young players with lots of technical skill to play it in a really classy way, and that fact is usually used by  some others to justify not playing this system. Well, to my way of thinking, this sort of argument is just crap. Who says you have to the best to want to play like Barca? The real point of it all is that by emphasising the aspects of individual skill and group play that Barca demonstrates, triangles is the big one, and the FFA national curriculum hopes we will implement, players at every level will get better at the game, enjoy it more, get lots more touches on the ball and stay with the game longer. Its fun to play this way. In that environment we produce more of the best for the nation. If every coach in the Junior age groups gets this going, we will make a big change to the character of football over a couple generations. And it will take that long. But it starts with the local club, Div 3 team, if you get my point. Oh yeah, the one thing that Barca shows my young players is that its OK to take the initiative, be creative, assume a position in space that provides a good option for the attack - not just stand in a pre-determined position like a bloody parade. And that happens with the 1-4-3-3 just like any other playing system. But like Barca, I encourage the players change positions (accept responsibility) as the need arises for short periods, that's OK, while others drop in to to cover them. When I watched the National Youth Championships, I didn't see much of that, which is a pity because without it the team plays like a half baked cake. If they played Futsal more, this would be second nature, but there'slenty of experienced coahes who warn young players off futsal. I haven't coached one player (girl or boy) who didn't get excited watching Barca videos, they know instinctively this is the game. ..."

I wish I could remember more of what his Coach had to say, but the game started and we gave that our attention. This coach struck me as being as up to date as anyone I met in the ACT. And Football is not his day job!



My point is this - we have lots of smart people in Football in our community and the real powerhouse in Football in the ACT region is in Junior Football. It's the Junior Football Clubs in the ACT region that need the support from the FFA and Capital Football. But mostly Junior Clubs say they don't hear from or see much at all from Capital Football and the FFA is just an abbreviation.

Worse still, Club officials seem to complain all too often and seemingly with good reason, of their inability to  get Capital Footbal to take any notice of their needs and ideas for the conduct of competitions and development.

What do you do at the Junior Club if this year your Club finds itself  with a large cohort of players that are graded as Div 1 standard at age, enough say to form two teams? Well the answer is a "no brainer' for the club - enter them both in the Div 1 competition. Give every young player a chance to play to his / her abilities. What then, if you are told by Capital Football that your club is limited to one Div 1 team? A competition administrative rule decision imposed on your Club. First you realised it existed. What do you do with teh team of players that don't get a place in the Div 1 competition? Its a disaster for a Junior Club, lucky enough to find itself in this psosition. Its a disaster for Football! And this is happening right now! How does this approach coexist with the direction the FFA wished to take via the National Curriculum and National Development Plan? Obviously it doesn't and junior Clubs know it and by taking the approach they would prefer in this matter, they seem to demonstrate that they are more in touch with the development needs of young players and intentions of the FFA than Capital Football. As one Club official remarked to me last week - "who makes these decisions?" Who indeed! Good football is underpinned by tip top administrative decision making, responsive to Club needs - and Junior Clubs can't do much about that if they are not engaged in a meaningful and constructive fashion and not by a sub committee or remote adminsitrative decosion making process. However, Zone Reps can, so use them! Sometimes I think the Junior Clubs forget just how much "football muscle" they possess and several of our Junior Clubs are very big indeed.

If we get the national curriculum message across to the Junior Clubs, this pivotal component in our Football constituency, help them to get mobilised to implement it, consult in a more substantial fashion with the Clubs, give them the competition structures that enable it to happen for all players at level, things will change fast.
Coach education and training has made good ground for Football at CLub level and it makes a vital contribution to change and the quality of football outcomes. And that provokes other questions - why not find a way to fund Development officer positions?

The new Capital Football Techncial Director, Royston Thomas made it clear at the Capital Football Annual General Meeting, that he would visit / consult/ communicate/ work with the Junior Clubs. That's a big step in the right direction. We'll hold him to it.

We are not the only ones thinking of these things in Football. This article form the USA, concerning a Club called "Real Salt Lake" who are implementing the 1-4-3-3 makes an interesting read. As they say - we are not alone!


For Real in Salt Lake, Barca style is the model
Simon Evans, Reuters
March 18, 2011, 9:20 am

MIAMI, March 17 (Reuters) - Most of the money and attention in the growth of soccer in the United States has been focused on Los Angeles and New York but the unlikely setting of Utah is where the game has developed in the most attractive way.
Real Salt Lake, founded just seven years ago, coached by a 38-year-old from Nebraska and playing in the suburb of Sandy, made their mark by winning the MLS Cup in 2009.
This year they have reached the last four of the CONCACAF Champions League which is the premier club competition for North, Central America and the Caribbean.
They are winning admirers, such as ex-France striker Thierry Henry, as much for the way they play as for their results. Real have adopted the Barcelona style of aesthetically-pleasing football based on a short passing game and swift movement.
"I believe in soccer being played that way, it's the way I like to watch it, it's what attracts me about the game when teams play a possession-orientated style, " head coach Jason Kreis told Reuters in an interview.

"It is something that I wanted to do but it is something also where you need the right tools to be able to do it.

"It has taken some time for us to get a critical mass -- the right number of players that are technically gifted enough and smart enough to play the way that we are trying to," he said.


While Kreis has never played or coached outside the U.S., his influence is drawn mainly from Spain and, despite his club's name reflecting a cooperation deal with Real Madrid it is their Catalan rivals' way of playing that has made its mark in Utah.
TOTAL FOOTBALL
"Barcelona have probably been playing that way since (Johan) Cruyff," he said, referring to the Spanish club's former Dutch forward and manager who brought 'Total Football' to the Catalan side from his days with the national team.
"I think we try in a lot of ways emulate that style, I think it would be very fair to say that we have Latin American players on our team who like to play that style and it is more a natural fit," added Kreis.

It is an approach which stands in contrast to the perhaps rather dated view of MLS as a physical league with teams who prefer to play a direct form of the game.

"I hope it continues to change in that direction," said Kreis. "I always think it is going to be a physical league because we have very good athletes, we have strong, big guys that can get the job done and can stretch their bodies maybe a bit further than in other places.

"But I would also say that some of the physical side of our game is because we haven't raised our technical ability as high as it probably should be -- the average player in our league is definitely not as technically gifted as the average player in the Premier League or La Liga or the Bundesliga.

"Because of that we have had a lot of poor first touches and poor tactical decisions on the ball which means that defenders can really jump into things," he said.

Salt Lake's approach is based around the cool play of deep lying midfielder Kyle Beckerman whose astute positional sense, vision and composed passing ensure that Real start moves on the floor from the back.

Kreis acknowledged that a direct approach can bring results but would like to see more teams in MLS play a short pass and move style. He believes that would require a major change in the way young players are developed in North America.

"There are lots of ways to look at soccer (it's) just that (the direct style) isn't particularly mine. If all soccer was to be the way I like to see it I think it would have to start well before college soccer. We need to start implementing that in our youth teams and our youth national teams," he said.

New Capital Football Technical Director, Royston (Roy) Thomas Talks About the Task Ahead

Capital Football have appointed a new Technical Director, his name is Royston (Roy) Thomas.

In this interview, Royston speaks of his Football background / experience and describes the first steps he has taken in his new position.

The position of Techncial Director is a pivotal one in ACT Football. In past years the emphasis, almost sole emphasis has been on the very small population of taletend players at age, prior to selection of an even smaller number of players to attend ACTAS. That's no criticism of the persons who have held this position; they obviously did what they were asked to do and the production of talented players in the ACT, beyond State / Territory Federation members is necessary if the we are to see National teams become more competitive. But the truth is that community football and Clubs have got lost in the background, sometimes feeling more put upon than supported by Capital Football and the FFA in these matters. And CAPital Football is in the business of running competitions - good competitions.

Royston arrives at a pivotal time in the development  and expansion of the game in the ACT region. The FFA National Football Curriculum and the National Development Plan, together with a massive shift to the good in Coach Education are the prime drivers in relation to Football players across the nation.

The Capital Football development programs (Academy / High Performance in thier turn) have been reviewed to a standstill. The question is now all about the "what" and the "how". Royston is cognizant of this situation. Playing facilities now demand more and more attention in the ACT and impact on player development and the provision of good competitions. Royston enters at a time with as is often said "a lot of balls in the air".

Royston has a mind to widen his contact with the Football community, reaching down to Clubs and Club Coaches, starting a continuing dialogue. He is presently visiting Clubs, junior and senior and speaks of creating a Forum for Coaches. He has quickly picked up on the important connections to the ACTAS Mens and Womens programs and coaches. Its early days and a productive start on a long and difficult journey in Football.

If you see him around the grounds or have him pointed out to you - go over and say hullo. He will need all the contact he can get outside the Capital Football offices, if he is to get across his portfolio in good time and make decisions that make sense to you. He's easy to talk to and a long Football background.

As you listen to this first interview, you will quickly get the impression that this is a person with a passion for Football. He is your Techncial Director, the game belongs to everyone, so use him! Hope you enjoy this first interview - I did!

Download Podcast here:

Capital Football Appoint New Football Technical Director

Sourced from http://www.capitalfootball.com.au/site/news.php?id=1169

Capital Football advise the following:

Capital Football is pleased to announce the appointment of Royston Thomas as the new Technical Director for the ACT and surrounding region.
Thomas, 60, was selected from a high-quality list of applicants and comes armed with decades of experience as a player, manager, coach and high performance director across a range of countries and across the full spectrum of age grades and both genders.
Born in Swansea, South Wales, United Kingdom, Thomas was a well-travelled youth and reserve team player appearing for Swansea City, Bristol Rovers and Oxford United before enjoying a spell with Arcadia Shepherds in South Africa.

He moved to Australia when he was 22 and was appointed youth team coach at Sydney City and worked his way up to assistant manager for Australia during the 1980’s. Moving back to Wales Royston joined the Welsh FA and for the next fifteen years was in charge of national player development taking control of player progression from under-12 to under-16 level.

A major achievement whilst with the Welsh FA was being appointed as Women’s National Coach where he implemented a scheme to promote the talent of the countries under-16, under-18 and under-20 squads in order to make the senior side a more competitive unit.

Following this, Royston travelled to Lebanon where he was appointed manager of Al Ansar, a club famous for winning sixteen league championships in a row, enough to score a place in the Guinness Book of Records at that time.

Returning to the UK, Royston headed back to his home town club, Swansea City where he was named Technical Coach before finally returning to Australia to take up the post of Football NSW Coaching and Development Manager.

Throughout his varied career Royston notes that his time with the Welsh FA was perhaps his most important.
“Whilst with the FAW (Football Association of Wales) I was in charge of player development and coach education which, to my mind, was the most important role I have had so far,” he said. “I implemented a scheme to identify talent at a younger age in order to make the national team competitive on the international stage and we saw several youngsters progressing into the first team from that era.”
The amiable Welshman has an important task ahead of him and has identified his main aims as twofold.
“In no particular order, firstly, I aim to improve the coaches and work with all the coaches I can to improve their understanding so that they can work to their maximum potential to create better players. Secondly, I aim to improve player development from grassroots up to the elite level,” he commented.
“I’m a very approachable person and look forward to working with the local clubs to help the ones who haven’t been serviced in the past to make sure people have access to the latest methods and modern trends as well as to implement as best as we can the FFA national Football Curriculum.”
Royston Thomas will take up his new post as Technical Director on 14th February.