Technical Report 2013 IGA & SUPA IGA National Premier Leagues NSW U12 to U15 2013 Technical Report CONTENTS SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 3 SECTION 2: OVERVIEW AND STRUCTURE ........................................................... 4 SECTION 3: KEY LEARNINGS ................................................................................. 6 SECTION 4: ASSESSMENTS ................................................................................... 8 Version 1, issued 24 October 2013 Page 2 of 32 2013 Technical Report SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION Alex Tobin State Technical Director The FNSW NPL 2013 season saw many milestones in Youth Development. Adhering to National Curriculum principles was, of course, a condition of entry into the new competition. As such FFA asked NPL clubs Australia wide to embrace the philosophy of the National Curriculum and to put a high emphasis on increased coaching standards. The FNSW Technical department were able to see that FNSW NPL Clubs worked hard to achieve this. As with any new endeavour in Football, it was important to assist and measure the outcomes over the season and FNSW were very pleased to bring in Ian Crook to work with the NPL Clubs. Ian is an Advance Licence Coach and Presenter and came with a vast experience in both playing and coaching at the highest level in Australia and overseas. The results of this engagement form the bulk of this report. Ian’s approach has been very hands on and the Clubs have all benefited through advice and information sharing throughout the process. Importantly, Ian’s role has been to engage and assess both training and match situations. As NPL Youth programs operate both in the Skill Acquisition Phase (U/12s and U/13s) and the Game Training Phase (U/14s and U/15s) it was vital to have someone with an intimate knowledge of the National Curriculum and the development priorities in each age group. This Technical Report measures the NPL clubs in terms of their training and game competencies in line with the National Curriculum. These include session planning within the different Building Blocks of the National Curriculum. The recent unveiling of the National Curriculum Version 2 gives all NPL Clubs further resources in following best practice for Club programs in the future. I would like to thank all the NPL Clubs and particular their Technical Directors and coaches for both, working tirelessly with their players, and for engaging and communicating with the FNSW Technical Department over the course of the year. We all look forward to continued improvements in the standards of our coaching and youth development in 2014. Ian Crook Coaching Coordinator I would like to congratulate all players, coaching and administration staff on an enjoyable season and thank you for the assistance you have given me through the year. It is evident that our game is heading in the right direction. The FFA National Curriculum provides all of us involved in the game a pathway to follow and a common goal, to develop top class players. We need to continue to develop players for the next level by giving them an environment that will allow them flourish both on and off the field. The FFA National Curriculum has given our coaches a structure for training sessions and games; this will help them as coaches to put a program in place that will enhance both themselves and their player’s development. Thanks and good luck to all involved for the future. Page 3 of 32 2013 Technical Report SECTION 2: OVERVIEW AND STRUCTURE Technical Report This Technical Report communicates the assessments, outcomes and learnings of the Football NSW Coaching Support and Assessment Program conducted in 2013 across the U12, U13, U14 and U15 age grades of the IGA National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 and Supa IGA National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 2 competitions. FNSW’s developed the Coach Support and Assessment Program to provide a clear, professionally delivered development opportunity for all the coaches working in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competitions. With consideration to the FFA National Curriculum and outcomes of the National and FNSW Competition Reviews, it was our aim to assist and support each club in their ongoing pursuit of excellence, striving to improve both the services to, and environment for, their players. National Curriculum The FFA National Curriculum provides a consistent, coordinated national development program for coaches to apply when planning for, and delivering training sessions to their teams. It is against this document that Football NSW has assessed the learning environment provided by the IGA National Premier Leagues NSW clubs to their players. The following tables have been extracted from the FFA National Curriculum released in 2009 demonstrating the structure of U12 / U13 (Skill Acquisition Phase) and U14 / U15 (Game Training Phase) football programs. Recently a revised National Curriculum has been released by FFA. The new document will be utilised in the coaching and assessment program for the 2014 football season. FFA National Curriculum Framework – U12 and U13 Page 4 of 32 2013 Technical Report FFA National Curriculum Framework – U14 and U15 Program Structure The Coaching Support and Assessment Program was comprised of the following phases: 1. Introduction Visit with the club Technical Director and head coaches of the U12 – U15 teams where requested by the club to attend. The visit communicated the outline the structure of the FNSW Coach Support and Assessment Program, and established a base line of the club’s current football plan and coaching philosophy 2. Training Visits conducted in the week preceding the match assessments. At the Training Session Assessment the FNSW Assessor observed the coaches ability to deliver a training session in accordance with the philosophy of the FFA National Curriculum, and the manner and style in which the coach engaged with their players. The Football NSW Assessor also observed the standard of the training facility and allotment of available field space 3. Match Assessment, during which the FNSW Assessor observed the manner in which teams were structured on match days, with particular focus to the preferred 1- 4-3-3 formation, positive play and conduct of the coach including the manner in which the coach conveyed instructions to their players In addition, the Coaching Support and Assessment Program offered clubs the ability to request help in certain areas i.e. the delivery of model training sessions, coach forums or parent briefings to assist in both the understanding and application of the FFA National Curriculum. Program Vision Statement “FNSW will provide Premier League clubs and Coaches with resources and feedback to support their endeavours in delivering best practice football programs aligning with National and FNSW Competitions Review” Program Mission Statement “FNSW, via an series of assessments, feedback and resource support, will deliver an education program that will assist clubs in developing football plans, deliver training sessions, mentor coaches and create a learning environment for their players that facilitates a learning environment consistent with the FFA National Curriculum framework” Page 5 of 32 2013 Technical Report SECTION 3: KEY LEARNINGS Rotation of Players Rotation of players is an important aspect of player development. Players should not be looked at as having a fixed position in these age groups and should be provided development opportunities multiple all positions. Exposure to multiple positions assists players understand the unique characteristics of each positions and at the same time helps develop skills they would not work on if they were isolated to one position. Allowing forwards to play in defensive situations for example gives them an insight into problems this position has and when they do move back into a forward role, gives them better knowledge of how to make a defenders life difficult. Sideline Coaching It is vital that as coaches we do not become commentators on the sidelines. We must allow players to play the game and make decisions on their own. The work you conduct at training sessions in the week leading into the game will give the players all the information they need to go into a game on the weekend. Before the game and half time are the important times for coaches to get their message across and any coaching during the game should be minimal. Facilities During the scheduled visits an overall assessment was conducted on the facilities and allocation of field space for the coach to conduct his / her session. It is important the right environment is provided for both the coach and the players; this includes pitch quality, size of area and dressing rooms for players. Equipment at the coach’s disposal was also assessed. The size of the area is vital for a coach to be able to conduct his work and in some cases coaches only had a small area to work in and this made the session very difficult to conduct. National Curriculum Application of FFA National Curriculum principles is a cornerstone of participation in the Football NSW competitions. There was an observed willingness by the majority of coaches to apply those principles, which if done so consistently in the coming years will place our clubs in a much better position to achieve our shared goal, to produce a standard of player and coach that will take us forward as a footballing nation. In stating the above it is still obvious we need to improve the standard of both our coaching on game days and at training sessions. Emphasis on Results The desire to win at all costs was evident and this was largely attributable to the coaches’ mentality. Players learning how to win and lose is a vital component in their development but it is imperative this is not the driving force behind their progression as a player. The emphasis on results was seen most commonly when a coach was striving to attain a finals position or avoid relegation.