Head of coach development, Mike Scott, has discussed a number of ways in which the academy’s coaching department has improved and taken forward strides in recent months.
Scott has also spoken of the benefits of having the under-16s, under-18s and under-21s all on a pre-season camp in the same environment in Bratislava, where he has highlighted the ability for coaches to regularly communicate, develop and receive best practice on the trip. Meanwhile, Scott has explained in more detail about the recent appointment of Richard Walker, under-18s lead coach, while discussing the formation of the academy’s new goalkeeping department and its immediate impact.
On having three academy groups together on pre-season
“What’s been brilliant about this particular tour is the fact that we’ve had all the coaches from 15s to 21s in one place together.
“This is unique and in previous years we’ve always been on tour separately. Despite the fact that there’s communication going across the three phases, being in one place allows you to get together as staff and talk around the planning of the week and who’s going to go where across different age groups from a development point of view for the players.
“It’s been really good to get coaches sitting down and talking around the programme. We had a coaches meeting earlier this week where we looked at the season ahead.
“We talked a bit around how we’re going to make the programme better from a 15s perspective to make life easier for Richard (Walker) and James (Collins) in the coming 18 months.”
On staff collaborating and getting best practice
“The coaches sat down after the first game we had out here. It was brilliant and we saw all the coaches straight away after their game all sitting round a table discussing players, how the game went and areas of development for their groups.
“What’s been really unique out here is, because we’ve trained at different times across the day, you’ll have the 21s staff and the 18s staff getting eyes on 16s training before they go into theirs. Likewise, the 16s would then watch the 18s or 21s train.
“We’re getting a real integration of staff being able to see how people work. Normally back at Compton, the 21s will be training at the same time as the 18s and sometimes you don’t always get to see some best practice and your fellow colleagues and coaches working together.”
On Richard Walker’s appointment
“I’ve been fortunate to know Rich on the circuit for nearly 12 years now. I’ve had many games against him and have come up against him on the games programme, both in youth development and professional development.
“One of the stand-out reasons why we brought Rich to the football club was he fits all our values. When we’re talking about progressive, determined, bright, humble and unity – all the values that we hold here, Rich fits that in abundance in terms of staff that we want to be part of this football club.
“Tactically, Rich is very astute and he knows the under-18s programme inside out because he’s done it for many years. He certainly knows what you need to get players to that next level and understands that transition from 18s to 21s to senior football.
“He also understands the challenges at 15s/16s and youth development phase level. Having him in between both phases is unique and key because he really understands youth development and he’ll be a massive asset to our 18s programme.”
On development for coaches
“Each coach has a different development action plan on where they’re going on their journey. Last season, it was brilliant for the 18s and 21s staff with Steve Davis and James Collins getting the opportunity to take the first-team for 12 weeks – that was a unique development opportunity for them.
“That then gave an opportunity for Ian Sharps and James McPike to step up and lead the 21s and 18s programme for a period.
“There are different methods of development for the coaching staff, in terms of giving them different opportunities and experiences to help prepare themselves in roles they might want to go into in the future.
“Likewise, with Wes (Hughes) and Darius (Vassell) at 15s and 16s. They had a great opportunity when Ian stepped up from 16s to support with the 21s – they were thrown in to manage that 16s games programme.
“There are also experiences you can give coaches through coming out of their comfort zone at their own age groups and having a look at what it might look at in an older age group and vice versa back down, so we try and encourage it both ways.
“Their development plan is set over a two to three year period which aligns with the succession plan of the football club in terms of staffing, but also it’s part of their ownership to own it. Mine and Jon’s (Hunter-Barrett) job is to try and support them with their goals and aspirations to get better.”
On how the coaching department has progressed
“There’s been a lot of development I’ve seen since I first came here nearly 22 months ago, one being the alignment across the programmes being really joined up.
“We had five members of staff across the youth development phase to professional development phase that went and did the advanced youth award. When you talk about qualifications, that’s important.
“We’ve had a number of coaches who have attained their B License – volunteer coaches who have got their B License and become part-time members of staff. Again, you’re looking at a pathway for the university programme links that we have and the volunteer programme.
“We’ve had a number of staff who have gained their A License qualification in terms of their journey which has set them up on their pathway, enabling them to do other roles within the coaching department.”
On building a new goalkeeping department
“The goalkeeping department was a big one. I think we’ve now got one of the best, if not in the Midlands, in the country in terms of what we’ve done recruiting that.
“There was big support from Tony (Roberts) who certainly guided us towards what’s out there.
“With a goalkeeping department of Scott Bevan, Jon Flatt, Phil Smart and Jack Sheward, that’s a goalkeeping department in the last months I’ve seen grow unbelievably and it’s our job now to give them the tools.
“They’ve really taken it to another level in a short space of time. They’ve set a programme up, enhanced the amount of contact time with the goalkeepers and the way they work in terms of working together as a staffing department is really integrated.
“They did a massive recruitment drive of seeing what’s out there locally. We had about 200 goalkeepers come in in the space of about two weeks for some goalkeeping trials, where a few came out of that. The goalkeeping department is going to be a really strong asset in the future with those members of staff.”
On plans for the future
“The big one for me now is trying to ensure that the staff really continue to enhance the brilliant environment that they create and just continue to develop the players at each cell.
“One of the biggest ones we had at the coach review meetings this year across the 9s to 21s was maintaining that environment, while ensuring that transition from each phase is continued and aligned.
“We want that communication across every single phase maintained and developed. We have regular meetings every week across the phases, but it’s trying to make sure that’s continued on a weekly basis. Talking about players is really key for the development of them.”
