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The events, staged at Warwick University, attracted top-class opposition from all over Europe across a range of age groups.
The aim was to give youngsters experience of tournament football against quality teams playing different styles of football.
It was also an opportunity for them to mix with their peers away from home and to learn in a fun but competitive setting.
Everything is laid on from top-class pitches to coaching sessions. There is a learning zone where players and coaches can study performances on DVD as they take on some of the best youngsters from across the continent.
The first tournament was an Under 15’s event won by West Ham United and also attended by Aston Villa, Hull City, Birmingham City, Blackpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Wigan Athletic, Newcastle United, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax.
The second event for under 13’s was won by the Nigerian national side who saw off competition from Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Fulham, Hull City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sporting Lisbon, Athletic Bilbao and Feyenoord.
The third tournament was another under 15’s event which saw Chelsea claim the trophy against the likes of Juventus, Villarreal, Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth, Fulham, Sunderland, Bolton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
biggest tournament
Premier League director of Youth Ged Roddy said: “We aim to create a tournament environment where the best youngsters can compete together and experience a tournament which is internationally driven.
“It means there are very different playing styles to test them. Clubs have the opportunity to bring boys into a tournament and learn things about them which they would not learn from regular weekend games.
“We make sure the quality of the competition is very high, bringing in top clubs from across Europe to give them chance to experience different football and quality.
“Although it is a serious business and they all want to win, we try to make it fun and exciting and challenging.
“We aim to help the players develop technically while gaining the experience of facing high quality opposition.
“For some this might be the biggest tournament they ever play in; for others it will be a stepping stone towards a first-team debut in the Premier League.
“These boys still have a lot of growing and developing to do in the next few years. Some will exceed the current expectations of their coaches and sadly some will fall short.
“This is a critical stage of their development so it is important for them to test themselves against top quality opposition and differing styles of play.
“This is the second year we have put on this event and it has been very well received by clubs who are lapping it up.
“They want more tournament football and opportunities like this provide the variation and enable them to keep things interesting and exciting for the players and the coaches.
“Everything is laid on for them with top-class facilities and pitches.
“There is a lot of added value with a learning zone where we provide expertise and give coaches an opportunity to study DVDs of the matches.
“We film all the games and there is a match analysis service which enables the coaches and the youngsters to study the action in detail. It is a big opportunity for them.
“There is comprehensive coverage of the whole tournament and they can draw statistical information which tells the boys where they are in their development.
“We also lay on a coaches’ workshop so they can take on board new ideas.”
much tougher
The events were well received by clubs who were delighted with the opportunity to test themselves against different opposition.
Birmingham City Academy manager Terry Westley said: “This is an outstanding chance for all the players to see the better players from the other clubs.
“We keep going on about the best players training and playing against each other and this is a great chance to put our best players against the best in England and Europe.
“We need to know if our most talented players can still stand out in this company.
“It is quite an eye-opener for the lads. The best can be head and shoulders above the others in their own age group but when they play against top opposition they can find it is much tougher.
“It is imperative that your best players get tested and that is what these tournaments give you.
“The lads have to understand that while they might be top players within their own groups, they need to work extremely hard to maintain that and become top players through the country and Europe.
“The organisation and quality of the pitches are first-class and it is good to see the boys in a different environment and staying away from home, some of them for the first time.
“And there is a real tournament edge which you don’t get from regular matches. Normally, you might experiment and swap players around but here you field your strongest side because everyone wants to win.”
Coaches were able to listen to guest speaker Alfred Galustian, the International Director of Coerver Coaching and the man responsible for establishing Coerver Coaching WorldWide.
vital area
He is a skills specialist instructor to the Premier League as well as a technical consultant for the Japanese and Australian Football federations.
He told of his belief that world class performance is the result of 10-plus years of deliberate and detailed practice with increasing difficulty.
He said: “The 2010 World Cup asked a lot of questions about whether we have enough special players and is it possible to teach special player qualities?
“Can you teach a Messi or a Xavi or are they unteachable? They probably can’t be taught but what you can do is perhaps tweak the odd thing here or there.
“However I believe it is possible to teach them from the age of eight to 15 and particular up to the age of 12. That is the age where players can acquire ball mastery through repetition.
“At that stage you focus on the individual rather than the team because winning matches can actually mask deficiencies.
“After that it is all about conversion of skills to become game-effective. It is not enough just to teach skills you have to be able to apply them in a match – that is the key.
“It is a vital area but one which is often under-resourced. Clubs will have specialist coaches for goalkeeping or conditioning or nutrition, strength and speed etc but they might double up and use non-specialised coaches for skills.
“Over the next year I have agreed to do a number of courses for the Premier League to cover all the clubs. It is optional but they can take what they want from it and hopefully they will buy into the programme.
great experience
After speaking to the other coaches at the course, Galustian laid on a special session to put his words into practice.
Meanwhile the youngsters were treated to a special skills show from renowned ball-juggling expert Billy Wingrove who then held a skills competition for them to win Nike vouchers.
Earlier in the day, Sky Sports’ Soccer AM had sent their cameras down to film their popular Skills School item.
Youth administration manager Steve Higham added: “It all added to the experience and to the fun for the youngsters who enjoyed their time here.
“However there was also a serious side to the event and being tournament football, there was a real edge to the games.
“In addition to the normal developmental aspect, the fact there was a trophy at the end of it meant there was a tournament atmosphere.
“It was great experience for the lads, playing teams they would not normally face and in a different environment. They were able to play against their peers from the continent and to live with them for four days which all adds to the learning experience.”
“This is the second year we have put on this event and it has been very well received by clubs” – Ged Roddy
Credits: PremierLeague.com
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