Courtesy: The FA.com



Busy period ahead

By Graeme Dell

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

Hello again. As ever a new year starts with plenty going on and with a busy period ahead it’s exciting with what we have to look forward to.

I am overwhelmed still at the ‘well-done’ messages coming in for our entire group from a variety of sources. Some I know and many I don’t, but it brings home how hard we have had to work to get underway from a standing start and how broadly that has been recognised. This is an opportunity to thank everyone who has sent us best wishes, they have all been gratefully received although we now have to start to gain momentum and make sure winning can become a bit more of a norm.

In this job, you have to have the will and desire to win but above all else you need patience and tenacity. Foresight and the will to encourage others to have the same approach as you is critical and I feel the resilience that the entire group have shown indicates that we have done that. I have always been taught to love what you do, enthusiasm is infectious, but that must be tied in to developing a sustainable working culture. We see the benefits of investing in youth as the future of Futsal in England and with that comes their exuberance which rubs off on us all, so I’m satisfied that the ingredients are well balanced.

That winning momentum will be hard to maintain as our next challenge in Kuala Lumpur will test us unreservedly, but we have learnt that this game will never be easy. In finalising arrangements this past week, I was reminded once more how cruel Futsal can be when I received the match and TV schedules. Our opening game will be against Argentina, ranked third in the world, will be shown live on TV to an estimated 310million viewers across Asia. Sobering, but something which doesn’t phase me and as ever, I’m up for that challenge so we will simply set out our game objectives and work hard to meet them.

I’m a very realistic coach, especially where expectation is concerned, and I think that anyone who knows me well will tell you that. I am not expectant of very much from such a big game and understand fully the void between them and us but I know we’ll have a good go and see what we can get out of it.

I met Fernando Larranaga, the coach of Argentina the 2004 Futsal World Cup in Taipei, and we enjoyed some good conversation on coaching and tactics so I’m looking forward to that match and I suspect he will be too.

Game three we now know will be against Australia, no slouches at this level and the best of the Oceania Federations and that will also be shown live so England, irrespective of our lowly ranking at Futsal, are a clear audience puller. As for the arena, well my experiences from 2003 suggest that the 8000 seats available per game will sell very quickly now that the schedules are known. Scott Gilligan, the Australian Head Coach, is a friend too and I know he will be relishing the chance to play England which will also be a massive experience opportunity for our players.

I had to have a little chuckle to myself last week as I scanned through the KL tournament information. Futsal in England still suffers the negative perceptions of those without the knowledge and that includes ridicule by those who don't have the desire to learn about the game and understand what it’s about. But it struck me that there aren't many week long international football tournaments that have a delivery budget of one-million US dollars and 100 hours of guaranteed live TV to over 300 million viewers. Ridicule that one!

It’s a massive competition by World standards and our experience as a staff group will be well tested in ensuring that the players are best prepared to get the most out of it personally and developmentally. Everything they will encounter will be lesson based, such as dealing with the media, live TV games, exceptional talent in our opposition as well as five games in five days. This will all embed education for their future so, we won’t miss an opportunity.

Other news hitting my inbox last week was that one of my players from last summer’s exploits in Bangkok, Andy Iro from the University of Southern California, has been selected for the MLS Draft Combine this weekend. This is where the top US college players get selected by the MLS pro teams and a number of British lads have made it into professional football over there this way. It’s a great opportunity for Andy to earn the right play against the likes of David Beckham and Landon Donovan so I’m pleased, although it just re-inforces the calibre of player we lose to the US collegiate system each year, with two other British boys are also selected.

Over the past fortnight, I was out delivering some technical sessions, one of which was at the English University Students’ last 36 assessment day at Warwick. It’s an opportunity to see the best players at that level and also to promote the Futsal message. It’s a programme I ran for many years and, probably better than most, I understand the significance of that programme in delivering late developers to full-time football. So far this season six players from that level have signed full-time contracts, Robbie Simpson (Coventry City), Leon McSweeney (Cork City then Stockport County), Colin Murtagh (Wrexham), Neil Saunders (Exeter City), Matt Taylor (Exeter City) and Brett Solkhon (Kettering Town) so it really remains an hugely unrecognised level for player development.

At The FA, we have more latterly recognised its contribution to developing players for all levels and this year’s programme has been well financed, structured and superbly implemented. I was flattered to be asked back to deliver along with some other well respected coaches, but accepting that invitation was a no-brainer for me as I always remember where I started and it’s important to support the good work still being done.

As ever, I’ve been out and about watching a variety of games seeking talent for the F30 Programme and I’ve spotted a few so this will allow me to bring some new trialists in over the coming months and that conveyor belt can never stop.

We now have our first ever FIFA Futsal referee, now that Marc Birkett’s nomination was accepted by the UEFA referee’s committee before Christmas. At the age of 29, it’s a great opportunity for Marc to get on the international stage and he thoroughly deserves his nomination from what I’ve seen of him.

Referees should be no exception to continued education and like coaches, now he has received that elevation, this will be his chance to learn from the experienced around the globe, most of whom have had vast international exposure. I know Marc will relish the opportunities given to him whilst ensuring some respite from me!

There has been much speculation and debate about the National Football Centre at Burton over recent months and it’s great to hear that at last the principle is agreed. If ever there was a wake up call needed for football this was it. Last week, the French celebrated the twentieth anniversary of Clairefontaine which, just like the Spanish National Centre in Las Roszas, also hosts National Futsal Centres, the latter being an exceptional facility.

French Head Coach Raymond Domenech was quoted last week as saying: “Here is where we produce players and young men before producing professionals. I enjoy walking around here in the afternoon when the grounds are full of young players, enjoying the game and dreaming of the future. For some, this dream will become reality."

Maybe there is a message in what he says that would be better for our game as a whole. As an advocate of how good the Lilleshall concept was for England, let’s just hope we can see the same sense the successful nations have seen, albeit 20 years too late, and the NFC started before we lose any more time.

Finally, we are back at Lilleshall this weekend with the F30 group to cement our preparations for KL and I’m looking forward to that as ever. There are some new coaches coming in too from Liverpool FC to have a look at what we’re doing and to see how they can contribute or, what they can take back to the club and the Academy. I always allow an open learning environment as it’s the only way the benefit of Futsal is spread, so with the number of foreign players at Liverpool and a knowledgeable Spanish staff group lead by Rafa Benitez, Futsal will be well known to their playing staff and I’m hopeful of some mutual learning.

That’s it for this week but I’ll be in KL preparing to take on Argentina for my next column so enjoy your Futsal until then.

Graeme




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com