Courtesy: The FA.com


Dell stands down

By Graeme Dell

Tuesday, 25 March 2008

It’s been an emotional and challenging fortnight since I last wrote and it’s with a heavy-heart that this will be my last column as England Head Coach.

The decision to step down from my position as Head Coach of the England Futsal team, with immediate effect, hasn’t been an easy one but is for some very personal reasons.

This follows a five year association with the England team that started in Kuala Lumpur at the World 5’s in 2003 and has come to an end shortly after the same event in 2008, but with much mileage inbetween. There is some significant groundwork to be done to develop Futsal further in England before a national team can be competitive and that must be where the focus now lies for everyone.

I have had some fantastic experiences along that ‘never-ending road’ as I have often referred to it, and I have met and worked with some amazing people who I am now able to call friends. Some whom have been long-standing members of the Futsal family and others whose talents I‘ve recognised and introduced them to the world of Futsal and they have now become converts.

There has also been some historical moments, ranging from England’s first ever Futsal game, our first participation in both European and World Championships, as well as our first ever win against Greece at the end of last year, where we had made some considerable progress.

Over the five years we have made major strides in establishing Futsal as a new sport in England and in convincing the wider football community of the benefits of this game, but the job has only just started and it still requires momentum, continued dedication and a clear understanding of what we are trying to accomplish.

As I cast my mind back over the trips and experiences, I’m reminded of the humility needed in this job as you travel to some very obscure places. I recall, with very much after the event humour, being held by local police at gunpoint in the Albanian town of Vlore until we had paid the UEFA hotel bill. The delegate had left without settling it and as the last to leave we were saddled with that responsibility but even more humorous was when the hotel owner tried to stop us by attempting to run the coach off the road with his car.

There were a number of highs too, the excitement of presenting The FA Umbro Fives awards from The Royal Box at the new Wembley Stadium with Sir Trevor Brooking and John Barnes will stay with me for a lifetime and I feel truly humbled to have been regarded in that way on such a platform.

I have been very fortunate to have visited some very strong Futsal countries to learn and to understand more about this fascinating game whilst creating some strong friendships with other National Coaches and people within UEFA and FIFA.

Believe me, there have also been the lows too but you need those to value the highs, but maintaining a sense of reality and understanding in what you are trying to achieve is vitally important.

Starting with a new game from scratch was always going to be a tough job and required vision, belief, patience and a dedication to make progress. I have never been one to be accepting of those obstructive words ‘no’ or ‘can’t’ and brought that approach to the job and I feel we haven’t done too badly with our determination, given the limited resources.

It’s a game which we are still struggling to get to grips with in England and I believe it’s the hidden and unrecognised jewel of young player development – I just wish more people could see it as quickly as we have. Football needs something different and this is it!

The insanity in player development terms is doing the same thing and expecting different results – it needs new tools and Futsal, for me, is the answer, as it has been on the continent.

We were never going to move forward quickly as some might have thought, not against the developed nations we have played and not even with the players from the current or next generation. Five years has allowed us to learn more about Futsal so that our vision can be refined and directed. The programme is well aware of its direction and if progress is to be made it is well set up for the future, but now it needs some fresh impetus to carry it forward with the resources and commitment available to it.

My own dedication, drive, enthusiasm and commitment for Futsal is as strong today as it has been every day over the last five years and I will continue to contribute to the much needed area of Coach Education and Development.



For now, the time is right as other opportunities beckon and unless we can develop a Futsal generation, we will never make ground and good coaches are key to that.

Having amassed a wealth of experience I know that it will be critical to pass that on by improving game understanding and a specific Futsal mentality, which will allow England to move forward at the pace demanded.

I believe passionately about Futsal and anyone who knows me well will tell you that, but I also understand better than anyone the limitations we have to overcome. I have always said that with the England team I was babysitting the players as it’s the upcoming generations who will make the difference. The schools are where we must focus, with programmes of longevity and knowledge based coaching.

In the last five years, the Futsal team has given international experience to 77 players from across varying ability levels which has been part of their personal, football and Futsal development. I can remember every one of those players. We have played a multitude of games, more than any other nation and generally against more advanced and developed nations and that’s probably because we’re England and everyone wants to play us. In some games we were very close, whilst in others we were mere spectators but in every match, we learned something and that will help us for the longer term.

The recent games against alleged lesser teams like China, Indonesia and Malaysia, who have had developed leagues for a number of years now, proved the value of such structures and England needs continued patience to get to that stage. It simply re-inforced that you cannot expect progress against teams when they have established domestic structures in place.

I had to chuckle while we were in KL recently when ESPN commentator Paul Masefield kept referring to me as being like Leo Sayer and my one man band. At times it has felt like that for all of us, all having to do so many things away from our core roles just to make it all happen and I’m sure that will continue within the Programme for a while as it awaits more funding. It tests characters, but builds them too.

I wanted to take this chance to thank my entire staff team, old and new, for their unguided and continual loyalty, dynamism, professionalism and commitment under some very challenging circumstances. I have always had total respect and admiration for them in their specific roles and allowed them to deliver as they felt best within our scope.

I hope in some part that I have also contributed towards nurturing and developing their own skill sets and careers. They have all enabled me to bring and maintain an expected level of professionalism, bringing the Programme in-line with how every other England team within The FA is put on the road. They have done an awesome job, often going well beyond the level of expectation or their own personal job remit and I cannot have asked for more.

I would like to think that I leave an England Programme which now knows its direction. It simply has to be thought about and funded to allow the game to take off. We also need the Futsal family in England to develop its own professionalism and realise that is a much needed commodity if football is to sit up and take note. Everyone has a part to play in that and in some way in the future I hope to be able to continue to contribute.

Finally, I spent a day in Sheffield last week as a guest of Hope Powell, our senior Women’s Head Coach, watching them prepare for their game with the Czech Republic. For me, as a coach, it’s important to try and learn as much as you can from anyone and across all sports which is all part of my own education agenda. It comes across very clearly that she’s a no-nonsense coach yet also an inspiration, meticulous in her detail and rigorous in her belief of what she’s doing. Many coaches could learn a great deal from Hope.

In their early days, our women’s programme faced many of the issues Futsal now faces and she has come out at the other end a learned coach and someone whom I admire with great respect, so I was very fortunate to have shared her day.

For now, the new challenges beckon. Good luck with your Futsal, thanks for reading and the positive comments on the column and keep spreading the word.

Graeme





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