NEWS - APRIL: EASTER OPEN REVIEW

Football Development Schools (FDS), enjoyed another successful trip to Holland over the Easter weekend to discover more about our top development centre player's as we continue to develop our player development programme. The squads had mixed fortunes on the pitch, but the real success of this tour is the knowledge the players take home regards to understanding the habits of elite players, and the knowledge the coaches take home with them regards to players who may be able to step up to our developing academy squads.

The early start to our travel plans meant the boys would first understand the travel demands of the best young elite players. The minibus culture is a crucial
part of the touring process and the players had to find ways of enjoying this part of tour.

On arrival at the accommodation the coaches set down a number of ground rules to help the boys live well together and help them prepare best for the weekends games. With inclement whether throughout the weekend the players would have to overcome this considerable hurdle, especially the younger players who would find the cold a massive factor on how they perform. After training sessions the players would finish the first day helping to prepare their evening meal before an early night before the following days matches.

Match day 1

An early start for two of the squads meant the boys would have to be switched on from the moment they woke up on the Saturday, organising their kit and being ready to leave the holiday park for their first fixtures. Both squads picked up some victories and gave some encouraging performances in finishing the day in the top two of their groups. The older players had an afternoon kick off which meant they could prepare more thoroughly for their afternoon fixtures. A reasonable performance in the opening fixture sadly did not pave way to better things to come, and as the weather deteriorated so did the level of performance, as the boys let the cold affect their display. There was the fleeting moment of good ability and team play that would please the coaches, but the players would learn much from first days play.

The remainder of the day would see the boys working together in preparation for Sundays games, which again would be a mixture of morning and afternoon fixtures for the boys.

Match Day 2
The older players would have an early start and started with their poorest performance before making great strides with two good competitive performances, earning a draw in the 2nd game before coming back from a two goal deficit to draw a game they dominated. The encouraging manner of their come back being the team togetherness they showed to gain a respectable result.

The younger group gained a mixture of results as they showed signs of improving their game understanding. The benefits of being a players only tour was evident as the boys gelled excellently off the pitch, enjoying each others company and enjoying many laughs together. This element is vital for the first time tourist and is one of the most gratifying things to see for the coaches taking younger players away, and is further evidence that the experience for the player is greatly enhanced by the fact they are working together as a group without a massive adult influence.

The middle group continued with inconsistent displays that is often the case when learning massive amounts in such a small space of time. For the individuals who are able to absorb information quickly, their performances would steadily improve, while others learn from making mistakes (some more than others). This however is all part of the process of developing as players and people, while many will learn from a time of reflection on the experience away from the tour. The message to the players of the character off the pitch being replicated on the pitch was often in evidence, as the boys who could take responsibility for themselves off the pitch translated this trait to the playing arena where certain players would be more dependable than others.

Following the football the boys enjoyed a relaxing evening, again enjoying each others company and many laughs. The Monday would see the boys have a great day enjoying the facilities around the park. For most of the boys a day going swimming, go carting, playing tennis, crazy golf, ten pin bowling and football was great fun and tiring. A final group meeting was had in the evening, before the boys made the long return trip home on the Tuesday.

The senior coaches of FDS would like to thank, Mike and Matthew who would have learnt as much as the kids in being a touring coach. Sean for his help with minibus driving and enthusiasm in joining in with everything that goes with an FDS tour, often going beyond the call of duty and being great company for coaches and players during the whole weekend. Finally thank you to the parents who without their support we could not provide our unique touring experience for the boys, we hope you will be happy for the boys to travel with us again in the future.