Rio Ngumoha made a welcome return to playing for Liverpool this week; however, his appearance came in the under-21s. It sparked a bit of debate online, highlighting a wider issue that clubs and players face: career planning. It remains the case that in most academies, career planning is absent, leaving young players and their families vulnerable to clubs that, in many cases, also have not planned a player's career. Let me explain.
Do clubs have plans for their players?
It remains the case that in most academies, career planning is absent, leaving young players and their families vulnerable to clubs that, in many cases, also have not planned a player's career.
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Moving the needle
The confidence of being on the pitch, present, in the moment, unshackled, unburdened, all because you have a plan, that is where performance peaks. That is how you shift the needle.
The first cut is the deepest
Biological age in a football academy refers to how physically developed a player is compared to their actual chronological age. What does the research say about the impact of this?
Getting an Agent: How to...
If you read these blogs, you will know I love the conceptual idea of Simon Sinek's "always start with why?" and that it is worth asking about an agent.