‘Things getting back’: compromising player welfare
Parents, guardians and others in the support network must take a vested interest in the holistic development of the person and not just them as a player. I would go as far as saying those groups need to be more focused on the development of the whole person than anything else.
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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.
"But they may as well take the extra training"
Research often flies in the face of "common sense". For example, we've all been told that practice makes perfect, so it stands to reason that the more we practice becoming a footballer, the more chance we have of "making it". Unfortunately, that is a very simple way of looking at things.