AN ONLINE COACHING programme used by Real Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus has been made free to access for kids and coaches in Ireland in a bid to help young footballers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Coerver Coaching will keep their online hub open for free for as long as football is postponed in Ireland, allowing young footballers to access a selection of drills and games which are designed for individual use, and in small spaces.
Founded in 1984 by UEFA Cup winning Feyenoord manager, Will Coerver, the company’s footballing philosophy is based on improving the technical ability of young players.
“When Will packed up coaching, around the late 1970s, early 1980s with the Dutch national team, he became dissatisfied with the lack of teaching of individual skills. At the time, he felt there was an over-emphasis on defensive play within the professional game,” explains Stuart Hayden, Technical Director of Coerver Coaching Ireland.
“So he went off, travelled the globe, and looked at what made the best players in the world the best players. Then he came back and created the Coerver curriculum.
“The core values originally looked at the individual, to develop a skilled, confident and creative player who when called upon, can go it alone. He would also use star models.
So today we would probably look at Messi and Ronaldo for that. Or, if they couldn’t go it alone, could they combine effectively with small group play. So our star model that we would teach currently would be Liverpool’s front three and their attacking players, how quickly they can attack and how technically good they are.”
The company currently work with a number of professional clubs, including Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Benfica, Juventus and Real Madrid, along with their work with youth academies in Ireland.
“It’s all about technical balance,” Hayden adds.
“We want our players to improve their core skill through ball mastery. So then they get to use both feet. There is a higher demand nowadays on the individual and their technical ability, and especially to do those moves at speed and at pressure, and the higher up you go in the game, the less time there is to actually react and do these moves.
“So we provide an environment for players, but also for coaches and clubs, to teach the kids this, and to let them have the time through repetition and through practice, to develop the skills.”
Kids and coaches in Ireland can now access the hub via the company’s Facebook page, which can be found here.
“The hub itself is used at grassroots and at pro clubs, and it’s implemented right across from 6, 7, 8-year olds in Dublin to guys in the academy at Benfica, Juventus, Manchester City.
“These are specifically designed for working on your own, working with a sibling, or working in small areas, so the back garden is fine. You can practice the moves in your hall. It’s a tiny, tiny space that you need, it’s basically just you and a ball. There are some games there can be done in a 10×10 grid.
“It’s been designed to keep our performance players in our academies and in our partner clubs active, but, in the current climate we’re in, we thought why not get this out and give access to everybody?’
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