Youth Soccer Coaching Player Development Podcast

🔥 Get my Developing the Game Changer masterclass: https://mypersonalfootballcoach.com/mpfc-developing-the-game-changer/

Inside the Crystal Palace Academy

South London is one of the best talent hotbeds in world football, and Crystal Palace sit right in the middle of it.

Nathan Thomas, Head of Coaching at the Crystal Palace Academy, joins Saul to talk about his work there and how the academy makes the most of one of the richest recruitment areas in the game.

Nathan has worked across the academy system, as Foundation Phase Lead at Sunderland and MK Dons, with spells at Arsenal and Brentford too.

We get into:

The role of Head of Coaching at Crystal Palace
Why South London produces so much talent
How Palace recruit and develop players from their area
Lessons from Sunderland, MK Dons, Arsenal and Brentford
What coaches at every level can take from academy football

Whether you coach grassroots, run 1-2-1 sessions, or work in an academy, this one is not to be missed.

Master the ball. Master the game.

🔥 Get my Developing the Game Changer masterclass: https://mypersonalfootballcoach.com/mpfc-developing-the-game-changer/

Why is there such a lack of quality centre-backs in English football?

Steven Caulker came into academy football late. He was only scouted by Tottenham Hotspur at 15, as a centre-back. He went on to play for Spurs, Liverpool and England, and he's now a coach who specialises in defending.

Steven joins Saul to talk about why defending matters so much, how to coach it through the age groups, and why England is producing so few top-quality centre-backs right now.

We get into:

Being scouted late, at 15, and still making it to the top
Why defending is an under-coached part of the game
How to coach defending at every age group
What makes a top-class centre-back
Why English football is short of quality centre-backs

Whether you coach grassroots, run 1-2-1 sessions, or work in an academy, this one is not to be missed.

Master the ball. Master the game.

🔥 Get my Developing the Game Changer masterclass: https://mypersonalfootballcoach.com/mpfc-developing-the-game-changer/

COACHING FAMILY SPECIAL

What's the best way to develop your players if you only have them for one hour a week?

Whether you're a foundation phase coach or working in the youth development phase, time with your players is limited. So how do you make every minute count, and still develop the players who make the difference in games?

Former Arsenal Academy coach Alex Nichols joins Saul again to look at the best ways to maximise the short time you have with your players and develop the game changers of the future.

We get into:

What to prioritise when you only have one hour a week
Planning a session that makes every minute count
The differences between the foundation phase and the youth development phase
Developing the individual inside a group session
How to develop players who change games

Whether you coach grassroots, run 1-2-1 sessions, or work in an academy, this one is not to be missed.

Master the ball. Master the game.

🔥 Get my Developing the Game Changer masterclass: https://mypersonalfootballcoach.com/mpfc-developing-the-game-changer/

COACHING FAMILY SPECIAL

Why are rondos Barcelona's secret weapon?

For decades, the rondo has sat at the heart of how Barcelona develop players, and it has shaped the way the Spanish national team plays too. But why is it so effective, and how do you get the same outcomes from it with your own players?

Jordi Condom Aulí, formerly a coach at Barcelona's academy, joins Saul to explain why rondos accelerate learning, the best way to set them up, and how to coach them so they deliver real outcomes rather than just keeping the ball.

We get into:

Why rondos became Barcelona's secret weapon
How they shaped the Spanish style of play
Why they accelerate a player's learning
The best way to set up a rondo
How to coach them to get real outcomes

Whether you coach grassroots, run 1-2-1 sessions, or work in an academy, this one is not to be missed.

Master the ball. Master the game.

🔥 Get my Developing the Game Changer masterclass: https://mypersonalfootballcoach.com/mpfc-developing-the-game-changer/
⚽ See Michel live with the Surrey Football Coaches Association in December. Join the SFCA: https://www.surreyfootballcoachesassociation.com

COACHING FAMILY SPECIAL

What does a good ball mastery session look like?

If you only have your players for one hour a week, what's the most effective way to develop them?

Michel Hordijk, formerly of the Ajax Academy, joins Saul to talk about ball mastery: what it actually is, how to do it properly, and how to make it count when time is short. They also challenge some of the biggest misconceptions around this work, including the argument that ball mastery has no context.

We get into:

What ball mastery really is, and what it isn't
How to deliver it properly
The common misconceptions, including whether it has context
How to link ball mastery to the game
Getting the most from one hour a week with your players

Whether you coach grassroots, run 1-2-1 sessions, or work in an academy, this one is not to be missed.

Master the ball. Master the game.