Youth Development Australia: Where are we at?

I was recently given the rare opportunity to visit arguably the best youth academy in the world, AFC Ajax. Along with my current employer Melbourne Football Academy, we were given an in-depth and behind the scenes view and analysis of the every day operation at the world renowned De Toekomst youth academy.

The sheer talent, professionalism and structure was nothing short of breathtaking! Seeing children as young as 7 years of age performing and executing extremely difficult skill moves was an absolute joy to behold.

Having said this, there was one thought which was ringing in the back of my head. Where does that leave us? How far off is Australia in terms of youth development?

One thing that really resonated with me wasn't the abundance of talent or the prestige of Ajax (that was a given). I found that most of their focus was on coach education. This way, by making sure that their coaches were well educated, this way they can ensure that their players would be receiving the correct training and football education.
Having said that, it is all well and good to teach someone all the technical knowledge in the world. But what good are they if they cannot deliver a message and educate their players?

This played on my mind for quite a while. The questions I started to ask myself were:
- How can I better myself to educate my players?
- What steps do I need to take to ensure my players are constantly improving?
- How can I inspire my players?

The Ajax academy coaches were able to do this like it was simple daily routine. Obviously with a lot of practice along the way, I could see that their ability to deliver a message and have their players execute the drill with such precision and class didn't come overnight. This was through a lot of due diligence and support from the upper hierarchy of the academy (eg, technical directors).

My football knowledge and tactical nous has come through endless football games. Both watching, playing and analyzing, I thought that my coaching repertoire was coming along quite nicely. Although, if I cant inspire and educate my players, what sort of a coach am I? Am I a teller or an educator?

This seems to be a pressing problem in Australia. We have a lot of "tellers/shouters" but not a lot of educators. This is an issue that we're faces with in Australia. Especially when we dont have a lot of good football educators coaching our young footballers.

This is where I believe that all of our better coaches here in Australia need to be coaching our younger generation. Teaching them fundamental skills and therefore developing their technical skills. By doing this, it will put them in good stead once they get older.