All the Centre of Excellence squads played their last matches before the winter break on December 4th against Notts County. The winter break is over the months of December and January; the bad weather over these two months usually means many games are cancelled. So this is why a winter break was introduced to the games programme, the season is also extended into May because of the break in January.
The Centre squads before the Christmas break produced some very good football over the first few months of the season. All the players are all trying to pass and move and be progressive in their play, the under 14s in particular have played some very attractive football this season. The Centre coaches were all told at the start of the season to instil confidence into the players as individuals and as a squad to try and play football in the right areas of the pitch. To the credit of most of the Centre players they have tried to implement the ideas of the coach. It's not just a matter of having the ability but knowing when and where to use this ability in certain areas of the field of play. I have seen many players over the years that have great attributes that could make them into a very good footballer but because their application is not right they do not progress any further. The coaches' job is also to put each player in the right frame of mind to perform well in training and during match situations.
The players all started training again on January 9th, there are no matches until 29th January. This period allows the coaches to work on individual skills and the players' roles within the team. The long break means the players need to be reminded of their roles and responsibilities with the team. It is all about reparation for these young players, reminding all the time about all aspects of the game whether it be defending, possession of the ball, attacking and positioning. All the players are on a huge learning curve, the players that take the information on board the best are usually the ones who progress the further than the rest.
If anyone would like to sponsor the Centre of Excellence please contact me, Dave Bentley or Chris Breeze at the Football Club.
Mark Jules
