A team of Manchester United coaches were recently in Japan to deliver coach education clinics to groups of local coaches f…

 

A team of Manchester United coaches were recently in Japan to deliver coach education clinics to groups of local coaches from all over the Tokyo region.

Manchester United Academy Manager, Brian McClair, together with Mark Dempsey, Academy U13-U16 Head Coach, travelled to Japan in early December to deliver practical sessions demonstrating the Academy’s approach to developing talented young football players.

The on-field practices were followed by classroom presentations to the coaches highlighting the Academy’s structure and philosophy for encouraging players to rise to the highest standard possible.

Tony Byrne, International Program Manager for Manchester United Soccer Schools was also on hand to talk about the MUSS approach to applying the same dedication to developing young players at a more recreational level. 

The sessions were scheduled at four different venues in Hachiouji, Juntendo, Saitama and Yokohama to give access to as many different local coaches as possible. Over 350 coaches took advantage of this fantastic opportunity and were all very eager to gain an insight into the famous Manchester United Academy.

The clinics formed part of the Nike Japan initiative to provide quality coach education seminars to coaches from all backgrounds, from grassroots to professional level and received fantastic feedback from all those in attendance.

Brian McClair underlined the importance of coach development and how Manchester United are proud to be able to go into areas such as Japan to help the process at a local level.

“The future of player development anywhere in the world depends upon the continuing development of the coaches themselves within each country. It’s been a pleasure for us to come to Japan and give the local coaches a taste of the types of sessions we deliver back in Manchester, and hopefully we’ve given them a good insight into the philosophy of our Academy program as a whole.”

The trip not only gave the Japanese coaches a truly authentic Manchester United experience, but the lucky young Japanese players taking part in the sessions were also given a taste of how the Academy players train throughout the year at Carrington. According to Academy coach Mark Dempsey, the players rose to the occasion with great enthusiasm.

“It’s been great to work with some of the young Japanese players here. They’ve been very eager to learn and have been quick to adapt to the practices we’ve delivered. As a coach it’s always a good experience to work with different players, from different backgrounds and cultures, and I hope that we’ve contributed positively to the ongoing development of both the players and coaches in Japan.” 

Although the focus of the four clinics looked at the development of elite players, it was also important to stress the importance of providing quality coaching to young players at all levels. Tony Byrne from Manchester United Soccer Schools provided an outline to the coaches of how MUSS look to develop players of all abilities, so that they can continue to have a passion for the game and also talked about how coaches can help to develop young players both on and off the field.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to have seen a diverse range of young players take part in the training sessions during the trip; players of varying ages and abilities,” said Tony. “It’s always fantastic to see the enthusiasm and enjoyment on the faces of young football players wherever they are in the world, and it’s obvious that these young players in Japan have really enjoyed the coaching sessions. Hopefully the experience has been something they’ll remember for a long time to come.”

With Manchester United taking part in the World Club Championship in Japan, and with these coach education sessions supporting the Club’s presence, there can be no doubt that the interest and support for Manchester United in this area has never been stronger.

Coaching for coaches

19TH DEC 2008

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