One of the most frequent questions or discussion I have with parents and players is ‘How do I get signed at an academy?’
The vast majority of players enter academy football at U9 when players can first sign a contract.
These players are then training 3 times each week with top coaches and also playing high quality fixtures every weekend. So, the conversation I normally have with players is how do you catch up?
Let’s imagine that players in a club local to you are already of a higher level to you and on top of that are training 3 times as more than you are! So how do you catch up? You have to supplement your sessions with work away from the sessions.
However, School, Grass Roots and Academy football has all been cancelled…. So, what are you going to do for the next few months……
I am going to give you the answer…………
TRAIN!!!!!!
This is the opportunity any grass roots player has been waiting for!! It is a level playing field…. Yes these players may still be of a higher level than you BUT now you have an opportunity to match or beat there training hours!! This is a chance you will never get again and if you are serious about playing football for a professional club then you have to take it.
HOWEVER, time is still precious and what you do must be high quality…I can stress enough and I thought this might be obvious but use the BALL as much as possible. Scrap that ALWAYS USE THE BALL!
Use this time to really improve your technical skills! Passing, Dribbling, Turning, Shooting, First Touch, 1 v 1s, the list goes on! Work on your strengths and your weaknesses!
Set yourself a plan so each week you know what aspects you are going to try and work on!
This can also be a chance to STUDY the game! There are fantastic resources to help you learn details about specific topics which will help you when you go back into team training and matches!
I really hope we see some of those players who are on the borderline of grass roots / academy football use this time to bridge that gap!
Good Luck!!!
