I’ve read plenty of articles about academy football over the years, but Jordan Campbell’s investigation in The Athletic genuinely concerned me. The article explores the growing transfer market for under-14 footballers in England, with clubs reportedly negotiating substantial compensation packages for children who haven’t even reached the age at which they can sign professional contracts. According to the investigation, almost 50 under-14 players have de-registered from Premier League and EFL academies over the past two summers. One club reportedly rejected a £1 million offer for a 14-year-old player. Another academy recruitment chief suggested that the under-14 transfer market had become busier than the first-team market. Just consider that for a moment. We’re discussing children who are still attending secondary school, yet their potential is already being valued in hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of pounds. Having worked in academy football and education, I find myself asking whether we’ve reached a point where the business of developing young players is beginning to overshadow the young people themselves. Would We Accept This in Other Areas of Education? This is the part that troubles me most. Imagine a particularly talented 13-year-old mathematician or musician being approached by competing institutions, with intermediaries discussing their future earning potential and organisations negotiating substantial compensation for their development. We’d surely be asking serious questions about the pressure being placed on that child. Yet in football, we’ve become so accustomed to identifying, recruiting and moving young talent that these practices can begin to feel normal. Of course, talented children move schools and specialist programmes in other fields too. There are legitimate reasons why a young footballer might benefit from joining a different academy. But football has created an environment in which children can acquire considerable commercial value long before they’re old enough to make many important decisions independently.

Following the response to my previous SEND poster, I’ve been looking more closely at how we can improve engagement for young people with ADHD in PE lessons and sports coaching sessions. I’m certainly no expert in ADHD, but it’s an area I’m keen to develop my understanding of, particularly as someone working in both education and coaching. One thing that’s becoming increasingly apparent from my reading is that many of the strategies recommended for supporting learners with ADHD are things we should arguably be doing in our sessions anyway. Clear instructions, reducing unnecessary waiting time, providing appropriate challenges, offering choice and giving regular feedback. None of these ideas are particularly revolutionary. Yet I wonder how consistently we actually implement them. I’ve created a poster with 12 practical suggestions across six areas. I wanted to explore these in a little more detail and consider how they might influence the way we design and deliver sessions. 1. Active Arrival – Why Are Learners Waiting Around? One of the simplest adjustments we can make is to reduce the amount of time young people spend standing around waiting for a session to begin. Think about a typical grassroots football session. Players arrive at different times, the coach is setting up equipment and those already there are told to wait. Why? Could we have an activity ready for them as soon as they arrive? It might be a small-sided game, a dribbling challenge or simply giving each player a ball and an area to explore. For some learners with ADHD, reducing unnecessary waiting and providing an immediate opportunity to engage can be particularly helpful. But surely this is also good practice for everyone? We’re increasing activity time, providing more opportunities to practise and potentially improving enjoyment before the session has even started. 2. Clear Instructions – Are We Talking Too Much? This is something I regularly reflect on in my own coaching. How often do we stop an activity and deliver several coaching points at once?

I’ve been watching this four-minute video about Bo Jackson, and it’s difficult to think of another athlete who achieved what he did. An NFL running back, an MLB All-Star and one of the most explosive athletes American sport has ever seen. He was also an outstanding track and field athlete during his school years. What interests me most, though, isn’t necessarily what Jackson achieved professionally, but how he developed as a young athlete. Growing up, Jackson had opportunities to participate and compete in several different sports. American football, baseball and athletics all contributed to his sporting experiences. Rather than committing exclusively to one sport from an early age, he continued developing across different sporting environments. Eventually, he reached the highest professional level in two sports. It raises an interesting question: why are we so quick to encourage young athletes to specialise? What Can Different Sports Offer Young Athletes? One of the arguments for participating in multiple sports is the variety of physical, technical and psychological challenges they provide. Think about Jackson’s sporting background. American football involved acceleration, changes of direction, physical contact, spatial awareness and decision-making under pressure. Baseball demanded hand-eye coordination, timing, throwing accuracy, anticipation and the ability to cope with repeated failure. Athletics provided opportunities to develop speed, power and fundamental movement abilities. There are obvious differences between these sports, but there are also transferable qualities. A young person participating in multiple sports is exposed to different movement problems, coaching environments, teammates and competitive situations. This doesn’t automatically make them a better athlete, but it gives them a broader range of experiences from which to develop. Are We Confusing Early Success With Long-Term Development? Something I’ve noticed in youth sport is how quickly we can identify a talented young player and begin narrowing their sporting opportunities.

How often do we consider the individual needs of learners when planning a PE lesson or coaching session? We spend plenty of time thinking about technical development, tactics and session organisation, but perhaps less time considering how the environment, equipment and delivery of instructions can influence a young person’s engagement. I’ve put together a poster with 14 practical suggestions across seven areas of SEND and inclusion. The idea is simple: small adjustments to the way we coach can potentially make a significant difference to a learner’s experience of physical activity. I wanted to expand on some of these suggestions and explain how they might work in practice. 1. Autism – Predictability, Choice and Sensory Preferences For some autistic learners, uncertainty about what is happening next can create unnecessary anxiety. Practical ideas: - Visual timetables: Before a football session, show learners the sequence of activities using pictures or a simple whiteboard. For example: arrival game → passing activity → small-sided game → finish. Give advance warning if the plan changes. - Offer choice: Allow learners to choose between two activities or challenges where appropriate. Also consider sensory preferences, including noise, physical contact and the playing environment. The aim isn’t to remove challenge but to create an environment where learners feel comfortable enough to participate. 2. ADHD – Reduce Waiting and Create Achievable Challenges One of the simplest adjustments we can make is to look at how much time learners spend waiting rather than participating. Practical ideas: - Active arrival games: Instead of asking learners to wait for everyone to arrive, have a game ready that they can join immediately. For example, a small-sided football game or a series of individual ball challenges. - Gamification: Introduce short challenges with clear objectives. In basketball, learners might progress through levels by completing different shooting or dribbling tasks. -

Yesterday I shared a post looking at some of my favourite registas from different decades. Andrea Pirlo would be the player I’d most like to have played like. What fascinates me about the role is that a regista can control a match without necessarily dominating physically, covering huge distances or even touching the ball more than everyone else. But what actually separates a regista from a pivot or a conventional deep-lying midfielder? The distinction between the roles A pivot is generally a player operating centrally who provides balance, passing options and connections between defence and midfield. The pivot might be a single player or part of a double pivot. It’s largely a positional and structural responsibility. A defensive or holding midfielder is often tasked with screening the defence, protecting central spaces, disrupting opposition attacks and helping the team regain possession. A deep-lying playmaker describes a creative player who operates from deeper areas, using their passing range and vision to progress possession. The regista takes that playmaking responsibility further. Traditionally associated with Italian football, the regista is the team’s director, controlling the rhythm and direction of possession from a deeper position. These aren’t mutually exclusive roles. A regista is usually a type of deep-lying playmaker and may occupy the pivot position. The distinction is in what the team asks the player to do. What makes a regista different? For me, three qualities stand out. Tempo. The regista recognises when the team needs to slow possession down and when an opportunity exists to accelerate the attack. Playing quickly isn’t always the same as playing intelligently. Manipulation. The best registas use their positioning, body shape and passing to influence opponents. They can attract pressure to create space elsewhere, change the point of attack or play through a defensive line. Anticipation. They are constantly assessing the next phase of play. Their scanning, awareness and decision-making allow them to influence situations before they develop.