I’m delighted to offer a great report from Head Coach Eddie Horn, Jeff City Jays, on a Youth Development program trip he was able to take earlier this year to West Ham United. Sponsored by Umbro, he’s documented the trip for us via a Q&A format with his close friend Terry Michler, Head Coach of the CBC Cadets in St Louis. Enjoy!

5 Questions from Terry Michler, CBC High School, about my recent trip to West Ham United

1. How were you able to go on the trip?

UMBRO, since being taken over by Nike, has come up with a partnership for American Clubs. When you purchase UMBRO uniforms you have the opportunity to go on an all expenses paid trip to West Ham United for 10 days to watch and learn under Tony Carr, West Ham’s Famed Youth Academy Director. I purchased uniforms from Matt BenBen in Kansas City and thought that it was just some marketing ploy to buy uniforms. When he called and told me I was selected to go, I couldn’t believe it…I thought I won the Lottery! I flew out of Kansas City into Gathwick airport, where West Ham officials were waiting to pick us up and transfer us to our hotel room inside West Ham stadium overlooking the pitch. There were 4 coaches that were selected to go: Darren Tilley (Rochester Rhino’s) Mike Anhaeuser (Charleston Battery) Chris Cissell (William Jewell College) and myself.

2.What was your strongest impression?

There were several lasting impressions for me. The first is watching the EPL games live. While there I was able to observe 3 matches: West Ham at Arsenal, Hull City at Chelsea and Manchester United at West Ham. For the Man U game I was able to be on the field during warm ups. To be that close to the action of some of the greatest players in the world will be something that I will never forget.

The atmosphere is amazing, the passion of the fans, the speed of play and the technical ability of the players is something that every soccer nerd like myself should experience. On one of the days we were taken on a tour of Wembley Stadium (The National Stadium) which was great. We went behind the scenes into the locker room, the pressroom and on the pitch. When the tour was over, the English FA sent a private car to transport us to the FA offices in downtown London. Getting through all of the security made you feel like you were entering something special. When inside, I was looking at the memorabilia on display, looked to my right and Michel Platini, UEFA President, was talking with a small group of people and then Fabio Cappella (England National Team Manager) came from behind a door so they could go to lunch together.

I didn’t think the day could get much better than that but it did. We then met with Sir Trevor Brooking for close to 2 hours as he discussed the importance of Grassroots soccer to the UK. It was a very polished presentation in a relaxed atmosphere, I kept thinking that he (Sir Trevor) came to the wrong meeting, as it was something that I felt he would have made to US Soccer officials, NOT some High School soccer coach from Jefferson City, Mo. Then there were the training sessions under Tony Carr’s staff, one word says it all: QUALITY!

3.What were the differences between the US and West Ham’s approach to training and Youth development?

In trying to be as succinct as possible, I would have to say the attention to detail. When I found out that I was going, I was hoping for the “blue print” of player development “The West Ham Way”. I made a fool of myself when I asked if they have a curriculum that the staff coaches work from. Paul Heffer, summed it up best, “If you have to write a curriculum for youth coaches, then you need to find new ones. You give the players what they need.”

All of the training sessions I observed, from the U-8 through the reserves, looked very similar. They consisted of around 30 minutes of speed and agility warm up, the technical coach was on next with around 30 minutes of pure technical training and then Tony Carr with the main theme of the training session. The activities selected by the coaches were not that different than what most quality coaches here in the US might use, but the approach to making coaching points, the attention to “detail” was spot on in every aspect. They never coach the player with the ball, they want him to develop insight into the game, let him make mistakes to learn.

They coached everyone else around the player with the ball to make the right runs, to take up the right spots in support, etc but rarely said anything to the player on the ball. Go to a youth game or training session anywhere around Missouri and I don’t think you will witness anyone just coaching the players around the ball. They were very patient in their approach to player development, they looked at around 2000 players for their U-8 team in a 30 mile radius around their training facility and selected 12, this is true select soccer, not the collect system that we use. I personally thought this was a low number but the more I observed, the more sense that it made.

You cannot give quality coaching, game minutes, etc. to the hordes of players that the super clubs here in the US are collecting. It also allows for a very competitive environment in matches without the need to travel very far. One of the problems I see now in US soccer is the bigger clubs collect players and then they have no one that is competitive with them to play in a relatively close geographical area. I understand that the clubs need all of these players to pay salaries, but is it the right thing to do in trying to develop players? I thought their ability to pick 12 players out of 2000 says something about the eye they have for the game and knowing what qualities they are looking for in the players. Here, we have clubs with 80 teams and keep the players until they leave. The difference is there, they make the players so good they can leave, but treat them so well they won’t.

4. What was the total environment/atmosphere like?

The answer is simple but explaining it is impossible for me. The environment was right to develop professional players. The players understand why they are there; to become a professional footballer, not just participate. I have been to many clinics where professional coaches talk about creating the right environment. I have always wondered what that environment is? I now know, but it is not something that you can put your hands around or describe without experiencing it yourself. When you are in that environment, you will know it, not many places have the right environment that I have been around.

The advantage they also have in creating the environment is they deal with quality where most clubs here deal in quantity. There is a certain respect for the uniform, loyalty to the club and a desire to perform at a high level that comes from being one of 12 players out of 2000 selected to a West Ham United team. This feeling transcends all aspects of the club, from the atmosphere in the changing room, the way you wear your kit, the quality of the pitches they train on, the way you are expected to care for your equipment, your effort during training and matches as well as the lifestyle you are expected to lead.

Another interesting part of the ‘environment” is that the coaches cannot tell you what they are doing in training next week, it is all based on the previous weeks game performance…give the players and the team what they need to improve. I have known some coaches here that will have a rough practice outline of the first 4 weeks of their season instead of evaluating the players and team to give them what they need.

5. Would you recommend this trip to someone else?

YES, without hesitation, it was a trip of a lifetime for me. Every soccer coach/player/fan should make a trip to observe and learn in Europe. I came away from the trip realizing we, as a soccer playing country, are a long way away from ever being a top soccer nation.