VSS (Virtual Soccer Schools)’s Post

Welcome to 'Insite', our monthly #newsletter for members of the EdStart Schools #team and the #parents and #carers of our fantastic #pupils. Over the past month, many of us have been glued to our TV screens watching UEFA EURO 2024. England did well; Scotland, not so good! Individual allegiances set aside however, the tournament was a fascinating watch from the perspective of #teamwork. I've been a #teamplayer all my life; from my very first professional contract at Bristol City Football Club, to playing over 460 games in the EFL (English Football League) for The Robins, West Bromwich Albion Football Club, Blackpool Football Club, Tranmere Rovers FC, Burnley Football Club & Kidderminster Harriers Football Club, then managing Fleetwood Town FC, Tranmere Rovers FC, Barnsley FC, Shrewsbury Town FC, Dundee United Football Club and now Oldham Athletic (2004) Association Football Club Limited. As a #teamleader, I'm inspired by Helen Keller's famous quote: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." This is especially true within the SEN & #alternativeprovision sector. For organisations like ours to be truly successful in our overall mission to create brilliant 16 year-olds, everybody - including our #pupils - must show real #togetherness and work as a team; almost like a family. With this in mind, this month's edition of 'Insite' focuses on #teamwork and the work we do as a group of #schools to help our young people - some of whom have #specialeducationalneeds, #semh (Social & Mental Health Difficulties), #autistic spectrum disorder, other #neurodiverse conditions such as #adhd & #dyslexia, or been affected by #childhoodtrauma - to develop academically, socially and emotionally and achieve their full potential. It also homes in on what a high-performing team should look like, referencing the 'Five Dysfunctions of a Team' model by US Business Writer, Patrick Lencioni as well as examining how our core value of 'togetherness' shapes our provision and the expectations we place on our young people. This month's 'Team Profiles' feature our Deputy Head of School at Oldham, Matthew Lawton, and our Head of School & Co-proprietor at Wigan, Stuart Howarth, a qualified science teacher who played over 100 Super League games for St.Helens R.F.C., Salford Red Devils Rugby League Club & Wakefield Trinity in his previous career as a full-time RL professional. Our CEO & Proprietor, James Lowe also contributes a piece on the value of recruiting former professional #sportspeople to the #classroom as #educators, and how their transferable skills, including #selfmotivation, #resilience and #leadership have a transformative effect on the lives and educational experience of our young people. Finally, as the Summer Olympics (International Olympic Committee – IOC) get underway this Friday in Paris, we thought we'd share the most perfect example of #teamwork in motion... GB's Coxless Fours winning Gold in Sydney in 2000. Inspiring stuff! Enjoy the read!

The clash between school commitments and football academy programme presents a significant challenge for young players and their families. Here we discuss some of the main issues that may arise. #school #footballacademy #parents #privateschool

Research Spotlight Wednesday! Today, we shine a light on the work of Ted Baker now the Zone Scout Coordinator at Sheffield United Football Club. Ted’s background in scouting, recruitment, and coaching within U9-16 academy football inspired his research project: “Exploring the Scouting Landscape in English Football Academies: Key Insights and Value.” Ted’s study delves into the current scouting environment across professional football academies in England, drawing on data from 71 scouts. Here are some key findings: Diverse Roles: Among the participants, 31% are full-time, 42.3% part-time, and 26.8% volunteers. Category One scouts were the most represented group at 45.1%. Volunteer Involvement: Volunteers play a crucial role but often feel isolated, with 50% in Category Three reporting insufficient feedback or communication from clubs. Trust & Feedback: Trust is paramount, with 87% of respondents rating it as “essential” or “very important.” However, 73.7% of volunteers reported receiving no feedback from coaches. Communication Gaps: Improved communication is needed; 66.2% of scouts emphasised the importance of relationships, yet formal channels are rare, especially for volunteers. Motivations: Unselfishness drives many scouts, with nearly 50% prioritising “developing children” over financial gain. Knowledge Transfer: The study highlights a lack of CPD opportunities for volunteers, with 42.11% reporting none, underscoring the need for structured knowledge-sharing mechanisms. Standardisation Challenges: While 56.4% supported standardised performance measures, resistance from full-time scouts indicates a need for trust and transparency. These findings highlight critical areas for improvement in how clubs manage and interact with their scouting staff, ultimately enhancing recruitment processes and talent identification. By addressing these issues, we can foster a more supportive and inclusive environment for scouts at all levels, leading to long-term success on the field. Let’s drive meaningful change in football scouting together and keep an eye out for future work that Ted is working on! #Football #Scouting #TalentIdentification #FootballAcademies #Coaching #ProfessionalDevelopment #Inclusion University of Worcester University of Worcester School of Sport & Exercise Science The Association of Professional Football Analysis Professional Football Scouts Association (PFSA)

According to BBC "180 of the 1.5m boys playing organised youth football in England will ever play a single minute in the Premier League. That means there is slightly more chance of one of them making it into the top flight than being struck by lightning, but not by much." (source for the article at the bottom) Think about that number for a second. 0.012% will make it, 99.988% will not make it. Football clubs and football associations spend an incredible amount of money on player development. Everyone has an opinion but how much long term research have we done? How much of our opinions are really evidence based? At which age will we be able to tell if a player makes it or not? What does research say about early developers vs late developers, what does research say about the relative age effect (how your birthdate may affect if you will make it as a player or not), have we looked enough at which skills is best to teach at which age and are we following through on that or are we asking our 8 year old kids to play tactical football with great positioning copying the first team at Manchester City and then perhaps neglecting their technical skills training like dribbling when they are at their best age to develop their technical skills more so than their tactical skills? Have we looked closely enough at the mental skills of elite athletes and their role in helping them become elite? Are we teaching our young players those skills in our academies and in grassroots football? What can we do to increase the chances of a young player making it to the pros or even to the very highest level in football? I am sure all of us have ideas but can we support them well enough with research? What is your view on this? Siggi Eyjolfsson. Quote source: https://lnkd.in/e62Gj6hj That means there is slightly more chance of one of them making it into the top flight than being struck by lightning, but not by much.

🚩 A Call to Action: Supporting Our Young Referees 🚩 In recent times, a concerning trend has emerged in the world of sports—a significant number of young, promising referees are stepping away from the field. The reason? A disheartening level of abuse that no one should have to endure. Refereeing is more than just a job; it's a passion, an avenue for young individuals to learn invaluable life skills such as leadership, decision-making, and resilience. Yet, the increasing incidents of verbal and sometimes physical abuse are overshadowing these benefits, leading to a decline in their participation. This is not just a loss for the sports they leave behind but a stark reflection of the challenges we face in fostering a respectful, encouraging environment for our youth. As players, coaches, parents, and sports enthusiasts, we have a collective responsibility to nurture a supportive atmosphere that values the contribution of young referees. #RespectReferees #FairPlay #SupportOurRefs

Invest in Academy football 🇮🇪⚽️ ? A player development system do we really understand this in 🇮🇪⚽️? Do owners of LOI clubs really understand or care about the importance of a player development system in 🇮🇪⚽️ Why is it more important to add a player to a already big squads rather than employ another full time coach to help the future of 🇮🇪⚽️ or maybe make that young Academy player full time ?

I have an idea….just read John Parsons comment on another thread and it triggered my mind today. Can we not do a few things better in PE such as: 1. Change the idea of school based PE from Physical Education to Physical ENJOYMENT first. Make this the direction of travel? 2. Create better social infrastructures to encourage young people to connect and play again. Apps that encourage me to meet someone else safely that enjoys playing sports/games locally without caring if we are ‘any good!’ 3. Stop pursuing performance/league/winning as a measure of Physical success??? Assess enjoyment and motivation instead? 4. After this we can talk about ‘organised sport’ Not Before. https://lnkd.in/efRthCNy

Every child is born with a flair for one or more sports. . I remember when I was much younger, I usually love to run, and later in my junior class(JSS 2), I started representing my school, which was all girls' school in running. . I left the school to another after my Junior QAEC, and I discovered I picked interest in basketball. . I would play with my brothers at home since we had a court, but I never thought of the need to represent my school. . I was focused on studying, but I never missed watching other students play and I truly wished I kept on with a particular sports because seeing others win medals, bring home championship cups and trophies, and still saw how well they did in their academics, some where top of their classes, made more sense to me. . Sports stimulate the child's brain in ways you may not have imagined. . Sports is education disguised as play. . Parents should understand that allowing your child to get involved in sports brings a balance between play and academics. . Some children may become professionals in sports, not in academics. . It starts now!! -------- As we celebrate "International Day of Sport for Development and Peace," today, April 6, be reminded to engage your child in more than one sport so you can discover the particular one they love and are better in. #childatheartconsultbygifty #childcare #education #consulting

Thank you for your support in spreading this important message! For further details about the workshop, please contact me. We recognize the crucial role that parents and coaches play in the inclusion and development of youth in sports. Despite knowing the challenges and mistakes often made in this role, there is insufficient conversation and education on these topics—typically until something goes wrong. To address this, we have an online workshop ready: "YOUTH IN SPORT – THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF PARENTS." This workshop provides answers about our responsibilities in encouraging and supporting youth in sports, HOW to do it correctly, and WHY it’s important to rectify the mistakes we make. The goal of sports is not just about results. Youth sports play a crucial role in socialization, development, and acquiring skills that are important not only for further sports development but also have a very positive impact on education, relationships, careers, and life in general. #sport #support #education #parenting #kids #youth #values #skills #encouragement

Double school sport hours, heads of five sports tell political parties… "We hope that the manifestos due to be published next week will include a commitment to put physical literacy at the heart of the school day by having a minimum of two hours of quality Sport and Physical Education mandated within the National Curriculum and every child guaranteed the opportunity to be active for an hour a day inside and outside of the school setting."   The next government (frankly any government) has an opportunity to make a simple, life-changing step to improve the outcomes of millions of children - in physical and mental health and wellbeing, in education and all the positive associations that come from putting play at the heart of the development of young people.   We know this at Greenhouse Sports because we live it.   At Greenhouse Sports we fully endorse the call from leading sports The Football Association, England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) England Rugby, The Rugby Football League, and our great partner LTA to 'put physical literacy at the heart of the school day.' We are a living example of how this delivers success. Our coach-mentors provide expert sports coaching and personal development sessions for hours beyond PE each day, week and year for more than 9000 children a year, specifically from the most disadvantaged backgrounds - all for free - and the outcomes are much higher school attendance and higher performance in education. More so, they are healthier and happier and, supported by our coach-mentors, build the resilience and the confidence to meet the clear and present challenges of growing up today.   If this is not in any manifesto this week, our young people will want answers from those who want our votes. We will challenge them with an invitation - come to our schools, meet our coaches and the next generation at play and see how it works - they will show you where you are going missing. #TeamforLife https://lnkd.in/eHUMRHSB