Former Coerver® Australia kid Tom Rogic has this week signed for Scottish Champions Celtic FC from Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners on a four-and-a-half-year deal with a transfer fee of £450,000 being quoted. Tom has had a fantastic season in the A-League where he has played 24 times scoring five goals which had put him on the radar of a host of professional clubs in Europe.
The 20-year-old has been on trial with Celtic on their recent winter training camp in Spain and, work permit permitting, will join the squad and be available for selection for the re-start of the SPL season at Parkhead against Hearts on Saturday 19th January 2013. A host of Premier League™ clubs, including Fulham, QPR and Reading, were also said to be keen on signing Rogic but Celtic was the preferred destination for the Australian International midfielder.
Former Celtic midfielder Michael McGlinchey, who was a team mate of Rogic at A-League side Central Coast Mariners, feels that he could be the missing piece in Neil Lennon’s Celtic jigsaw and said “When Tom found out Celtic were interested I said it would be a great move, he had other offers but I told him he had to go to Celtic and I know he was keen on going to Spain with them to see their set-up. He was excited about finding out what the club is all about. Tom’s well capable of making a real name for himself in Scotland. He’s already in the Socceroos squad and over here everyone is talking about him as Australia’s new wonderkid”. (see below image of Tom Rogic playing for the Australian National Team).
“From what I’ve heard, Celtic need a No.10 type player to unlock defences with killer passes, especially in games at Parkhead, Tom could do that, he has all the attributes to play that role. We play 4-2-3-1 and he operates just off the striker. Tom likes to play between the lines, he has a great left foot and an eye for goal. He has an unusual style and is one of those guys who just seem to glide with the ball. He’s the type of player Celtic fans will enjoy watching”.
McGlinchey was stunned by Rogic’s quality when he turned up for training with the Mariners last season. He appeared after winning a talent competition that saw him named one of the eight best young footballers in the world. And McGlinchey isn’t surprised that a year after joining them, clubs such as Celtic, Reading, Fulham and QPR were after his signature.
The 26-year-old midfielder, who left Celtic in 2009 and is now a regular in the New Zealand national team, said: “It’s incredible to think Tom has only been a full-time pro for 12 months – his progress has been fantastic. He was still playing Futsal about a year ago. He was in a squad that went over to England and that’s when Reading were keen on him but they couldn’t get a visa. He joined us towards the end of the season and we couldn’t believe how good he was. Tom has real quality and he’s different as he’s 6ft 2ins and can play as an attacking midfielder or up front”.
“He’s unusual because, despite his size, he’s got great feet, he’s just a terrific footballer and I’m not surprised so many teams were after him.”
Everyone at Coerver® Coaching is extremely proud of Tom, who adds his name to the long list of players to have developed under the Coerver® programme and have gone on to fulfil their dream of being a professional footballer, WELL DONE TOM!.
Stoke City FC Under 11′s showed that the future could be bright for the Potters after coming out on top at a regional Futsal tournament that was organised by the Premier League™ in Birmingham recently. The squad (pictured below at the 2012 Grassroots Football Show) completed the tournament with a 100% record having competed against Reading FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, Aston Villa FC, Swansea FC and Bristol City FC with this success being all the more rewarding given the fact that the majority of the U11 squad are from Stoke-on-Trent it-self.
Stoke City FC Academy Manager, Dave Wright (see below image) said: “It’s great for the lads to have some tournament experience that can be a really big part of their development. Futsal is focuses on developing a player’s technique and skill, which ties in nicely with the Coerver Coaching programmes that are been implemented at the Academy”.
Stoke City FC Lead Foundation & U11 Coach, Will Ryder added “The incorporation of Coerver Coaching into our programme has shown to really benefit the players when using their 1 v 1 skills, which is key both in and out of possession in futsal. The fact that we work on quick changes of direction, mini opposed and fast break attack practices was evident throughout the day”.
“The players have a really good understanding of the format and rules of futsal and how to incorporate our playing philosophy into the 5 v 5 structure. They showed when and how to counter attack and when to show patience to build and retain possession to wait for an opportunity to attack so we were really pleased with their performance throughout the day”.
Coerver® Coaching UK Director, Scott Wright (see above image) who works as Coach Developer/Technical Coach at the club added “It is a fantastic achievement to see our boys playing so well in this Premier League tournament against quality academy opposition. We are really happy with how the players are transferring the Coerver based work from training into game play and performances such as this show that the boys are developing their ability to use their skills effectively and consistently, at game speed, under game pressure, at the right time and in the right place”.
“It is very satisfying to see these components come together in a game environment as this is ultimately where we can assess if the work we are delivering in training is effecting the understanding and development of each player. I’m pleased to say that we are seeing this on a regular basis which validates our programme here at Stoke City and bodes really well for the future of the club”.
Stoke City FC are one of only a select number of clubs in the country to have achieved Premier League™ Category 1 academy status and at the time of writing have scored within the top three highest grades in the country from independent academy assessors, Foot PASS.
Coerver® Coaching have provided support through the Partner club programme since 2011 with specialist support being provided to the club in a number of areas. This includes Technical Coaching for the players, Coach Education for the staff, Age specific session planning and a cutting edge home study website that supports the education of all players and coaches.
Coerver® Coaching Co-founder, Alf Galustian & UK Director Scott Wright, have recently returned from delivering a series of education clinics for clubs and coaches in Spain. Four days of coach education were hosted at the Camilo José Cela sports university in Madrid and included sessions delivered for the Madrid Coaches Association, alongside a two day Coerver® Youth Diploma course.
Finally the fourth day was a session for grassroots clubs. The sessions were attended by a mixture of grassroots and professional coaches from across Spain and Europe (see below image). An additional 5-day course was also delivered by Coerver® UK Director, Scott Wright at CDB Massanassa in Valencia, who are the first club in Spain to become a Coerver® Partner Club.
Alf Galustian said “It is common knowledge that Spain are the current leading developers of football talent and they have implemented a style of play that is the envy of world football. This has been backed up by results and performances with Spain winning the last three major championships in a row, which has never been achieved before and may never be achieved again”.
“I have worked in Spain as a coach educator several times throughout my career and it is great to be invited back and to see that even after all of the success that Spain is having in terms of developing players, that they are still looking at new ways to give their players an extra edge. Many influential coaches here feel that Coerver is a proven and effective way to do this which is great to hear coming from the many excellent coaches that I have worked with here in Spain”.
“The feedback to the clinics was very positive from the attendees that had come from all levels of the game and included Jose Morais, First Team Coach of Real Madrid CF (see below image with Alf Galustian) who said “I am a long-time fan of Coerver Coaching, and recommend it to every coach I meet. I use some of the Coerver work with the First Team at Real Madrid and one of the wonderful things about Coerver is that it can be adaptable to players of all abilities”.
Diego Camacho (See below image – centre with Alf Galustian), who played over 400 Games in La Liga and has recently retired to begin his coaching career in Spain said “Every ex-professional player, no matter the level, who is thinking about moving into coaching should definitely study the Coerver System; I wish it had been available to me when I was a young, it would have made me a better player”.
Manuel Ojalvo (see above image – right with Alf Galustian), former Atletico Madrid Player, said “In my opinion, Coerver is essential for the next generation of players in Spain. While there are three or four strong youth programs at professional clubs here, there needs to be more quality programs across the country and I believe that Coerver provides the content and teaching system that fits perfectly with the Spanish philosophy of Football”.
Antonio Lorrente, Under 16 Youth Team Coach of La Liga club Getafe, said “The Coerver course was different to any I have been on in Spain, there was a more detailed explanation of how to teach skills than I had heard or seen before”.
Miguel Medina Tierno (see below image with Alf Galustian & Scott Wright), President of the Madrid Coaches Association described Alfred Galustian as “A Coaching Maestro!”.
Lubo Moravcik, Glasgow Celtic FC Legend and Czechoslovakia National Team Player said “I travelled from Prague, especially to attend the Coerver course. as a former International Player, Coerver is essential not only to kids but the highest level of player. In my opinion, Coerver is the top technical program in the World”.
Coerver® UK Director Scott Wright (see below image), said of the visit “It is fantastic for us to be working in Spain which is without doubt, the most successful football development programme in the world currently. The reputation of the Coerver programme in Spain is really starting to grow and it is great that the coaches and clubs here see real value in the work that we deliver and how this can integrate with and compliment the already very successful programme they are running”.
“There is an open mindedness and thirst for knowledge here that I find refreshing and is probably one of the reasons that they are so successful. They also have a real desire to remain as the number one team in the world and from speaking to many professional coaches here, they know that their programme will need to evolve to stop other nations catching them up.
“From the feedback we have had during our time in Spain, many of the coaches and clubs that we are working with see Coerver as an effective system to assist with this evolution process. We have had coaches from all levels attend our courses here including La Liga clubs Real Madrid, Getafe, Real Mallorca and Rayo Vallacano as well as other coaches and ex-players from across Spain and Europe which speaks volumes for the credibility that the Coerver programme is building in Spain but also has globally”.
“In addition to the Madrid clinics, I spent five days in Valencia working with CDB Massanassa (see below image) who are the first club in Spain to become a Coerver Partner Club. This new support programme is something we have piloted since 2011 and continue to run at Premier League club Stoke City FC and we are now rolling this out through our networks across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world”.
“The idea is that we support the club, whether it be grassroots or professional in a number of areas that includes, coach education, technical coaching with the players, curriculum provision/development with all of the above being supported by e-learning through our Partner Club website. With the level of professional, on-going support and guidance that we provide, we feel that the clubs will have an outstanding structure in place with a clear vision for successful, long term coach and player development in their local area. Over time, this will help to improve long-term performance for the club as a whole, both on and off the pitch”.
“The programme is working really well and we feel that over time we can have a real influence on the way the game is taught and eventually played in the various countries that we operate in around the world through our new Partner Club programme”.
Paco Lopez, Sporting Director of CDB Massanassa said of the initial Partner Club course “The course has been a great success and has had a very good acceptance by our coaches, players and parents. How to implement the exercises, the intensity, the little time lost between exercises and real-time training is totally different than usual here is Spain. For coaches it is very interesting the way that Coerver teach the concepts of football, how one can progress each exercise just by changing the speed or difficulty, all demonstrated perfectly by Scott Wright over this last five days. All coaches were delighted with the course and very excited about moving forward to apply this method”.
“Parents at the end of the training sessions of their children were greatly surprised and pleased. They had never seen a similar way to train, as I said before, fun, enjoyable, and really focused on the individual learning and development of each child. We all realized that by using the Coerver method the evolution of our children in terms of playing football will be higher and faster than using any other system or method of training that we have access to. We do not want to simply win titles with this programme, we believe that improving the training of the coaches and players individually will eventually lead to the improvement of the teams and thus the level of the club as a whole”.
Alf Galustian, Coerver® Coaching’s Co-Founder, will lead the organization’s first ever Residential Advanced Skills Camp for Coaches at the superb football training facilities in Crans Montana, Switzerland (see below image) between 26th-29th July 2013. The 3-day intensive course is expected to draw worldwide participation from Coerver® Coaching Licensee Instructors, Federation and Professional Academy Instructors, leading elite youth club coaches, and high profile VIP guests.
The residential course covers different, more advanced content than the popular Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma, attended by over 2000 coaches since its launch two years ago. Alfred Galustian commented: “This is our first residential coaches course in Coerver® Coaching’s 29-year history. We are confident it will help provide coaches involved with high-ability players the resources they need to help develop technical excellence in their players”.
Course Structure:
• Module 1: The Coerver® Approach to Successful Team Play
• Module 2: Play Like Spain
• Module 3: How to Create More Goal Chances
• Module 4: Position-Specific Technical Training
• Module 5: Pre-season the Coerver® Coaching Way
Coaches will also receive:
• Effective session plans covering all the modules (available in English, French, German and Spanish)
• Daily sessions to improve participants’ technical demonstration skills
The course fee is €699 including airport transfers from Geneva (flight are NOT included in the course fee), 3 nights 3* Room and Board, all course materials, and an adidas Coerver® Rain Jacket. Participation is limited to 75 external (non-Coerver® Licensee) participants. So early registration is advised. To find out more course details and to book your place, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
“These last two days on the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma course certainly made me a better coach, I have been a fan of Coerver® for many years”.
Jose Morais, First Team Coach – Real Madrid CF
With just over 2 months to the launch of the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma 2013 in the UK, preparations are being made to ensure that this is the biggest and best series of courses yet. Since the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma launched in 2011, over 800 coaches from all levels of the game and from across the world have participated on the 2-day course under the expert tutelage of Coerver® Co-founder and world renowned specialist skills coach, Alf Galustian (Below images – Youth Diploma 2012 at Manchester City FC).
The Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma course not only provides a rare opportunity to learn from Alf’s 30 years of global youth development experience but also the opportunity to participate on an official, authorised Coerver® Coach Education course, which through the Youth Diploma has been the first time in the organisations 29 year history where this opportunity has been available to external coaches.
The 2013 Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma, in association with FourFourTwo Performance will be available in only 3 locations in England this year with all courses being hosted at Professional Football club training facilities. First stop is Birmingham City FC on the 1st & 2nd June 2013, we then head down to London with Fulham FC on the 15th & 16th June 2013 and then finally we head back north to host the third and final course at Coerver® Partner Club, Stoke City FC on 29th & 30th June 2013.
The purpose of the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma is to give attendees, from all levels of the game, a greater understanding of how to plan & deliver more effective coaching sessions. The focus of the course is the Coerver® Coaching Session Planner which provides a quick & easy solution for coaches who would like to construct weekly, monthly or even season long programmes using proven, high quality drills & games developed over 29 years by Coerver® Coaching.
Coerver® Co-founder and course tutor, Alf Galustian (see above image), said of the course “We had never had an authorized Coerver® pathway for Coaches until the last year, and we’ve been around 29 years, and we’re in 23 countries. Our new Diploma course is designed for Coaches who work with young players from 8-15 years old. We designed the diploma asking the question, how can we help coaches construct sessions for the week or the whole season?. The new Coerver® DVD’s and books Charlie Cooke and myself have devised, which is called the Coerver® Coaching Session Planner; is a formula that any coach can use to construct their season’s sessions, we have built the diploma course around this new material”.
Coerver® UK Director, Scott Wright (below image working with Manchester City U11′S – Youth Diploma 2012) added “The Coerver Youth Diploma course is a must for all coaches, no matter the level of the game they work at. If we are to develop a bigger pool of technically balanced, effective game players in the UK, in my opinion, coaches need to have an understanding of the Coerver programme. We need to have not just coaches but teachers of the game who understand how to develop technical excellence in each young player who also must possess the ability to make the right decisions at the right time at game speed, under game pressure. Being a good decision maker without having the technical ability to execute the decision does not make an effective game player, neither does a player who has excellent technical ability but lacks good decision making. You have to find the balance and this, along with the element of how to plan effective sessions are two key areas that will be covered on the course”.
Since 2011, the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma course has been attended by a range of people working at various levels of the game from parents who wanted to help their kids at home to coaches working with senior international players in the Champions League:
“These last two days on the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma course certainly made me a better coach, I have been a fan of Coerver® for many years”.
Jose Morais, First Team Coach – Real Madrid CF (below image – Youth Diploma 2011 Birmingham City)
“The foundations of great teaching have always been championed by Coerver® who have taken football and created a system by which any child, through hard work and good teaching can master the basic ball skills, that then lead onto their application in skilful play.
We are passionate about our football and the belief that we must develop our players to be the best they can be. The Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma Course has just made this whole job so much easier.”
Carl Lander, Assistant Head Teacher – St Aubyns School, Essex
“I enjoyed the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma course immensely, I feel the course did show me some variations on familiar themes and I enjoyed how both Alf and Scott presented the course”.
David Connolly, Southampton FC Striker
“I thought the Youth Diploma course was excellent, Coerver® is the building block on which all football should be taught. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and it has really encouraged me towant to become a better coach”.
Mark Williams, Grassroots Coach – Birmingham
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma course, and would recommend that all coaches working with young players should attend”.
Richard Beale, Reserve Team Manager – Birmingham City FC
“Many thanks to all of you for what to proved to be a well delivered and interesting course at the weekend. I personally have taken a great amount away from it and intend to use the system to help me plan and deliver my coaching sessions , although I think the real learning starts here!.”
Lee Foster – Coach (Bristol – UK)
“I would like to thank you for the wonderful Coerver Youth Diploma course this weekend at Fullham FC. As a master in Physical Education I was very pleased about the Coerver Methodology. Also as a UEFA B coach and youth co-ordinator of the U6-U12 age groups, I will definitely use this methodology. So once again, thanks a lot, you did a great job!!. Hopefully I can attend again next year with more coaches from our local club.”
Kris Hermans – Coach (Pellenberg – Belgium)
“Really enjoyed the course over the weekend, picked up lots of new ideas to take back into my sessions”
Ben Smith – Professional Footballer (Crawley Town FC – UK)
“Can I firstly say a big thank you for an excellent 2 days. The course was fantastic, far exceeding my wildest expectations (life changing as a coach) and with Alf Galustian delivering the course what can I say!!! The man’s a genius in my books. I have been following Coerver for over 10 years, I truly believe that the only and most effective way to learn this beautiful game is the COERVER way.”
Javid Mukhtar – Grassroots Coach/Parent (Essex – UK)
“First of all I’d like to thank you so much for a great course this weekend at Fulham FC, we all enjoyed it immensely. It was an honour and great pleasure to finally meet you all, and especially having Mr. Galustian teaching us. We went straight home and gave the training you did with the U12′s on Sunday with our girls, so we’re really on our way!!”
Mats Wold – Coach (Fyllingsdalen – Norway)
“First of all, I would like to say BIG THANK YOU to all the Coerver team. I really enjoyed the Coerver Coaching Youth Diploma course. Your lecture and practical sessions helped me to understand Coerver Coaching and I will recommend your course to all my friends working with young players. After your course I believe I became a better coach.”
Michal Bainski – Coach (Lodz – Poland)
“I would like to congratulate Coerver for the incredible Youth Diploma Course at Fulham FC. It was so helpful and interesting to me as a coach. I found Coerver Coaching on the internet two years ago and I now strongly believe that it is by far the most interesting and effective coaching method for developing young players, keep up the good work!!.”
Ahanasios Adamos – Coach (Athens – Greece)
At the time of writing, around 75% of all places for the 2013 Coerver® Coaching Youth Diploma have been booked so to guarantee your place book now.
Kristine Lilly (see below with Coerver® Co-founders, Alf Galustian & Charlie Cooke), two time FIFA World Cup™ champion and two time Olympic gold medallist and Coerver® Coaching, the world’s number one soccer skills teaching method have launched a new E-book “Girls Soccer: Dream, Believe, Achieve”.
“Girls Soccer: Dream, Believe, Achieve” is an inspiring Ebook teaching excellence in life and soccer.
The aim of the E-book is to raise awareness for Girls soccer and become the authority on coaching Girls soccer and life skills.
The E-book uses a mixture of HD video, illustrations, text and the Coerver® System to teach coaches, parents and players about:
• Kristine’s inspirational story of a successful woman and champion
• Kristine’s life and soccer coaching tips for girls
• Coerver® Coaching and Kristine’s essential practices for coaches of girls
Kristine Lilly said “I have been using the Coerver method since I was a really young player. It certainly helped me in my career and I strongly believe it’s the best way to coach players. I believe “Girls Soccer: Dream, Believe, Achieve” will help female players improve their life and soccer skills.”
Coerver® Coaching co-founder and Chelsea legend Charlie Cooke said, “We are working closely with Kristine to help develop the next generation of skilful female players and coaches globally. Kristine’s playing career is second to none in world soccer and her insights and life lessons are sure to help all players and coaches”.
What’s inside the Ebook:
• 74 page interactive Ebook that you can easily download to your computer, tablet or mobile device
• The system to coaching Girls to soccer and life success told through Kristine’s inspiring life story.
Guaranteed to Motivate and Inspire your players
• 72 HD videos, that will help improve your player
• 24 practice illustrations, showing you the practice purpose, set up, action, variations and important player and coaches tips
• Coerver® Coaching’s NEW Skills Wheel system. 5 ESSENTIAL skills that each of your players should have
• The Coerver® Coaching Skills test in HD video and accompanying illustrations
• Kristine’s ESSENTIAL home study exercises. Inspire your player to practice more at home.
Perfect to view these videos in your back yard, at the park on your smart phone or tablet
• Watch an overview video NOW at http://bit.ly/16nx2dD
About the authors:
Kristine Lilly was a member of the United States women’s national soccer team for 24 years (see below image). She is the most capped men’s or women’s soccer player in the history of the sport, gaining her 352nd and final cap against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in November 2010. Kristine played in five FIFA World Cup finals, winning two World Cup championships. She also played in three Olympic Games, winning the gold medal twice. She was a four time all American at the University of North Carolina while also winning four NCAA National Championships.
Alfred Galustian has gained a reputation over the last 30 years as being one of the leading technical skill teaching experts in the world. This knowledge and reputation has seen Alf working with some of the world’s leading federations and clubs, which includes the Premier League, French Football Federation, Football Federation Australia, Japan Football Association, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid CF and Newcastle United.
Charlie Cooke played for Aberdeen and Dundee in the Scottish First Division before joining Chelsea in the English First Division, where he played for the next 11 years. He made 380 league and cup appearances for the Blues and played in four cup finals, winning the English F.A. Cup in 1970 against Leeds and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971 against Real Madrid. He also played 16 times for the Scottish National Team and a World Select Team in 1979. He shares the Chelsea club record of three Player of The Year awards with Gianfranco Zola and in 2005, Chelsea’s centenary celebration year; he was selected for the club’s All-Time XI. Charlie is the co-founder of Coerver® Coaching and a Director in the Americas since its creation in 1984.
Coerver® Coaching co-founders Alfred Galustian and Charlie Cooke developed the program from 29 years of knowledge and work around the world at all levels of the game – from grass roots to leading federations, clubs, managers and stars of international soccer.
Coerver® Coaching Co-founder Alf Galustian recently interviewed Gerard Houllier in Paris to discuss the work that they have done together over the last 20 years including the impact that the Coerver Coaching programme has had on elite player and coach development in France during this period.
Gérard Houllier OBE – Profile
Clubs Managed and Coached:
• RC Lens
• Paris Saint-Germain FC
• Liverpool FC, with whom he won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001 (see above image)
• Olympique Lyonnais FC, where he won two Ligue 1 championships
• Aston Villa FC
• Red Bull, Current Head of Global Soccer
International Career:
• French national team coach between 1992-1993
• Technical Director French Football Federation, 1988-1998
• FIFA World Cup™ Champion, France 1998
• Technical Director French Football Federation, 2008-2010
• Member of the UEFA and FIFA Technical Committees for the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Finals
AG: As always, good seeing you, what are you doing now?.
GH: Currently I am Global Sporting Director for Red Bull Football, we have 5 professional football units.
Austrian side FC Red Bull Salzburg, Germany’s RB Leipzig , New York Red Bulls from the US A, Red Bull Brasil and the Red Bull Ghana academies.
AG: it’s almost 20 years since you invited me to come to the Clairefontaine National Training Centre. Please go through the background that preceded this invitation.
GH: As a professional coach and then as technical director of the French Federation, I had heard about Wiel Coerver and his methods, but to be frank, myself and many of my staff were a little sceptical. We agreed that focus on technical teaching was important, but from what we saw in the work, at that time, many of us felt it did not relate or move on to game conditions quickly enough. When I met you and you explained to me your ideas on technical teaching, I was keen to see for myself.
AG: I remember well the first course I did for you at Clairfointaine in 1994; to tell you the truth I really felt nervous because there were so many high profile coaches.
GH: In fact if you recall, the first course you did was for our 15 National Team Coaches; This included Aime Jacquet, the National Team Coach and coaches from every French National Team men and women, so no wonder you were nervous. I was honest with you at the beginning, I left it to our National Team Coaches judgement, whether they liked what you presented or not. As you know they all came back to me, after your session, saying they were convinced that this teaching could be of great importance to us in France. I have to tell you that one of your biggest supporter was Aime Jacquet, who went on to win the World Cup.
The second course you did for us in the early days of the following season, was for the 120 National and Regional Coaching Directors of France (see below image). This course led to the many invitations you received to teach players and coaches at top pro clubs and our regional training centres.
AG: You have jogged my memory, yes those first two courses were crucial, I remember that I presented Ideas on Technical Teaching to Elite Players and how I thought Coerver had evolved. Do you remember the feedback that you got on that?.
GH: Yes, that day you convinced even the most sceptical of coaches, that Coerver was about teaching effective use of skills and not just skill for its own sake. Many of our coaches had seen Wiel Coerver work or had his videos; you showed us the evolution of the method and how it had changed and moved on.
AG: I remember shortly after these initial courses coming back to Clairefointiane at your request to video some of our work for your Official Library.
GH: Yes and to this date almost 20 years later, the videos and work you did are still used as a resource for our coaches all over France.
AG: I was lucky to continue working with you for over 17 years all over France.
GH: As technical director I received reports of all your work. I recall especially those at Auxerre, Marseilles, Lyon, Bordeaux and Paris.I really feel your effort and work in France over so many years, has helped us produce so many good creative players.
AG: I have been lucky enough to work at many Federations and Top Clubs around the World, and in my opinion, the French Youth Development System under you, is the best that I have seen.
GH: Thank you, we worked hard and Youth Development was a priority for us. Winning the World Cup validated our ideas and new orientation in our work.
Coerver® Coaching are delighted to announce that they have entered into an agreement with Sports Stars Media plc (“Sports Stars”), the Portuguese-based sports animation and media company.
The organisations will collaborate across a number of media platforms with Coerver® Coaching providing soccer skills know-how to be showcased in the up-coming Mourinho and the Special Ones TV series (See below image), Mourinho Trading Card Game and the Multi Skills Cup.
This new agreement with Coerver® Coaching is the third major signing by Sports Stars Media PLC in the last 18 months following on from securing the image rights for Jose Mourinho for the animated TV soccer series, which will promote the sale of the Mourinho Trading Card Game with 3D Augmented Reality, and a global online soccer league competition fronted by one of the world’s top footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo, called the Multi Skills Cup.
Sports Stars Media PLC CEO Ruben Dias said of the collaboration “Sports Stars has made significant progress since admission to AIM in February 2012, not only in signing up leading soccer personalities and business partners, but also adapting its offering quickly to the rapidly changing digital market, leaving it very well positioned to benefit. It is in discussions with a number of broadcasters for the Gombby and Mourinho TV Series and is actively seeking business alliances globally for the Ronaldo World Championship.”
Jimmy Galustian CEO of Coerver® Coaching added “We are delighted to be teaming up with Sports Stars Media on their various projects. We believe that there is great potential for overlap between what we do and the new content being created for Mourinho and the Special Ones and the Multi Skills Cup. We hope that these will not only entertain kids but be used as educational tools by parents and coaches. We will certainly be using them in our grass roots programmes globally.”
The initial filming days for the Mourinho content were staged at Coerver® Coaching Partner club, Stoke City FC, who provided the players and facilities for the shoot. Coerver® Coaching would like to thank Stoke City FC for their assitance on this project. (See below image Coerver® UK Director, Scott Wright with Stoke City FC Academy Manager, Dave Wright with the academy players that participated in the filming).
Coerver® Coaching are delighted to announce that the first European Youth Diploma of 2013 will be hosted by Spanish giants, Real Madrid CF. The course will take place between the 14th & 15th May 2013 at the “Los Blancos” Valdebebas training centre which is widely regarded as one of the best professional sports training facilities in the world (see below image).
Coerver® Coaching co-founder Alfred Galustian said of the course, “It’s a fantastic way to kick off this year’s Youth Diplomas in Europe. I really look forward to working at Real Madrid again, the last trip was very good especially learning from the then Technical Director of the Club, and now current Spain Head Coach Vicente Del Bosque”. (see below image).
Real Madrid CF first team coach, Jose Morais attended the Coerver® Youth Diploma course in Birmingham in May 2011 and also attended the Youth Diploma course in Madrid in December 2012 (see below image). Jose said “I am a long-time fan of Coerver Coaching, and recommend it to every coach I meet. I use some of the Coerver work with the First Team at Real Madrid and one of the wonderful things about Coerver is that it can be adaptable to players of all abilities”.
Jose added “At the early ages the foundation of teaching should focus on technique, Coerver was the first time I had been exposed to a curriculum, which focused on this philosophy. Since the early years, Coerver has added game related and full game pressures to all of the skills, that was perfect for me in my work”.
“Football is changing so the skills needed by the players are also changing, young player’s today need to be able to make killer passes, to turn at speed and to dribble past defenders. Repeatable drills can stimulate players to improve in all of these areas”.
Sydney FC star and former Coerver® kid, Terry Antonis has completed a move to Serie A after agreeing personal terms with Parma on a four-year contract.
Terry, who featured in numerous Coerver® Coaching DVD’s from the age of 7 years old, travelled to Italy with his father Peter Antonis and after meeting with the Italian club’s management team, he agreed to put pen to paper for the club that was home to former Australian internationals, Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano.
It is understood that the A-League club was reluctant to let Antonis go, but the sum offered by Parma triggered a release clause in his contract (see below photo of Terry playing for Australia Vs Spain).
Terry said of his move to Italy “It’s always been my dream to play in Serie A and I couldn’t be happier, it’s a fantastic set up over here and a huge opportunity for me to further my career. To be joining the same club that Vince Grella and Mark Bresciano played for is a privilege and I hope I can taste some of the success they enjoyed in Italy”.
Terry added “It’s a club with great tradition and hopefully I can take my game to another level here and add to my football education. I also want to thank Sydney FC and especially Alessandro Del Piero (see below image) and Pascal Bosschaart who have been really influential and have helped me so much in my time at the club”.
Assuming everything goes to plan, Terry will officially join Parma – coached by Italy international Roberto Donadoni, when the transfer window re-opens on 1 July 2013. The 19 year-old won’t link up with his new teammates until after the FIFA Under-20 World Cup which runs from 21 June to 13 July in Turkey where he will captain the Australian national team.
Terry finished by saying “I certainly don’t think I’ll just go over there and start playing in Serie A straight away. It’s going to be a big learning experience and I’ll devote myself to becoming a better player and I feel I’ll be in the right environment to do that.”
Sydney FC were believed to be keen on selling Antonis to FC Utrecht for a higher sum, having agreed to send him on trial to the Eredivisie club. When Parma came calling the decision was made easy for Antonis who will become the second Australian currently playing in Serie A, joining Australian International midfielder James Troisi who plays for Atalanta.
Everyone at Coerver® Coaching is extremely proud of Terry’s achievements, and he adds his name to the long list of players to have developed under the Coerver® programme and have gone on to fulfil their dream of becoming a professional footballer, WELL DONE TERRY!.
