The Truth About Youth Development

Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United came back with disappointing results in their African campaign this past weekend, but the two teams will be hoping to redeem themselves in the return legs this weekend. Soccer Laduma would like to wish them all the best in restoring South African football's pride. Speaking of pride and restoration, former Bafana Bafana coach, Ted Dumitru, has reacted to last week's editor's column with the following email, which we'd like to share with our readers…   The wide-spread reactions concerning the state of youth development in SA football continue to produce interesting views and a long list of suggestions. Notably, Clint Roper's editorial 'Boys amongst men' in last week's edition of Soccer Laduma, highlights chronic deficiencies in this vital aspect of local football.   While in all such analyses the issues of 'poor structures', 'lack of quality coaching' and 'low interest at the professional level' are invariably mentioned as major causes for not producing quality young players, very little or nothing is offered as relevant and assured remedy. On this key challenge of providing proper and efficient solutions, we are faced with massive disorder. It appears that in search for answers some people believe that the short-cut substitute for locally defined solutions is the importation of foreign youth development concepts and expertise. This false and dangerous line of thinking has to be decisively challenged.   It is through ignorance or dishonesty that there is no acknowledgement of the fact that none of those foreign youth programmes have ever delivered superior results in African football. Most of the reasons for the general failure of 'imported' coaching and training methods (e.g. from Europe,) are now supported by scientific findings. It is a fundamental 'must' that any playing philosophy and coaching or training methodology has to be constructed in strict accordance to a particular set of requirements and conditions which include both players' characteristics and environmental factors. All successful coaching and training programmes and methods that produce world winning performances recognize and reflect a particular approach that is specific to the bio-cultural profile of players and their game environment (geography, climate, social factors etc.) in a country or region.    No major World Cup success was ever achieved outside of such a context. In the case of foreign programmes for youth development (English, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese etc.) being used in African football, it has to be categorically stated that there is a mismatch between the content of such influences (defined in contrasting cultures) and the unique specificity of local players, culture and environmental factors. An estimated 60% of these specific factors and conditions are not recognized in the application of any 'imported' football philosophy or coaching methods. Consequently, the performance traits and capabilities of local talented young players who are exposed to contrasting European coaching will not reach full potential. That's unacceptable.   A brief assessment of past and recent few youth development projects in the country that produced surprisingly high quality results would disclose a bizarre, incomprehensive and irrational contradiction. Let's look at this enigma.   The background of work done to design superior solutions in youth development includes early experiments such as the 'Chibuku Youth Centre.' In 1992, FIFA Technical Director, Heintz Marotzke, rated the youth centre as the most advanced youth programme in the world, and subsequently the programme gained international exposure through Eurovision, Channel 3 Sport. The training methods used in the centre were fully specific to South African football context and unique in application. A training video, 'Simba U12', was also in high demand both locally and internationally. Letters of congratulations were received from FIFA and several international football personalities. Shockingly and sadly, there was no local recognition of, or interest in those new ideas and success of the programme. Many coaches' calls for assistance with more and better knowledge, specific to the conditions of South African youth development, have never been answered, since.   Then, in 1993, the same coaching and training philosophy and methods were introduced at the Sport School of Excellence which resulted, as most of us are aware, in more exceptional results (i.e. at the end of 1996 over 90 young players were already close to an early promotion to professional football). Obviously, the concept of 'maximized training content' (complete football specificity) formed the basis of that success. Strangely, again the solutions that proved so valuable and successful were never considered in the youth coach education courses.    In a more recent example, there has been a massive, record promotion of quality young players to the national teams and professional clubs who have been prepared through a more advanced youth training methodology – Maximal Training for Youth (2008/12). The first group of those players were promoted after only 18 months of Maximal Training!    In October 2013, I made a presentation at the SAFA's offices in a renewed attempt to convince those who are responsible with the technical development at SAFA that the concept of Maximal Training for Youth is years ahead of any other similar concept in football. Piles of documented evidence can prove it. Several new findings and methods that are solely specific to South African football context and included in Maximal Training cannot be found in the German, Dutch, English and Portuguese youth development programmes, combined. The presentation was enthusiastically received and labelled as 'fascinating' by Dr. Robin Petersen, the CEO of the Development Agency. He suggested that Maximal Training for Youth be included in the SAFA coach education courses. Suspiciously, absolutely nothing has happened since.       On another recent occasion (4 February 2014) at SAFA NEC Lekgotla in Cape Town, Zipho Dlangalala, was invited to make another presentation on the success of Maximal Training at the youth level and there again was praise and high appreciation for the concept. 'Traditionally', the same positive reaction from SAFA Technical Department was expressed following a similar presentation… eight years back, in October 2005!?   It is entirely misleading to proclaim that there are no indigenously produced answers for the development of high quality players. This false belief must be strongly and decisively dismissed. Those who would attest to this are highly capable coaches, Zipho Dlangalala, Samuel Mbatha, Dan Malesela, Floyd Mogale, Sudesh Singh, Mandla Mazibuko and others, as they have been part of those successful pioneer projects. No one can oppose the fact that the South African young talent and coaching must share the same football culture in order for the country to achieve international glory.    For the past few weeks many local coaches have discovered video footages of Bayern Munich's new training approach that leaked to the internet. Some of these drills are similar or identical to what was introduced in the 'Maximal Training' programme of Kaizer Chiefs in 2003. The same drills have since been adapted to youth coaching in SA.   Ironically, while international interest to acquire various components of 'Maximal Training' is fast growing, a Nigerian sport agency is planning 'Maximal Training' workshops for Nigerian coaches, yet in SA only very few coaches have access to this world-first methodology.    By trying to solve the enigma as why such advanced youth coaching concepts and methods have been illogically and continually disregarded, the only conclusion would point to sinister resistance, prejudice and ignorance as the reasons.   Whatever, the bottom-line, that retrograde and foolish mentality could inflict immense harm to the game and ultimately to the national interest. The good news, though, is that progressive and dedicated football people will continue to passionately serve the game, regardless.   T. Dumitru   Editors note: See Ted's evidence on www.snl24.com/soccerladuma