Introducing Part I of a special report on Just Football. Over the coming days our newest contributor Andreas Vou presents a comprehensive four-part study into the state of English football and the national team, encompassing society and culture, the media, youth football and the English approach to playing abroad. Background to this study can be found here. Parts II, III and IV to come.

IT is reminiscent of a grandparent telling the younger generation how things are wrong these days and that things were a lot better “back in my day”.

The Study of English Football, Part I – How social and cultural aspects impact the English game

The Study of English Football, Part II - How moving to foreign leagues would benefit English players

The Study of English Football, Part III - How the media restricts independent thinking

The Study of English Football, Part IV – Let children be children

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Last Saturday, I saw a cracking game. The visitors, second from bottom, scored from a set-piece in the first minute and then, as the hosts piled on the pressure looking for an equaliser, added two goals from counter attacks for a stunning 3-0 lead at half-time.

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(Seattle) -- March 23 -- Elevate your game. Share your ideas. Listen to the experts.

The Puget Sound Premier League is presenting its first-annual Northwest Coaching Education Summit for soccer coaches young and old, new and experienced, to congregate at Starfire Sports facility May 18- 20 for two and a half days devoted to celebrating the art and craft of coaching soccer.

The Northwest Coaching Summit will be headlined by Tony DiCicco, NSCAA and US Soccer Hall of Famer, World Champion Coach, who led the US Women’s National Team to a Gold Medal in the 1996 Olympics and a World Cup victory in 1999.

Other top-level coaches and coaching education experts to be presenting:

Irish FA and national coaching consultant Jeff Tipping, formerly NSCAA Director of Coaching; University of Washington Head Women’s Soccer Coach Lesle Gallimore;

Seattle University men’s head coach Peter Fewing; former England National Team goalie and youth-coach guru Tony Waiters; Slammers FC founder and coaching director Walid Khoury; New York Red Bulls Manager for Education and Coaching Development Simon Nee; and many local and regional coaches.

Full Presenters List:

The theme for this year’s event: how coaches can improve their leadership and expertise to help today’s American youth players get better at all levels of play and ultimately compete on the world stage. 

“We want to bring the best youth-coaching soccer minds to the Northwest and share their knowledge and expertise with coaches from all over the region,” said Leigh Cullip, PSPL technical director. “We believe this will be fantastic experience for coaches of all levels.”

These nationally recognized names will lead field sessions, workshops and panel discussions that aim to inform, provoke, teach and celebrate youth soccer coaching in the Northwest.

This is a rare opportunity for coaches from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Montana and Alaska to learn from some of the masters of their craft, to hit the refresh button, to simply enjoy the company of their fellow soccer coaches.

Youth coaches lacking formal education will also have the opportunity to earn their NSCAA Level II Diploma during the 2.5-day coaching summit. There is something for every coaching level.

This first-ever Summit is open to all coaches in an effort to create an annual event that offers Northwest soccer coaches a place to learn, to grow and to celebrate their passion. 

“This is an opportunity for all soccer coaches to unite over what matters most -- helping young players get better and spreading the passion of soccer to everyone,” says Puget Sound Premier League Executive Director Stanley Holmes.

Early-bird registration is $150 per PSPL coach and $175 per non-PSPL coach. Registration climbs to $200 per coach on May 13.

REGISTER HERE

For more information about the Coaching Summit, click SUMMIT. 

As updates become available, they’ll be posted on our Coaching Education link on our website, on the PSPL Facebook and Twitter sites.

Hit the "like" button on our Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, to keep informed on the latest happenings at the PSPL.

For more information, contact:

·       Leigh Cullip, PSPL technical director, 360-917-6816

·       Stanley Holmes, executive director, 1-800-531-7889

·       Kim Tate, marketing, PSPL, 206-229-1168

The Puget Sound Premier League is a non-profit organization that aims to develop competitive soccer in Washington. Sanctioned by US Club Soccer, the PSPL offers a wide range of competitive divisions for U-11 to U-18 as well as U-8 to U-10 development leagues. The PSPL promotes coaching education, emphasizes player development and supports open and diverse competition. The PSPL hosts the Washington Cup, an annual statewide competition for U-11 to U-19 teams, invitational tournaments and the Pacific Coast Super Cup, a regional college showcase invitational for U-13 to U-19 teams. The PSPL is also a founding partner of the Pacific Coast Super Cup and the Northwest Champions League. 

This is translated from Spanish by google translate..

This week, FC Barcelona’s Juvenil A side lost to Dutch side Ajax Under-19s. This loss led to their knockout from the NextGen Series tournament, also tipped as the Under-19 Champions League. Ajax have now advanced to the semi-finals and will face Liverpool.

Ajax’s team was older in age to the blaugranas, so much so that it included players from Ajax’s first team who were eligible to play in this tournament. The Dutch side’s three goals came in the second half. The (0-3) loss occured at Miniestadi, Barca B and Juvenil A’s home ground.

Barcelona's Bielsa influence, stepping back from the high line, the falsehood of the false nine and Markarián's mettle

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 As Franco Ferrari (the former head of Italian football’s technical HQ Coverciano) says, “In Italy we just look to the result, we don’t care how we obtained it, it’s all about the result…it’s not a question of playing well or building a base for the future, you have to win.”

Enrique says, “When Roma got to know me, they got to know me as an offensive coach who likes to attack, who likes good football. The important thing is that the fans come to watch us, that they enjoy themselves. It’s a very attractive way of playing. We will play on the attack. I don’t consider football any other way. We are moving towards a complete change of ideas and identity…I haven’t come here to bring the Barcelona model, but something that is similar to it.”

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Relaxing on a terrace a block from the White House in Washington, D.C., sipping a glass of white wine on a balmy Saturday night this past May, Frank de Boer was happy. Now 41, the one-time Ajax, Barcelona and Netherlands defender with the laser-guided long ball looked much the same as in his playing days -- the piercing blue eyes, the short blond hair that threatened to recede but never did. These days, he's the head coach of Ajax, the club that took in him and his twin brother, Ronald, when they were just 14. De Boer had just masterminded Ajax's first Dutch league title in seven years, its longest drought since 1947-57, overcoming a raging power struggle for club leadership, the sale of his best player (Luis Suarez), locker-room unrest and a double-digit point deficit since taking over this past December.

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