5 tips to increase your productivity as an academy
February 27, 2018

5 Ways That Will Help Your Club Stay Ahead In The Game.

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In the age where clubs and fans are constantly debating over who the better club is, it really depends upon who ticks all the right boxes at the right times. Clubs have their illustrious histories with the most expensive players, a cabinet full of trophies and a revenue that puts a top businessman to shame, yet looking at the current scenario, what is it that clubs should do to get ahead of the curve? Let’s find out

1- Effective Talent Acquisition (Scouting)
Scouts around the world do an all important job of keeping an eye on players that have potential to make it to the next level if provided with the right quality of training and infrastructure. Clubs should appoint an adequate force of scouts to ensure they don’t miss out on the best that is out there. Scouting not just the already established players but also the young and semi professional athletes could ensure, clubs have a valuable bench of players both for the present and the future.

 

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2- Acquiring Adequate Technology and Infrastructure
Technology and Sports go hand in hand today, especially with an array of sport specific products that are being introduced to the market. Distance tracking devices, work rate mapping devices, Pace detection guns, Chip Timers etc are vital technologies in the overall progress tracking and development mapping of athletes which needs to be adopted by the clubs to develop better,faster,stronger and more efficient players.

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3- Knowing The Opponent
Again, technology is going to play an important role in this. Getting to know your opponent is an important part of the game. For example, Sergio Ramos is one of the best headers of the ball. He has scored some really important goals for Real Madrid at crucial points to win them games. Knowing your opponent would mean keeping a marker on such players and blocking their ability to score. Which could mean appointing a tall defender to mark players with great heading ability in order to stop them from scoring.
Technology is going to play a huge part here, wearable technology to be precise. Mapping the technical ability of the players using wearable devices and depending upon the data obtained from these devices, marking certain players, Sergio Ramos as mentioned above, appoint players who have an equal or better leap or jumping ability to block Ramos from scoring, similarly, appointing a striker who has better pace compared to the opposition defenders , all this by means of the data collected from the wearable devices.

 

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4- Effective Youth Development System & Grassroot Training
Youth Development is an important activity and on top of any clubs agenda. Recognizing local talent, nurturing and developing them to make better players for the future are activities of the youth development system. Some great players across all sports are a product of the youth development programs. Development of homegrown players is important especially because inclusion of foreign players in international leagues is limited. Bigger clubs have an elaborate Youth Development System and players are picked up in the first team as and when they reach the level of the first team.
Grassroot training is also an important activity, advocating exchanges and sharing human values and of course bringing together more people to practice the sport. Inculcating sport in educational course work from a very early age also help clubs to get ahead of the curve.
Sports tech will play an important part in grassroot training and its management. Using software solutions (Software As A Service) to better manage the players, coaches, researchers and other professionals who are a part of the whole grassroot setup. The whole concept of treating it is an organisation on the whole by means of an effective software and its subsequent tools will help clubs keep a step ahead of the curve.

 

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5- Development of the game.
Development of the game is another important activity that could benefit the club. Spreading the word and reaching out to audiences that do not have access to the sport and available resources to play the game are all a part of the development of the game. Getting former club legends to volunteer and reach the masses in order to attract more people into playing the game.
Also, investing in smaller clubs could also in a way help in developing the game and clubs could also get a some talented players at a very young age who could prove to be valuable to the club in the future.

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Sport indeed is a powerful medium and is a great way to get people together, regardless of the age, gender or nationality. It is important that the clubs stay in constant competition to stay ahead, not in terms of money or fame, but in terms of development of the game, moving forward. If the above mentioned points are inculcated, the clubs can always stay ahead of the curve, which will only benefit the game, one way or the other.

3 Comments

  1. Revati Kanvinde says:

    A very well researched article. Very precise synopsis. Keep writing. Best wishes always!!!

  2. Great read. Well written and good insights into the game. Good luck.

  3. Ameya Paratkar says:

    A very well researched and written article.

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