Are Academies Restricting Creativity?

On the night where Suarez scores four goals for Liverpool it seems fitting to discuss something which Dennis Bergkamp discusses in his book Stillness and Speed. Suarez is a fascination because he is something almost unseen in English football. He is unorthodox to say the least and has moments where he crosses the line, yet there is something remarkable about Suarez, yet as this article discusses will English football ever develop a player like him? 

This week there has been some stern criticism about the English school system and how poorly it performs against other countries around the world. What is the problem? Archaic teaching methods? The acquisition of knowledge yet a lack of application? It would appear that there is a lack of modernity to the approach as well as a simple lack of hours and commitment. 

The amount of hours students spend in extra studies at home and in school is paled in comparison to other nations. Quite simply there is a lack of drive, dedication and investment in learning. Therefore it is little surprise we are developing intelligent children.

This is not too far away from England’s ability to compete with many of the top nations in regards to football. The frustration of England’s youth development, the seeming lack of progress and of course England’s inability to compete with the top nations, as well as those with ‘small’ populations in Holland and Belgium point to serious issues.

Where's the creativity

Perhaps the issue in both school and football is that there is a distinct lack of creativity and freedom of expression afforded English students. England has always been a very structured, regimented and analytical in its approach. This is seen in the school system and which has been taken into the world of football development. 

In an excellent talk from Ken Robinson titled “How schools kill creativity” he discusses how pupils who possess creative flair (or for schools should I say disruptive attitudes), are attempted to be changed to fit the norm. School he argues is a place to develop University lecturers, and little else. The system neglects and laments creativity, much like English football has done for decades. 

Skill, expression, creativity has been looked on negatively by an FA who valued structure, organisation and conformity. A coaching culture was developed with these ideas and beliefs which meant England developed players whose skill and creativity was often coached out of them. 

When we wonder why we lack players with skill then we must look at our coaching culture. It would appear that the Academy system, which in some places (Southampton & Everton) has sought to develop skilful and intelligent players has generally been a place where skill is diminished. 

Much like schools, players are often coached to limit their skill and craft, coached not to try things as to not make mistakes. Academies like the school system has become a place of conformity, if you don’t fit in with what is asked then you are released. However some of the greatest players, the genius’ of the game were often non-conformists, they had their own way and style. Would they make it in today’s academy structure?

And it’s not just in England. Dennis Bergkamp in his excellent book discusses his concerns with over-coaching of players in Academies. 

If you look at the coaches we have now, they're so different. They all have their badges, and they are all very sympathetic and know exactly how to play football and what kind of exercises you should do, and for how many minutes, and the distances between the goals, and where the cones should be where you're playing positional games. And they know not to play too long - one and a half hours maximum. Maybe that's the problem. We never had that sort of attention, so we were more self-taught. Even with all the shouting, you just created your own thing.

He makes the point that this culture has produced players who struggle to make their own decisions and when confronted with a problem of which they have not been introduced, look to the side for answers instead of seeking to solve it themselves. 

It was really quite free for you to teach yourself. There's no shouting or military guys any more, but it's more strict in a football sense. Everything is done by the book. Is it too much? Probably. Everything is done for the kids now. They're picked up from school by mini-vans. The food is there, the teaching is there. Everything, How can they develop themselves if everything is done for them? As soon as it's a bit different it's "Oh no! I don't know what to do!" You see them looking at the bench to find out what they should do.

The unorthodox intelligence

And this is where we bring in Luis Suarez. Bergkamp makes reference to when Luis Suarez was at Ajax and how unorthodox he was. He points out that he was evidently not a product of these football schools and environments, he was raw, rugged, tenacious. He would do things to win which many coaches across Europe would perhaps not approve of. 

You can see the difference with Luis Suarez when he was here (at Ajax). Of course, maybe you wouldn't agree with the things he did, but he was always trying to create something, always thinking. "How can I get the best from this situation? Do I have to pull the shirt of his defender to get in front of him? Do I get out of position to control the ball?" His mind is always busy thinking. He's very creative.

It begs the question that if Suarez had developed in one of Europe’s academies would he be the player he is now, would he even have made it? A player like Suarez has made Bergkamp reassess what Ajax is doing with their youngsters. He worries they had gone too far in over-coaching and structuring the sessions. Therefore he says;

That's one of the things we try to do with the training now in Youth - give players the chance to develop themselves into creative, special, unique individuals. We can't copy what we had in the past. Somehow we have to find a different way, so the players who come into the first team are creative again, can think for themselves, can make a difference. Be special. Be unique. That's what we want.

South American flair

Right now there is an argument as to who is the best player in the Premier League; Suarez or Aguero. For me it is Aguero yet I love Suarez. Both are unorthodox, skilful, creative and very effective. The fact both are South American is not surprising. They way players develop there is very much from a street football environment. 

Through futsal type games the players develop their skills, creativity yet most importantly their intelligence and decision making. Coaches evidently allow players to express and try things as youngsters because the products coming out of South America possess these kind of skills. 

As well as this these players have a ruthlessness, a desire and a tenacity which although English players are supposed to possess, they actually don’t. Why? Because it is coached out of them in Academies. 

In England they are too pampered and provided such a ‘nice’ environment in which to develop. The ‘nice’ players are those who often make it, others not with the right ‘attitudes’ required for top level football. Yet is there not a concern that the Academy system is simply developing one type of player, in the same way Robinson argues the school system is there to develop simply one type of person. 

Do we not wish to be more creative with how we develop, recruit and promote players? While we admire and envy players like Suarez, Aguero and Tevez perhaps we should look at ways we can find and develop our own.

Solutions?

Can we replicate environments of South America? Perhaps. Yet we cannot replicate the culture or socio-economic situations. Yet we can change our culture to having children ‘play’. Too many are locked indoors after school and are restricted from playing and socialising. This is only producing a sedentary, lazy and computer focused generation. 

How can young children get the hours required to compete with their South American counterparts when they are sitting in front of TV’s? Parents need to change their approach, not every child will become a Suarez yet they may be fitter, socially less awkward and have a more fulfilling childhood?

To help these kids we need to create a culture of ‘street football’ which allows players to play and develop their own creativity and decisions away from ‘coaches’ who make decisions for them. Investing in free futsal courts would be a start. 

As for the coaching culture, teaching skills to players is a key part of it yet more games is key. Too many ‘nice’ practices may look good for a coach yet these are a waste of time in developing players skill and intelligence. Playing games with varied rules and thus problems will allow players to think, solve and develop. Coaches therefore need to be facilitators and guides more than “stop stand still, listen to me” coaches (products of the FA coaching system).

As Bergkamp says this is not a problem just for England but for Europe in general. The Western school system cannot help become part of the football education and with the new EPPP the intention is to make the Academy process even more structured like the school system. Whereas this may help provide more structure there is a concern it may mean more coaching and conformity. 

Will players be allowed to think, express and develop their skill and intelligence with this increased structure? It is not to say we won’t develop more players through this model, yet there is a concern we will develop only a certain type of player, and a Luis Suarez type does not appear in-line with the Academy system. 

Ironic that he, like Aguero is rated so highly. We may have our own, yet our system may disregard them. Makes you think doesn’t it.

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