2. The competitive world of the
Modern game desires Professional
footballers (Pro Footballers) to
comprise a football team
Now Small details differentiates
teams
Introduction
Concentration and Focus on these details differentiates
between amateur and Pro Footballers and determines the
results
It is therefore important to prepare Pro-Footballers from the
right ages
3. 1. You have to be extra talented and born a “footballer”.
2. It runs in the family.
3. You must be very quick and explosive when running and
playing the ball.
4. You need to start in a renowned club as a youth to reach
a professional status as an adult.
5. You must be very strong, tall and have abundant muscles
everywhere to make it.
6. You must come from a poor family.
7. You must be a ball juggler.
8. It’s all about being “lucky”.
Source: supersport.com 3
Sunday Oliseh Calls them 8 Misconceptions
4. Professional Football is a Profession like any of
the contemporary professions
Does any of the Sunday Oliseh 8
Misconceptions apply to other professions?
1.Medical Doctor – Born a Doctor?
2.A lawyer-Must come from a poor family
3.An Accountant- Must be Lucky
4.An Engineer-It runs in a family
Football is a Profession
5. Like any other Professional, a pro footballer
must attain development in the following areas;
–Technical Development
–Social Development
–Economic Development
Development Categories
How to create a RonalMessi?
7. A Pro-footballer should be exposed to
organised technical development cycles at
different ages.
There are;
On-field Technical Development Activities
Off-Field Technical Development Activities
Technical Development
8. HR Quality;HR Quality; The quality of Coaches
10,000 Hours;10,000 Hours; The repetitiveness until 10,000 hours
accumulated
Equipment;Equipment; Exposure, right sizes and availability of the right
training and match equipment inclusive of Gloves, Shoes,
Guards, Bibs, Balls, Pitches, Dummies etc
Athletic;Athletic; Whereas it is true Genetics plays a role in key
physical attributes, there tools to develop players athletically
On-Field TD activities
9. Physicality;Physicality; The Upper and Lower Body Strength
Agility;Agility; The ability to make quick, light and easy movements
with mental alertness
Speed and Acceleration;Speed and Acceleration; The ability to run fast and long with
or without the ball
Power;Power; The ability to make strong or appropriate precise long
passing and shooting with either foot or head
Skills;Skills; Heading, Tackling, Passing, Dribbling, Targeting, Ball
Control, Kicking and Catching (For Goal Keepers Only)
Athletic Development activities
10. HR Quality;HR Quality; The quality of Managers (the influence
passed on!!, the parental instinct)
Competition;Competition; The competitive gene
Health;Health; the sporting and non-sporting health of
players. Body Impairments identified early may be
fixed
Nutrition;Nutrition; Diet is paramount in body development,
energy banking, recovery from injuries and general
health. Professionals to set Minimum qualities, and
quantities of food and drinks. Water is key
Off-Field TD activities
11. Marketing Aspect;Marketing Aspect;
A Pro footballer is a commercial good and
presentation in looks and communication off-field is
as part of the game as scoring goals.
Interaction with the media and how questions are
answered may make or break a player
Off-Field TD activities Cont’d
12. The Pro Player Development Stages
Above 20yrs.
Senior National Team
Above 17yrs.
Professional Club Football
Above 10-16yrs.
Football School
Above 6-10yrs.
Fun games, Filtering
Academies
14. A Pro-footballer should be exposed to organised
social aspect training in development.
Spiritual;Spiritual; Belief and faith in the Omnipotent cultivates
the player into good sporting values and
concentration
Strict Adherence to Programmes;Strict Adherence to Programmes;
1. Availability with interest and concentration to
programmes is key to development
2. Poor time management is easily transferred
onto the pitches and a minimum basic for pro
football
Social Development
15. Life Style;Life Style;
1. Enough Rest, (minimum of 8 hours Sleep
everyday)
2. Relax and enjoy light moments
3. Avoiding Alcohol or intoxicants Overload
4. Avoiding Banned Substances
5. Avoiding Peer pressure and groups with
different agenda
6. Avoiding the nightlife
7. Avoiding Diet Indiscipline
Social Development Cont’d
16. Stardom Management;Stardom Management; Many an Occasion players
breakdown as soon as they breakthrough. This is
caused by lack of prior Stardom management training
Competitiveness;Competitiveness; Life is a hustle and the best hustler
makes it through. There is nothing that comes on
silver plate. A pro player must compete with himself,
team mates, opponents and anything thrown at
him/her.
“I never played for a draw” Sir Alex Ferguson
Social Development Cont’d
17. Academics;Academics;
It is extremely required than a Pro Footballer
undertakes formal education along with the football
education.
Understanding many languages is a huge added
advantage but generally educated players are easier
to manage
Social Development Cont’d
19. Values;Values;
A Pro Footballer must be developed to acquire social
values that propel the player to consistent performance
at a high level. A player should be taught ;
1.1.SinceritySincerity
•To be sincere in your actions.
•Never to try to deceive or impress others.
•To be himself
2.2.UnfeignedUnfeigned
•To be genuine in what he does;
•To let his actions speak louder than his words.
•Never to say one thing and do the other.
Social Development Cont’d
20. Values;Values;
3.3.WholeheartedWholehearted
•To be enthusiastic about what you do.
•To show it.
•To be committed to life and the Sport
•To be Committed to the Team and the Cause
4.4.Honest.Honest.
5.To be honest in your dealings with yourself and with
others
6.To do what he say he will do
7.To Never use fraud or deception to get ahead in life.
8.To Let ethics, morals, and honor be his compass.
Social Development Cont’d
21. Values;Values;
5.5.Humility & RespectHumility & Respect
6.No to lead a life thinking he is superior or better than others
around him
7. to be modest and humble. A pro must be humble
8.to respect the football & national authorities, the fans, the sponsors,
the teammates, the opponents, the referees, the young and the Old.
9.To always show good judgment and sense in life.
10.Never to let prejudices or emotions cloud his judgment.
•Personal integrity & IncorruptibilityPersonal integrity & Incorruptibility
•Never to trade his moral values for material gains in life
•Never to let outside forces corrupt the person he is
Social Development Cont’d
22. Values;Values;
7.7.WholeWhole
•To be focused on what he wants to achieve in life.
•To give everyone he interacts with his complete and
undivided attention.
9.9.CourtesyCourtesy
•To practice good manners even though others around him
may not.
7.7.CivilityCivility
9.To be kind to others and extend courtesy towards them.
10.Never to interrupt people when they speak
11.Never to dominate the conversation
12.To Listen before talking. Listening is a virtue
Social Development Cont’d
23. Values;Values;
11.11.WisdomWisdom
•Understand the inner qualities of people
•Learn how to understand situations that might be different
from what he is used to
12.12.CharityCharity
•To be kind and gentle
•To extend a hand to help others particularly the disadvantaged
13.13.EmpathyEmpathy
•To be aware that each person is different and may have
different values and beliefs than those that you hold.
•to understand the feelings and thoughts of others without
having to be told or reminded of them
Social Development Cont’d
24. Values;Values;
14.14.SympathySympathy
•To share his feelings with others
•To understand the emotional situations that people go
through and to put himself in their shoes.
15.15.CompassionCompassion
•to reach out with a genuine interest in helping alleviate the
suffering of someone is in distress
•AltruismAltruism
•To think of others without thinking of himself.
•To do good things for people without expecting something in
return for himself.
Social Development Cont’d
27. Work Ethics;Work Ethics;
A Pro Footballer must be developed to acquire
qualities that propel the player to consistent
performance at a high level;
1.1. Self-Drive;Self-Drive; The art of pushing himself out of the comfort
zone and pushing to better performance on his own
2.2.Determination;Determination; The player must be determined and should
persist until successful
3.3.Will Power;Will Power; Also called the staying power not to vacillate or
procrastinate
4.4.Resilience;Resilience; The ability to swiftly recover from misfortune
or poor performance
Social Development Cont’d
28. Work Ethics Cont’d;Work Ethics Cont’d;
5.5. Patience;Patience; The ability to wait with calmness without loss of
focus and concentration for the long awaited opportunity
6.6.Optimism;Optimism; To always expect the best outcome & decisions
taken for the best reasons
7.7.Time Management;Time Management; The ability to always be on time for
programmes, and to have time for family and to time rest
8.8.Courage;Courage; The quality of the mind that enables one to face
danger with self-possession, confidence, resolutions and
bravery
Social Development Cont’d
29. Work Ethics Cont’d;Work Ethics Cont’d;
9.9.Endurance and mental strengthEndurance and mental strength; When a player chooses to
be a Pro Player, he/she must endure, persevere and be able
to operate in very difficult and unaccustomed situations in
the areas of;
1.1. Weather;Weather; Adverse weather in different parts of the
World
2.2. Culture;Culture; Variation in Language, Food, in mannerism
3.3. Racism;Racism; In the event of any form of discrimination
4.4. Obscurity;Obscurity; Far away from Home and family
5.5. Loneliness;Loneliness; Staying Alone
6.6. Demand for quick performanceDemand for quick performance; pressure for immediate
results
Social Development Cont’d
30. Work Ethics Cont’d;Work Ethics Cont’d;
10.10.Fair Play and Regulations;Fair Play and Regulations; Pro Footballers must be taught
about Fair Play and the regulations of the game.
Fair play includes;
Rule 1: Play to Win All time even in Training
Rule 2: Play Fair in accordance with the Rules
Rule 3: Observe the Laws of the Game
Rule 4: Respect Opponents, Team-mates, Referees, Officials and
Spectators
Rule 5: Accept Defeat with Dignity
Rule 6: Promote the Interests of Football
Rule 7: Reject Corruption, Drugs, Racism, Violence and other Dangers.
Rule 8: Help Others to Resist Corrupting Pressures
Rule 9: Denounce those who Attempt to discredit our Sport
Rule 10: Honour those who Defend Football's Good Reputation
Social Development Cont’d
32. 1. The economic interests of a Pro-footballer should
be protected by the parents or Guardian until 18
years
2. Parents/Guardians should work to invest into the
player at development stage
Economic Development
33. 1. A Pro-footballer should be developed to
appreciate that his expertise is playing football
and not;
a)a) finding employment opportunitiesfinding employment opportunities
b)b) negotiating commercial contractsnegotiating commercial contracts
c)c) managing his monies/investmentsmanaging his monies/investments
2. A Pro-footballer should be developed to
understand that he earns the money by playing
football and the beneficiaries include service
providers
Economic Development
34. After 18 years, a Pro-footballer should hire different
service providers to his playing career. Key Service
Providers to a Pro-Footballer;
Agent;Agent; This is the person who is to find playing
opportunities and negotiate contracts. This must a
be a knowledgeable, honest and connected person
Estate Manager;Estate Manager; This is the person who manages the
monies and business investments of the player. This
must a be a knowledgeable, honest and
hardworking person
Economic Development Cont’d
35. Basic Needs;Basic Needs;
Before a player becomes a professional or during
development, he/she must be to access basic needs;
1. Food & Water
2. Shelter
3. Clothing
4. Football Gear and Equipment
5. Transport
Economic Development Cont’d
36. Things to Avoid;Things to Avoid;
Before a player becomes a professional or during
development, he/she must avoid things like;
1. Creating a family (Wife and Children)
2. Staying on his own (Renting)
3. Engaging in sexual activities, drugs, crime
4. Engaging in any business activity to earn
The above activities and many other create
economic pressure to earn and this detracts a player
in development
Economic Development Cont’d