On August 19-25, coaches Mariusz Kalisz, Paweł Spyra, Piotr Wodok and Jarosław Jabłoński participated in training sessions of football clubs in Plymouth on the south-west coast of England. The host club was Plymouth Argyle F.C., playing in the N Power League 2 (4th English league), a club that 8 years ago played in the Championship (2nd league), and in 1984 reached the semi-finals, and in 2007 the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. As part of the training sessions, our coaches had the opportunity to get acquainted with the structure of the club, with the approach to the training process in all age groups, including the first team. Our attention was paid in particular to organizing a football academy at the club. The training system at the club made a great impression on us, in particular the 6-week training program, in which subsequent elements of football craft are introduced and improved for 6 weeks, which is in line with the national syllabus adopted by the English federation. Such a system is missing in Polish football and there is a lot to look at in this field.
The system of evaluating football skills, which is implemented from the youngest age, is also very impressive. The sports base of the club could also make a big impression, although at the moment the club is in the modernization phase. There is no shortage of excellent grassy turfs, which, interestingly, have part of the ground made of artificial granules, thanks to which the grass sticks to the ground more firmly. The structure of the training staff made an amazing impression. As in most football-developed countries, most Plymouth Argyle teams are staffed by two coaches, goalkeeping coaches, a physical preparation coach, a physiotherapist, a psychologist and constant medical supervision. The club’s cooperation with the parents of the youngest age groups is based on the principles contained in the „Parent’s Code”, which sets certain limits for parents’ interference in the football development of their children, and which often arouses some controversy in our clubs.
