We recently had an article written on the club and our own Player Development Centre by journalist Matt Austin which we have printed below.
Developing Potential: Paving the way for AFC Stoneham’s Youth.
AFC Stoneham have a proud record of developing our own young players and one that we are fully committed to growing further in the next few years through a defined and structured player pathway.
At the heart of this ambition is the Player Development Centre. Undertaken by fully qualified coaches, extra sessions outside of usual team training times present the opportunity for ambitious players to flourish in an advanced environment.
With the development programme taking full advantage of our new £10 million training complex, the extra facilities at the club’s disposal offer more opportunities for the next generation of talent to hone their skills through individually managed sessions.
This added attention to detail is hugely beneficial to both the players and coaches, something that our U-18 coach and Development Centre manager Tom Brown sees as a real positive of the new set-up:
“I've seen great development in the players in such a short space of time, purely down the quality of the facility which allows us to continually train, and it also helps with matchdays.
“In terms of the new centre, I think because of the resources which are available, for example the number of goals that can be used, the increase in space has definitely allowed us to explore new methods.
“It allows the coaches a lot more flexibility with their plans. If we’ve got access to two goals, we can make it look and feel like a game in training. That's ultimately what we want to be able to achieve.
“There's a lot more decision making for the players off the back of that, and far more in-game scenarios that we can replicate on the training field which massively improves our preparation for matches.”
Tom oversees a vast number of sessions and games at the new AFC Stoneham ground, and with 13 players making the step up from youth level into the first team as we were placed second in the Wessex Premier League last season, it’s clear that progression through the ranks is a priority focus:
“For me, with it being such a local club, I think it's really important that we look to bring through our own players.
“We’ve seen that across the course of this season. At one point I believe we had eight under-18 players playing in the Development Squad (AFC Stoneham second team) and we’ve been really impressed not only with their impact but the results too.
“Beating the side sitting top of the table was really nice to see - it goes to show that these lads have a great mentality and all play for each other.
“Some of those players are still only 16 years of age and they’re already competing against fully grown men.”
In the Development Squad this season, having played 12 competitive games, the club has used 22 players who have previously represented the club at youth level. 17 of these players are still currently with our U-18’s, 10 of which were 16 years of age when making their debuts.
Furthermore, three of our current U-16 squad were involved in the U-18 FA Youth Cup this season, with a total of seven having been involved in U-18 football at AFC Stoneham to date.
This growing number of young players taking impressive steps throughout the entire structure of the club is a great sign of what’s to come, and evidence of the work being put in at the new centre.
As well as smoothing out the often tough transition from youth football to first team action, the added training time has enabled coaches to work on specific elements of each player’s game.
It’s one of the main benefits of the centre and something that Tom believes to be a vital aspect of developing a player’s skill set:
“I think the main aim of the Development Centre is to identify the players that we recognise to be pushing up to a high level within their age group, from there we look to try and push them up to work within different age groups in order to take them out of their comfort zones. It’s a real test of their ability, that’s where we’ll start to see what the biggest challenges facing that individual are.
“It's really interesting to see how the players cope, and while some players might struggle initially, as the sessions go on you always start to see a little bit more confidence in their play.
“Us as coaches and the players themselves begin learning more from there.
“Whether it turns out that they might need to work more on the physical side of the game, or if it’s from a technical point of view where they're struggling, even if it’s a tactical lesson where we can work on how to find spaces and where to look on the pitch; it’s all very positive and beneficial for the lads.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic plunging the UK into multiple lockdowns, the good work being put in at the Development Centre has been brought to a temporary halt. Building strong relationships on and off the field has always been a key element of a successful team, something the club are keen to stress more than ever in this year of isolation:
“When we’re mixing the age groups, we’re of course looking at the fundamentals of the game but socially as well it’s a great aid for the players, usually that comes from the older players talking and giving advice to the younger lads, but it helps them too.
“We’re very much a family, we want those relationships up and down the club. I think if you can get players from a young age getting to know people from the other squads, when they eventually get to that top end to be in the first team or part of the Development Squad, it’s not so much of a big step because they're aware of who those players are beforehand.
“We’re excited looking forward, there’s a lot more that can be done with it. It’s been difficult because of everything that’s going on in the world but I think as the next few months go on, when we can get back to playing football we'll be able to put some other things in place that’ll see us progress even further.”
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