“The best academy in Europe"

"Is not the richest, the biggest or best-equipped...it is cramped pitches & short of space” Welcome to Feyenoord voted the best youth academy in the Netherlands for the fifth consecutive season.  
http://t.co/YA3ff8Dzyz

Research reveals importance of visual support in team performance

Ahead of the new season, clubs in the Sky Bet Football League are calling for fans across the country to create a ‘Wall of Colour’ at their side’s opening home league match by wearing home shirts, scarfs and even, for the loyal, body paint.

The call comes after research from performance coach Jamie Edwards found fans showing their support through the club colours has ‘a greater impact than traditional vocal support alone’.

Full article http://buff.ly/1s4RJr1

WFA Founder Raymond Verheijen discusses Coach Education and Football Periodisation with Ricky Master Coach.

In this podcast Ricky Master coach and Raymond Verheijen discuss Football Periodisation, World Cup 2014 muscle injuries and why coach education is important for young coaches entering the game.

Listen to Podcast

To get information about Raymond Verheijen's Football Periodisation USA courses Subscribe Here.

Raymond Verheijen and Guus Hiddink.

FIFPro Study reveals 1 in 4 professional players suffer from mental health problems

Symptoms relating to depression and anxiety are highly prevalent among professional footballers, according to a new mental health study released today by the World Footballers' Association FIFPro.

The research conducted by FIFPro's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge found 26% of active professional footballers suffer from depression/anxiety, compared to 39% of cases studied among retired players.

"Contrary to popular belief, the life of a professional footballer has some dark sides," said Dr. Gouttebarge.

"FIFPro's study, the first of its kind on a global scale, becomes the basis for the international football community to develop and implement optimal strategies to protect and promote the sustainable health of professional footballers."

"Former professional footballers report more mental health problems than current players, endorsing that the period just after retirement from professional football is a critical one for many players."

"We found mental illness among former professional footballers occurs more often than in other measured populations." (Bultmann 2002; Korten 2000; King 2008; Schaal 2011)

FIFPro, with the assistance of six member unions from the Netherlands, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, USA, Australia and New Zealand, measured over 300 active and former professional footballers. Using well-recognised and validated questionnaires (i.e. scales), the study measured outcomes ranging from distress, burnout, anxiety/depression and low self-esteem to adverse health behaviours covering alcohol consumption, smoking and general nutrition.

Two former international players who endorsed the study, Chris Jackson (New Zealand, 60 caps, 1990-2003) and Jonny Walker (USA, 3 caps, 2004), both agreed to share personal details of their own struggles with mental illness.

KEY FIGURES: ACTIVE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS

• 180 active professional footballers participated, of which 60% were playing for a club of the highest national league at the time of the study.
• 26% of active players reported suffering from depression/anxiety and adverse nutritional behavior.
• 19% reported adverse alcohol behaviour.
• 3% reported having low self-esteem.
• 7% said they were smoking
• 5% reported signs of burnout and 10% were found to be in distress

KEY FIGURES: FORMER PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS

• 121 former professional footballers participated, of which almost 65% spent the majority of their careers playing for a club of the highest national league.
• 39% reported suffering from depression/anxiety
• 42% reported adverse nutritional behaviour.
• 32% reported adverse alcohol behaviour.
• 5% reported having a low self-esteem
• 12% said they were smoking
• 15% showed signs of burnout and 18% were found to be in distress

Dr. Gouttebarge said professional football is littered with psychological pitfalls for the players. "Once the players stop with intensive physical activities they lose their structured life, their social support by trainers and team mates diminishes, they need to find their place in 'regular' society, and find another occupation. Consequently, they are likely to experience some mental health problems during this period."

MENTAL ILLNESS NO LONGER TABOO

By proving scientifically that mental illness in football is widespread, and higher than normal among former professional players compared to other studied populations, FIFPro hopes to increase awareness and acceptance on a subject which was once taboo. As Dr. Gouttebarge explains, the veil on mental illness has been lifted and there is no need for players to suffer in silence or fear recrimination should they choose to come forward.

"Football stakeholders have a collective responsibility to remove the stigma associated with mental illness."

"All players, whether active or retired, can learn optimal behaviours and coping skills to manage the symptoms of mental illness."

Several physical and psychological stressors were explored in the study such as severe injuries (training or competition absence for more than four weeks), surgeries, life events (death of a family member) and (social) support from trainer and team mates. All these aspects were self-reported by the players.

Of the 180 active players who participated, a total of 174 severe injuries were reported of which 31% related to knee joints and 12% ankle joints. Seventeen [17] percent reported having three or more serious injuries. In addition, active players reported a total 170 surgical interventions from which more than half related to knees and ankles.

Dr. Gouttebarge said, "When it comes to any health problem, be it physical or mental, over the short or long term, the minimum standard is to raise self-awareness of players about these issues. They need to be aware of what might occur during and after their football career."

An acute lack of scientific data about mental illness among professional footballers has been a driving factor behind FIFPro's global undertaking to establish a new benchmark in this field. Dr. Gouttebarge said the next stage is to gather more data across a variety of countries and continents to add to this important body of work which represents a significant breakthrough in protecting and promoting the sustainable health of professional footballers worldwide.

Study: Mental Illness in Professional Football

DrillBoard's Linkedin Group Passes 5,000 Members

We're excited to announce Drillboard's Soccer Coach Central Group on Linkedin has just reached 5,000 members, and on the opening day of the NSCAA Convention to, a great way to start what promises to be an exciting 5 days in Philly.

A huge thanks to everyone who takes part to make it such a vibrant community for soccer coaches all around the world.

New members are always most welcome, visit the link below to sign up:

Soccer Coach Central by DrillBoard on Linkedin

DrillBoard Selected as Top 100 Creative Company for Export

We are delighted that DrillBoard has been selected to join a new taskforce set up by the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to promote the UK’s Top 100 Creative Sector Enterprises.

The drive to help the UK’s creative companies win high value contracts overseas was launched today by Business Secretary Vince Cable.

The Creative Industries HVO (High Value Opportunities) Taskforce aims to win £500 million worth of high value overseas contracts in the next three years.  The initiative is part of a government plan to get 100,000 more UK businesses exporting.

Companies in the taskforce include DrillBoard, Wolf Ollins, Populous, Mother, AKQA, Zaha Hadid Architects, The British Museum, and the V&A, with expertise encompassing transport, healthcare, retail, cultural developments and global sports sectors. 

Each company in the taskforce will have its own international expansion plan and participate in a minimum of two overseas visits each year to target high value projects.

They will also receive training, support and networking opportunities directly related to these high value opportunities from UKTI and work with International Trade Advisers to identify the projects they are most qualified to bid for.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“The growing appetite for British design offers many opportunities for innovative firms of all sizes to boost their overseas trade and attract new investment. Collectively the creative industries already generate more than £36 billion a year for the UK economy - £70,000 every minute - and employ 1.5 million people.

“From airport interiors to ground-breaking medical devices and design exhibitions, the creative industries account for around £1 in every £10 of the UK’s exports and are crucial to building a stronger economy. With new support from UK Trade & Investment, we want to help creative SMEs access more high value supply chain opportunities across the globe."

DrillBoard Founder and CEO Tim Gentles said:

"UKTI have put together a fantastic framework and we are excited to be involved. We have always taken an international view, it's in our DNA and we're very much looking forward to working with other companies in the taskforce, in particular, to help build upon the tremendous success of the 2012 London Games."

UKTI’s High Value Opportunities (HVO) programme focuses on 100 projects worldwide each of which are over £500mn in budget value and where the UK can compete for at least £250mn. UKTI's ambition is to help UK businesses of all sizes secure, through the programme, £10bn of contract wins in 2013/14 and £10bn in 2014/15.

Formula for World Class Performance

"Better Today Than Yesterday
Better Tomorrow Than Today"

Sport Psychologist Simon Hartley's simple formula for World Class performance.

See the video from Be World Class.

DrillBoard - Proud to Support The Sports Careers Foundation

DrillBoard is delighted to become an inaugural supporter of The Sports Careers Foundation, a new charity set up to relieve poverty, advance education and help the development of amateur sport.

The Sports Careers Foundation will work to promote sports education & career development opportunities and to open these to ALL sections of the sport community worldwide with particular focus on social inclusion.

It's a very exciting charity, with great values and we are looking forward to helping The Sports Careers Foundation put something back into the community.

DrillBoard earns place at the Accelerator Academy

 

DrillBoard is one of 10 companies out of over 100 applicants selected for the Accelerator Academy in London.

 

Now in its' 5th semester, the Accelerator Academy enables ambitious early stage and start-up entrepreneurs to build better businesses faster to increase their appeal to investors, with over £3million having been invested in Accelerator Academy companies so far.

 

Click here for full article.

 

DrillBoard spotlighted in Windows Store

 

Very excited to see that DrillBoard's first tablet version has just been spotlighted in the Windows Store.

 

It's great to see the DrillBoard logo sitting alongside the Football Association and ESPN.

 

Built for Windows 8, the app syncs with DrillBoard desktop on PC and Mac, so coaches can work across multiple devices and share drills and sessions with other coaches, players and parents on those devices as well. 



 

 

This is an early taste of some ambitious plans coming together, as well as a forerunner to full integration on iPad and Android.

We've come a long way, yet it still feel like early days, so we're buzzed to get such a big endorsement, especially following on top of DrillBoard's success winning a World Series Award  at Cloud Computing World last year.

DrillBoard subscribers can download the Windows 8 version for free. Click here to visit the Windows Store.

DrillBoards' Linkedin Group Passes 4000 Members

DrillBoard's Linkedin Group - Soccer Coach Central - continues to grow at pace.

The networking group which allows football (soccer) coaches, to share soccer coaching ideas, techniques and job opportunities, has just surpassed the 4000th member to maintain its status as a top destination for football coaches on the professionals’ social network.

Click here to join Soccer Coach Central from DrillBoard™

 

FAQ: How do I draw a straighline using DrillBoard™?

Drawing a straight line in your DrillBoard™ soccer session plan is very easy, simply;

• Highlight the icon for the relevant action and
• Hold down the Shift button as you draw the line.

 

 

Visit DrillBoard™ Soccer

 

LOVE Soccer - NSCAA Convention - Indy Art - Indianapolis 2013

All set to fly out from London to Indianapolis for the NSCAA Annual Convention. Always super excited to see the revolution that's taking place on the soccer side of the pond in full flow.

DrillBoard™'s  L(sOccer)VE t-shirts for Indy 2013 pay homage to the beautiful game, iconic design and Indianapolis art.

A huge thanks to Jen Ferguson our (hometown Indianapolis) designer for her on-goingly wonderful creativity and the guys at Negs, Soho London, for genuinely world class turnaround and quality.

If you see one of us walking by feel free to reach out or tweet @drillboard

Have a good one!

Source: instagram.com via DrillBoard™ Soccer on Pinterest

Try DrillBoard™ at DrillBoard.com

Fun Drills - Massive Attack

A fun drill for players of all ages by Damian Roden

Source: playbook.drillboard.com via Tim Gentles on DrillBoard PlayBook

GAME ORGANISATION

Players are split into 2 equal teams
One group of players dribble ball through cones from one end to the other
The others pass to hit player's soccer balls as they dribble

GAME ALTERATIONS

To make the game easier:
Players passing can only pass one at a time

To make the game more difficult:
Players dribbling have limited time period

COACHES HINTS

Do the players keep the ball close to feet?
Do they keep their head up when dribbling?
Do the players who are passing get close to the ball?

Gain a Competitive Advantage with DrillBoard™

Come and meet DrillBoard™ at the Emirates

DrillBoard™ has been invited, as an example of Best Practise in Football, to the inaugural World Football Academy UK National Symposium at The Emirates Stadium on 19th December 2012.

If you're thinking of coming along to the event it would be great to see you there.

The theme for the day is "UK Football...Back to the Future" and will take a look at changing coaching culture. Speakers include:

• Raymond Verheijen
• Gareth Southgate
• Craig Bellamy

Click here for the Full Schedule and here for Ticket Information


View Larger Map

Manchester United v Arsenal. by SWOL

The good folks at Soccer Without Limits (SWOL) reported their most viewed article ever using DrillBoard™ to help illustrate their thoughts on the potential Arsenal line up ahead of the Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Arsenal Lineup Possibility for their trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United: Walcott to Start?

Full article on SWOL

Source: playbook.drillboard.com via Kasey McLean on DrillBoard PlayBook

Confined Dribbling Progression by Coach Cole

This drill/ progression will help condition your players while working on dribbling/footwork skills. By adding a defender at various stages will help simulate game situations.

Source: playbook.drillboard.com via Coach Cole on DrillBoard PlayBook

See the full drill on DrillBoard PlayBook

DrillBoard™ Wins World Series Award

"A tremendous example of innovation"

DrillBoard™ wins Best Enterprise Case Study award at Cloud Computing World Series Awards, recognition for its internationally acclaimed cutting-edge soccer coaching software.

DrillBoard™ Worldwide, a leader in sports coaching technology, has today announced that it has won the Best Enterprise Case Study Award at the 2012 Cloud Computing World Series Awards.

Having been judged by an independent panel of industry experts, the award was presented to DrillBoard™ at the Annual Cloud Computing World Forum held at Earls Court, London.

Now in it's 4th year, the World Series Awards are widely regarded as a benchmark for the best of the best in the cloud computing industry.

“We are delighted that the judging panel of industry experts chose DrillBoard™ to receive this Award” said Tim Gentles, CEO of DrillBoard™ football coaching software “DrillBoard is helping coaches, players and parents raise their game at all levels of football from internationals to grass roots and it is a real honour to see this being recognized at the Cloud Computing World Series Awards.

I’d like to thank Osian Roberts and the team at FA Wales for their tremendous support over the last year. The Cloud is really helping DrillBoard™, and our development cycle has been transformed since moving onto the Windows Azure platform. We have some very exciting developments in the pipeline and are really looking forward to the future. ”

Dr Michael Newberry, Windows Azure Lead, Microsoft UK said

"It is so exciting to see DrillBoard™ receiving recognition at Cloud World Forum. It is a first class example of what can be achieved with Windows Azure, as well as a tremendous example of innovation, using Cloud technology in such a novel manner. My congratulations to Tim and the team."

Tim Gentles, DrillBoard™ CEO, collects the Award with Bill Hilf, General Manager Windows Azure Product Management and Matt Quinn from IQ Cloud.

The Story of DrillBoard™, FA Wales and Windows Azure



DrillBoard™ achieved this award in good company. Additional winners recognized for their achievements include Microsoft, Metamarkets, SnapLogic, Symform, Ping Identity, VMWare, Really Simple Systems, and YHMAN Ltd. According to Award organizers, a record number of companies and organizations participated this year, with more than 250 entry forms submitted.

For further information on the Awards or about the Cloud Computing World Forum please contact Charlie Bestall on +44 (0) 845 519 1230 or charlie@keynoteworld.com

About DrillBoard

DrillBoard™ is a powerful soccer education tool that allows coaches, players and parents to create, save and share - drills, tactics and match analysis.

DrillBoard™ is tried and tested at all levels of the game, from the international arena to grass roots. It brings the coaches' chalkboard, a technology that’s been used very successfully by coaches for many years, into the modern world with an easy to use app.

Try DrillBoard™ for free now - visit DrillBoard.com

For further information about DrillBoard™ contact Tim Gentles on +44(0)7749611480 or tim@sparkfc.com

Spain v Italy - Starting Line Ups

Source: playbook.drillboard.com via Tim Gentles on DrillBoard PlayBook

Spain v Italy

UEFA European Championships
Olympic Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday 1st July 2012

Spain

Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva, Fabregas, Iniesta.

Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Javi Martinez, Juanfran, Pedro, Torres, Negredo, Mata, Llorente, Santi Cazorla, Jesus Navas, Reina.

Italy

Buffon, Abate, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Pirlo, Marchisio, Montolivo, De Rossi, Balotelli, Cassano.

Subs: Sirigu, Maggio, Ogbonna, Thiago Motta, Balzaretti, Di Natale, Giaccherini, Borini, Giovinco, Diamanti, Nocerino, De Sanctis.

Referee

Pedro Proenca (Portugal)

DrillBoard™ Invited to World Football Academy Launch

The DrillBoard™ team are delighted to accept an invitation to take part at the founding event of the World Football Academy (WFA) in Amsterdam this week.

The World Football Academy (WFA) is an initiative developed by Raymond Verheijen in collaboration with a number of leading figures in world football including WFA Ambassador Guus Hiddink - one of the world’s most highly respected and successful coaches of his era.

To celebrate this milestone the WFA are hosting a 5-day "Periodisation Expert Meeting" in Amsterdam between Wed 27th June - Sun 1st Jul 2012.

We are very excited that DrillBoard™ will feature as a key part of the event, which will be attended by some of the best Football Conditioning Coaches from 50 different countries on all the continents.

Sign up to DrillBoard™ World for Free at www.DrillBoard.com

The World Football Academy team of instructors include some of the leading names in world football coaching including;

Marcel Lucassen (Football Technique Training)
Technical Expert with the German Football Association (DFB) Marcel has successfully implemented an effective structure with all National Youth Teams.

Damian Roden (Monitoring Football)
One of the best injury prevention fitness specialists in the Premier League and beyond. Former Head of Sports Science at Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Australia & Wales.

Raymond Verheijen (Football Periodisation & Conditioning)
Football Coach and Football Conditioning Expert. Worked for Feyenoord, Glasgow Rangers, Barcelona, Zenit St. Petersburg, Chelsea and Manchester City. Assistant Coach in last 3 World Cups (2002, 2006 and 2010) and last 4 Euro’s (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012).

Simon Bitcon (Football Strength & Core)
Arguably the best Strength and Conditioning Coach in football. Renowned for his effective Football Specific approach to Strength, Simon is currently Head of Strength and Conditioning at Manchester City FC.

Ton van Rhoon (Management)
Pro-Licence Instructor on Football Management for over 2 decades for the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) Ton has advised each and every successful Dutch Manager.

Frans Hoek (Goalkeeper Coaching)
Dutch Goalkeeper Expert of impeccable pedigree and former Goalkeeper Coach of Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Holland.

Mikael Kuijpers (Rehabilitation)
Dutch Physiotherapist with vast experience in both domestic and international football. Personal Physiotherapist to many current Dutch international players.

Andy Barr (Screening & Testing Football Players)
Leader in the implementation of functional movement screening and development of injury prevention programmes in the Premier League. Successfully made the transition across sports and is currently the Injury Prevention Specialist at the New York Knicks.

Kerry Kayes (Nutrition for Football)
Founder of the leading sports nutrition brand CNP and renowned for his training methods and nutritional advice in boxing. Advisor to several Premier League and International Team Medical Departments.