Recently in San Diego, the ECNL hosted the second ever ECNL Coaching Methodology Workshop. The ECNL Methodology Workshop is a part of the ECNL’s growing education platform, intended to provide unique coach and club development opportunities to coaches and directors across the league.
Led by ECNL Technical Advisor Ceri Bowley, the ECNL Coaching Methodology Workshop included presentations and discussions on developing a clear club identity and playing style, implementing consistent methodology across a club, aligning philosophy with daily behaviors, and other topics around coach, club and organizational development.
“We know that in every successful club around the world, identity is really important,” said Bowley. “It shows what they are about and what they are trying to achieve, but also gives a sense of belonging to all staff and a starting point for any staff coming in to understand the collective alignment of what the club is trying to do.”
“We’re trying to give some ideas to them that they can then go away, give some thought to, and now it’s about going back to the club and getting other people on board,” Bowley said.
“We feel very grateful and fortunate that the league does such a good job of bringing world class people into our ecosystem,” said San Antonio City SC Technical Director Adriano Allain. “I think the league recognizes that the clubs are the ones doing the player development and we’re interconnected and interrelated, so these kinds of events are phenomenal.”
San Juan SC ECNL Girls Director Lloyd Grist echoed Bowley’s thoughts that the key take-away after these events is how the information and ideas provided are then implemented into each of the clubs.
“The level that Ceri brings from his professional experience is incredible for us,” said Grist. “To get that level of information and insight for us to take away and then find our own ways to implement it in our own environments. I think that’s the key. We’ve been given a lot of good ideas, resources and tools, but I think the key is how we take this and apply it in our own environment.”
MVLA Boys Technical Director Michael Renwick noted that one of his big takeaways from the methodology was needing to have a clear vision within the club. With a clear vision, ideas can then be more easily implemented throughout the club since everyone is aligned.
“I think the biggest thing is having an alignment. You have to know what you want before you encourage other staff members, players, or parents,” Renwick said. “Although Ceri provides a framework, you take what you identify that can be implemented at your club, depending on the demographic you have, and then it’s about having the flexibility, adaptability, and expertise to implement what you find from the course.”
Renwick believes that implementing a strong framework and getting the buy-in from other members is the overall key to providing the best experience for his players.
“It’s about getting that buy-in and having that framework, delivering it to the coaches, that they can then deliver to the kids for that overall greater experience.”
Information for registering for the next ECNL Methodology Course will be released in the coming weeks.
