Life as a Villarreal CF intern: Part 1
It has been a main ambition of mine to combine my love of football coaching with Spanish. The position I’m currently in is something I dreamed about for years to come, once I have completed my undergraduate degree and once my proficiency in Spanish has excelled. As part of my university course I am required to spend an academic year studying or working within a Spanish speaking country. This placement year was the ideal opportunity to gain valuable sport related experience in preparation for my future, therefore I was overwhelmed to have been offered an internship by a LaLiga club. I was provided with a brief overview of what my role would entail, from leading, planning and reviewing training sessions to carrying out projects for the International Department. This gave me a vague idea of what to expect with regards to work; however, it was unknown where I would be coaching and with what age group or ability level.
After arriving in Spain, I was ecstatic to find out I had been given a place coaching a team within the Villarreal CF academy, it all felt so surreal. At present I have seven years of coaching experience with both male and female players from the age of two to 16. I have coached various grassroots teams in England and worked in the United States of America on several occasions delivering summer camps and working with AYSO teams. Despite this, my primary experience up until now has been working with players at the most basic level. I was yet to experience working within an academy.
My first day of placement I arrived at the Villarreal CF Training Ground (Ciudad Deportiva), I was assigned my team and then I received the official club coaching kit. At this stage I was oblivious what challenges I would be faced with. My excitement overpowered the rest of my thoughts and emotions and I never took a step back to consider what was to come. During my first couple of sessions I focused on getting to know the coaches, the players, how they play, their strengths and weaknesses, the routine of the team, and just the general setup of the academy. As the sessions progressed the reality slowly hit, that working as a coach in Spain wasn’t going to be as easy as I had initially anticipated.
To start with, coaching in a different language has been beyond challenging. I have been studying Spanish for eight years both within school and at university, and so I wasn’t concerned about my linguistic ability. Before arriving in Spain, I never considered what language barriers I would encounter as a coach. In a sense I expected to transfer my coaching ability into a new country without difficulty. This however certainly hasn’t been the case. It has become evident that English coaching terms don’t convey the same meaning when translated literally into Spanish, and because of this the range of coaching terms I have always been accustomed to are no longer relevant. The moment when I want to provide a coaching point or feedback to the players it takes time for me to think of the right word or how to phrase it, at which point the moment has passed. I have gone from the confident, outgoing coach I have always known, to feeling like I’ve taken a step back to the side lines. During the sessions I have such an urge to get involved and help, but my lack of Spanish coaching terms has been a key setback.
What’s more I have been tested within a new coaching environment. I have had to adapt my style and mindset as a coach since working within a Spanish academy has its differences to England and the US. My involvement in grassroots football in England had a great emphasis on ensuring all components of the “4-corner model” were covered during practices (physical, technical, psychological and social), and that players received an equal balance of each. Although I still worked with players at a competitive level, there was often a significant variation in the ability of each individual. As a result, there was a prime focus on adapting practices to ensure that everyone got an equal opportunity and level of involvement, allowing players to continue developing based on their ability.
On the other hand, my work in America and with AYSO looked at coaching from an entirely different perspective, aiming to increase player involvement within a fun and safe learning environment. Since football isn’t the countries’ main sport, there was emphasis on helping players master the technique of essential skills (passing, dribbling, shooting). Many young players lack basic knowledge of the sport given that the majority grow up surrounded by American football, baseball and basketball.
I expected this coaching experience to be very different since not only does each country have their own style of play, but I am also working with players at a much higher level. Within the Villarreal CF academy there is a key focus on developing players for the future by helping them progress through the club setup in order to prepare them to play at a professional level. In terms of style of play, the main aim is to gain control of the ball and maintain possession by playing it through from defence to attack, whereas English football has a greater focus on strength and advancing the ball upfield as quickly as possible. The drills during practice often focus on a section of the pitch with the majority of learning taking place within small-sided games. As a coach here I’ve had to adapt my mindset to the clubs’ style of play and philosophy, and therefore look at my role from the clubs’ perspective.
After eight weeks I finally feel like I have settled into my role, my surroundings and the Spanish style of play. I am finally able to recognise gradual improvements in my coaching involvement and vocabulary, and I have developed a greater understanding of the club. The reality of this placement undoubtedly exceeded my expectations, not only in terms of differences and difficulty, but also the outstanding experiences and opportunities that I am being presented with.
