New Initiative to Revolutionise Coaching Standards Through Catalan Way

30 Nov New Initiative to Revolutionise Coaching Standards Through Catalan Way

IRISH footballers dream of matching their European counterparts and will soon have a helping hand at home when the Catalan Elite Football academy launches in Dublin next summer.



The groundbreaking initiative will see players aged 10 to 15 from across Dublin – and eventually the entire country – receive specialised coaching from UEFA Pro Licence Catalan coaches who have worked at clubs like FC Barcelona, Liverpool FC and RCD Espanyol on a weekly basis.



The brainchild of current Small-Sided Games Head of Player Development at St Kevin’s Boys, Colm Barron, and DB Sports Tours, the exciting enterprise is fully backed by the Catalan FA.



Starting with camps spread across the country in February (19th and 20th at Parnells GAA club in Dublin), April and later in the summer, Catalan Elite Football will introduce its model to Irish youngsters.



The best of those players will be invited to further their football education one night a week from when the first academy launches at a North Dublin venue to be confirmed in late August/September.



Based on the unique Catalan player development model – the Catalan FA is a separate entity to the Spanish FA – Irish youngsters will work with technical, tactical and physical coaches all in the one session each week supervised by a PRO License coach from the region.



Academy Director Barron insists: “I’m passionate about developing Irish players and I believe in Ireland we have a duty of care to develop our players fully.



“The opportunnity to work with the Catalan FA and one of their top coach education tutors, Albert Vinas, is something that really appealed to me.



“To be able to bring his methodology and coaches to Ireland for the benefit of Irish players is something very special that i think will have a huge impact over here.”



In the past, coaching clinics and trips to professional clubs were the closest Irish players and coaches got to learning what exactly makes the Catalan and Spanish production line so successful.



Combined with their work as an official player agency, DB Sports Tours have been the leading light in that area following their successful Barcelona FC coaching clinic at Carton House and their partnership with Futbol Salou, which impacted on numerous Irish clubs and leagues.



“Through our tours and agency work we have witnessed a massive difference in the standard of coaching and professionalism in other countries compared to Ireland,” said DB Sports Tours Managing Director David Berber said about the new innitiative.



“We want to bring that level of coaching and professionalism, in the form of UEFA Pro Licence qualified Catalan FA coaches, to add to what young Irish players are already getting.



“There is a lot of good things being done in Irish football and a lot of great coaches, but because we don’t have a professional league like other countries, we can’t compete with the amount of coaches at the very top of their profession that foreign players have access to.
“We want our work with players to be an addition to what they already get with their clubs and an opportunnity for them to learn from a model that has produced world class players consistently.”



For more information, check www.catalanelitefootball.com

CATALAN ELITE FOOTBALL