KNAPPENSCHMIEDE – Schalke Youth
German clubs remain bound to the fans of the club, the members, with most clubs having 51% ownership by the fans, there are a few small exceptions. It is the members who vote for the club’s advisory board, and it is the advisers who in turn vote for the executive board. Money is what corrupts so many clubs, decaying the integrity and values of what clubs represent, distorting the value of the player market, and this can be the biggest challenge to clubs like Schalke who rely on their youth programs to support the senior team.
Schalke proudly boasted 7 players from its youth system in World Cup 2014, including Ozil, Neuer, Kolasinac, Draxler, Matip, and Howedes.
Secret of Success of German Football
There is no secret hen it comes to understanding the success of German football, and there are no secrets being held back. German clubs are very open with communication, and between clubs and associations the communication channels are open to encourage everyone to continue learning. The negative experience of Euro 2000 was a turning point for German football, with the focus then being put on Formation Centers (centers of excellence), with each center being awarded certification for its elite standard. There are qualities that are evident in achieving success through the academies –
- Fighting Spirit
- Nurturing of Talent
- Long Term Vision
- Patience
The vision held by German football, and Schalke, is in the pursuit of the ultimate goal.
Principles of Schalke
Football is getting quicker, there is no time for a thought process, it’s now important for intuition. To improve the decision making you need a high repetition of soccer situations, U9 to U23 follow all of the same principles, the Schalke way of playing –
- Always look forward, in WE, and They to WE
- Awareness in the moment of WE to THEY
- 1st touch in movement, always with a direction (towards free space)
- Attack the ball, awareness of speed of action, no touch allowing the ball across hips to speed up play
- Passes and ball movement played at angles
- Defend the space around you, zonal defending, pass players on and take players in to your space.
The principles of Schalke will prepare the player for any system or team. This allows for youth players to fit in to the system and style of any new head coach influencing the senior team.
Learn through experience, play the game so you are in the game situation, learn through doing. Players do not need to understand the knowledge, they need to be able to do it.
The Academy
Development and winning work hand in hand, where players must desire the want to win while the club develops the individual. The club can develop an individual’s personality and technique, but the player must have a winning mentality. It makes sense in Schalke for there to be an investment in the academies, as an efficient youth department will held navigate the club away from sending big on transfers and inflated player salaries. The investment in the player will in turn have the player invest in the club through loyalty.
Conceptions and Philosophy of Knappenschmiede
Schalke believes in the following for a successful youth program.
How to teach football – Game Understanding – Sense of the game – Path from junior to senior – Style of play.
Football has become far more brain focused, requiring more awareness, players have become the tacticians on the field during games. Through coaching, players are now expected to create space on the field, evaluate the dangers, and anticipate the development of the game. The quality of the youth academy is vital when producing these players, and even though results are always perceived to be the critical factor in success, the development of the individual is what’s most valuable at the youth level, there must be a re-balance where development is more important than winning. There is a pathway to achieve success, working on game related practice, using repetition for technical development, and appreciating the many side roads that can be part of the development pathway.
Schalke has principles which reflect the philosophy of the game
- Communicate and have fun when playing
- Enjoy the game
- Innovation and liberty are unremitting for this, and should be embraced by players and coaches
Key areas of focus of the conception and philosophy include –
- Act instead of react
- Impose actions always and everywhere upon opponents. Set the trend of the game with and without the ball.
- Excellent pressing, self-confident, determined and strong. Practice every exercise with the ball, practice as serious than games.
- Train like you play
- Respect the principle of differentiated training. Everything a player will do in a game is practiced during training sessions with differences in intensity.
- Do what you are able to do – but this at 100%
- Training sessions must bring potential to the max.
- Not looking for magicians, want self-aware and authentic players
- Train according to methodical principles
- From easy to difficult
- From slow to fast
- From simple to complex
Tactical Guidelines
With Possession of Ball
- Play in depth instead of width, stretch the field
- Limit contact with the ball, let the ball run to increase speed of the game, the ball is quicker than any player
- Attention to the second ball when teams play in a defensive manner
- Transition to attack quickly, good organization behind the ball must be guaranteed
Without Possession of Ball
- Pressing in the midfield third
- In compact way, all together in common action to achieve success
- One player acting alone is lost, no chance of success
- Everyone must contribute to the team’s success
- Always be highly focused and involved
- Transition to defense quickly, regain the ball ASAP
Technique
- Is not an end, but a means to score goals in the offensive, and to avoid them in defense
- Every player must grasp a technical basis, all players develop technical ability for specific positions
- Positions require different technical strengths to others
Physical Condition
- Players should be in peak conditioning
- Always move with high intensity
- All squad players must be in top form for duration of the season
Personality Development
- Developing well rounded individuals on and off the field, not interested in creating machines
- Importance of education, nurturing the intellect, spirit, and mind of each player
- Training the brain is integral to development
- Character of an individual is important
- Think positively and act co-operatively
- Players must be honest, respectful, intelligent, forward thinking, and willing to take responsibility on and off the pitch
Style of Play
- Offensive, aggressive, dominant
- No dependence on system
- Team spirit, Strong passion and a winning mentality
Where there’s a will there’s a way
- The starting point of all ideas is always performance and achievement orientated, not success orientated
“Respect people on the way to the top, you may meet them again on the way down”
Scouting – Uwe Vester
Structure and Recognition of Talent
Throughout Germany there are boundaries in which players can be scouted by teams, throughout the age groups the district boundaries change, these boundaries prevent players from needing to travel excessively to their club. This creates great competition amongst the clubs in the area, and specifically around Schalke with it being one of the densest areas of professional clubs. The Ruhrgebiet is the heartland of the German rustbelt, occupying European giants, Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Koln, and Borussia Monchengladbach. While considered as lower level senior teams within the Bundesliga, these clubs have the highest functioning academies in the country.
These academies do not start team play until the age of U9, everything below this is practice only. The purpose of scouting at the youngest ages regionally is reduce the danger of making poor signings at the senior level. To be a successful scout takes due diligence, experience, and an ability to nextwork with local clubs. The earliest contracts in Germany are at U16, with a maximum of 3 years but allowing for a 2 year extension.
Tasks
- Scout matches and practices of Schalke teams
- Regular contact and discussions with coaches
- Half year assessment of own players
- Organize and observe trials
- Record results of scouting in to database
Long Term Observation
Forecasting a player’s development, and future playing ability must be completed with precision, working from trends in player development. The selection is completed with greatest possible perspective, enhancing the optimal composition of the squad.
Short Term Target – creation of performance optimizing environment within the team
Long Term Target – highest possible takeover rate (transfer fee)
Recognition of Talent
Ozil is one of many players that have developed and graduated from Schalke. Considered small and weak, but could do anything with a ball, this is recognition of elite talent. It’s important to be able to play football, not work at football.
- Special qualities –
Speed of action under pressure – recognition of tight positions, and avoids them – technical ability, special skills, both footed, speed, 1v1 competent, crucial passes, can score
- Behavior in Match Situations
WE: creates options for themselves and others – understands the game
THEY: accountable, willing to do the ‘dirty work’
TRANSITION: recognizes the situation and acts accordingly
- Physical Condition
Speed (although trainable) – height (keepers and defenders) – physical force, presence on the field – resistance to injuries, trainable
- Personality
Resilient in social and private life – stress resistance against overloading and negative experiences, stability in match (crowd and referee) – straightness, makes decisions and pushes through without hesitation
Where scouts are looking? They observe the warm up behavior, and parent behavior, along with the interaction between players and parents/coaches/scouts.
Outstanding talents can influence a match, only those who can control all areas of life achieve their goals
Psychology
A holistic approach to psychology including all 3 of the important factors in long term development, the player, coaches, and parents. Psychology is used as a preventative tool, starting as early as U9. A preventative method is more successful and efficient than being used as a tool to repair damage done.
Each factor in the long-term development undergo the same levels of receiving individual, and group sessions, utilizing diagnostic questionnaires.
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