THE LOWDOWN EPISODE #54 - APPRENTICESHIP TO MASTERY w/ FC AKRON SPORTING DIRECTOR; CHRIS DOCHERTY

Little under two months ago, our guest today Chris Docherty took the helm as Sporting Director of FC Akron; a second division team in Russia, at the tender age of 29. Despite his whirlwind start to life in Russia, Chris was kind enough to share some time with me to speak about his intriguing career arc to date. What followed was a fascinating yet intricate conversation on multiple subjects ranging from the different types of sporting directors to how various visible and invisible factors can influence youth development. Chris' journey to date is a shining example to many as to what can be achieved when you merge an insatiable hunger to improve with a first class network whilst adopting a patient approach. Umpteen personal and professional lessons to take from this one. Some of what we discussed included;

- The long road between apprenticeship & mastery.

- Implementing versus discarding research at football clubs and the cultural considerations in between.

- Opportunity amongst the managerial chaos at Hajduk Split.

- Remarkable insight into the factors behind Croatia's successful youth development record.

- The different types of sporting directors and considerations.

- FC Akron's data driven approach to challenge the elite of Russia.

- Building foundations for future success at FC Akron.

Timestamps;

00:00 - 13:55 - Apprenticeship

13:56 - 17:38 - Passion meets Reality

17:39 - 25:13 - China

25:14 - 32:35 - Hajduk Split

32:36 - 52:02 - Croatian Youth Development

52:03 - 1:08:35 - FC Akron

1:08:36 - 1:16:04 - Advice