THE LOWDOWN

“Making something beautiful out of the simple.”Where the path seemed unclear to others to Johnathan McKinstry it seemed plain and obvious. Being a youth football coach in Northern Ireland, role models were few and far between so John became his own. Turning a perceived disadvantage into an advantage, combined with an insatiable desire to learn has led to John scaling the highest mountains of the professional game. In 2013 he became the then youngest manager in International football coaching Sierra Leone at just 27, bringing them to the top 50 of the FIFA World Rankings. Since then John has continued to work at the top echelons of the game spanning four continents. Now as John comes back to base for a brief sojourn he he has some reflections which he would like to share.What we discussed included ;- John's onboarding process upon taking a new job in a new culture.- Identifying and developing skillsets that are crucial to staying in the game.- Why starting as an international coach can be a better introduction to senior management rather than the club game?- Managing emotions in the high pressure cooker of professional football.- Constantly reassessing the mountains you can climb and further insights into John's goal setting process.- Why learning how to network effectively is a key pillar to any coaching success?Timestamps;00:00 - 09:05 - Intro09:06 - 14:22 - The Path14:23 - 17:36 - Adaptation17:37 - 24:50 - Sierra Leone24:51 - 31:58 - Management31:59 - 35:56 - Goal Setting35:57 - 42:12 - Coaching42:13 - 49:47 - AdviceJohn's Twitter; https://twitter.com/johnnymckinstry?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorJohn's Website; http://www.johnnymckinstry.com/

“Strategy in the absence of culture gets you nowhere.”A must listen for all coaches steeped in youth development. Tom Byer's journey into the football world is a familiar one for many a coach. Unsatisfied with what football had to teach him in his formative years he embarked upon a journey to find experts within their field. What ensued has been over 40 years of learning, growth and constantly itching away at the forever moving target of youth development. Here Tom is kind enough to distill the insights behind what he has learned and manage to share with some of the best clubs and federations in world football. These range from winning the battle at entry level to closing the gap between best in class and least developed. At the heart of it all is a deep spirit of collaboration. Yet why does Tom feel he is more welcomed by the greats and not the minnows?A lot to get through and unpack. Furthermore we discussed;- Discovering football growing up in upstate New York.- The set of circumstances which brought him to Japan.- The common denominators taken from thousands of hours researching the most successful players and countries?- How technical competence should be a pre-requisite before organised play?- Designing emotionally charged environments which support deep learning and long term memory.- What implications does the latest groundbreaking neuroscience research have for skill development?Timestamps;00:00 - 06:45 - Intro06:46 - 13:01 - Japan13:02 - 46:11 - Football Starts at Home46:12 - 56:04 - Football Ecosystems56:05 - 1:07:56 - Collaboration1:07:57 - 1:12:54 - AdviceTom's Twitter; https://twitter.com/tomsan106?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorTom's Book; https://soccerstartsathomebook.com/

Fresh from World Cup qualification I was delighted to be joined by the leadership & team dynamics coach of the USMNT; Travis Thomas. How can improvisation help professional sports teams? Travis has cross pollinated his love of improv and team sports over the past 20 years to serve a wide range of sports and corporations all over the US. Here we unpack how he is faring in his current challenge within the USMNT setup. His is an amazing story full of anecdotes which went full circle after a late camp cancellation one Florida Winter. Luckily for us Travis was present to provide some hearty advice on pursuing your passion and trusting the process even when it does not make sense.Among what we discussed included;- How US Soccer has evolved generation to generation?- Cross pollinating his love of improv with his passion for team sports.- What exactly does “Live, Yes, And” mean?- The series of events which led to Travis saying yes to Gregg Berhalter & the USMNT?- What are some of the non-negotiable behaviours in the US setup?- The criteria for evaluating a successful camp.- Why should we be on the lookout for the USMNT in this year's World Cup?Timestamps;00:00 - 08:02 - Intro08:03 - 15:29 - Live, Yes, And15:30 - 22:56 - USMNT22:57 - 29:38 - Non-Negotiables29:39 - 36:56 - AdviceTravis' Twitter; https://twitter.com/liveyesandTravis' Book; https://linktr.ee/travislthomas

As Chelsea travel to Madrid in the hope of overcoming a two goal deficit in their Champions League Quarter Final tie, Stamford Chidge of the award winning Chelsea Fancast joined me to speak all things Chelsea. In these 40 minutes we unpack Chelsea's historical past, tumultuous present and uncertain future. Approaching the business end of the season and in the midst of a protracted takeover there is no shortage of talking points.Among what we unpacked included;- The origins of the award winning podcast?- What does Chelsea look like post Abramovich?- The role and function of the Chelsea Supporters Trust in moments like this?- Analysing all takeover bids.- Could Thomas Tuchel turn out to be the greatest manager in Chelsea Football Club's history?- What is the Chelsea identity?Chelsea Fancast ; https://chelseafancast.com/

Germany has launched new regulations that will transform the way youth football is played in the country. The emphasis will be on a fun and a player-centred approach, with Ronny Zimmermann, DFB Vice President responsible for children’s and youth football, saying: “We need to think like children, not like adults. Only children who develop fun and joy in the game will stay in football.”One man who has strongly advocated this change for a long time has been Matthias Lochmann, friend and colleague of the late Horst Wein who created Funino. The concept focused on small sided games and festivals of football which were a huge part of the DFB's latest restructuring. Doing less as a coach & players doing more, rules do the work for you, quality of session independent from the coach. You can start to see why there was an aversion to change over time. However through a relentless attitude, covering thousands of air miles and support from a few famous friends this change was realized. What ensued was a captivating conversation on where the future of the game is headed.Among what we discussed included;- Meeting Horst Wein for the first time.- Detailed insight into the game intelligence approach.- How to design an environment led by “rules of provocation”?- Insights into how Hansi Flick incorporated the game intelligence approach within his Bayern Munich & Germany sessions.- What are the common mistakes in youth development?- Lobbying DFB head; Oliver Bierhoff for change and how it came to fruition?Timestamps;00:00 - 04:50 - Intro04:51 - 13:39 - Funino13:40 - 23:58 - Change23:59 - 31:57 - Criticisms31:58 - 41:09 - Hansi Flick41:10 - 48:27 - Common Mistakes48:28 - 51:59 - Advice

Germany has recently launched new regulations that will transform the way football is played in the country. The emphasis will be on fun and a player-centred approach, with Ronny Zimmermann, DFB Vice President responsible for children’s and youth football, saying: “We need to think like children, not like adults. Only children who develop fun and joy in the game will stay in football.” Some of the key changes revolve around small sided games and the introduction of festivals.One man who has been advocating this change for a long time has been Matthias Lochmann. Matthias is a friend and colleague of the late Horst Wein who pioneered Funino which promotes the game intelligence approach. Doing less as a coach & players doing more, rules do the work for you, quality is independent of the coach. It is quite clear as to why there was such aversion to change for a long time. However through adopting a relentless attitude, covering thousands of air miles and lobbying from a few famous friends that change was realized over the past few weeks. Here Matthias gives us the lowdown on what the future of football can look like within Germany and beyond.Among what we discussed included;- Meeting Horst Wein for the first time.- Detailed insight into the game intelligence approach.- How to design a learning environment led by “rules of provocation”?- Insights into how Hansi Flick implemented the game intelligence approach with Bayern Munich & Germany training sessions?- What are the most common mistakes Matthias sees in youth development?- Lobbying DFB head; Oliver Bierhoff for change and insights into how the DFB finally relented.Timestamps;00:00 - 04:50 - Intro04:51 - 13:39 - Funino13:40 - 23:58 - Change23:59 - 31:57 - Criticisms31:58 - 41:09 - Hansi Flick41:10 - 48:27 - Common mistakes48:28 - 51:59 - Advice

“Create the podcast you want to listen to. “For a long time coaching has existed within it's own silo. With the modern head coach resembling something akin to a CEO it's clear that what got us this far isn't good enough to move us forward. Looking beyond the coaching badges there is an acute understanding of organisational dynamics required to operate at this level of elite sport. Throw on top a chronic workload, family commitments and inclement health, then this means we should be educating our people & leaders accordingly to navigate this terrain right? The answer isn't the one you wish to hear....Mistaking the map for the territory, getting off the treadmill of complexity and returning back to humanity and simplicity it is clear that this conversation needs changing. One such person who's mission is to turn this oil tanker around is Cody Royle. Cody is the author of “The Tough Stuff“ & the host of the “Where Others Won't“ podcast. He is also the coach of several elite coaches across a multitude of sports. Among what we discussed included;- How has Cody's why changed over time?- Why Cody believes coach optimization is the greatest barrier to team success in sport?- Learning from some of the world's great thinkers and coaches to rapidly accelerate his coaching.- The role of unlearning in moving forward- Why the concept of balance doesn't exist in elite sport?- What head coaches can do to bridge the conversation at board level?- Inside the thought process of coaches such as Pep Guardiola and Eddie Jones having their own coach.Timestamps;00:00 - 05:53 - Cody's Why05:54 - 18:00 - Coach Optimization18:01 - 25:33 - Unlearning25:34 - 34:50 - Balance34:51 - 45:16 - The FutureCody's Twitter; https://twitter.com/codyroyle?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorCody's Book; https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Stuff-Seven-Truths-About/dp/1660114446Cody's Podcast; https://open.spotify.com/show/13w1hFUG3jzoA0IrmSlc4m

On March 10th Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government thereby effectively freezing Chelsea FC as one of his largest commercial assets. Ultimately an unprecedented move in the football world latent with more questions than answers. In an attempt to make some order of the ensuing chaos Matt Slater of The Athletic joined me to breakdown what this actually means in practice. All very sobering stuff yet it is very important to note that inspite of our affiliations and (at times) blind love of football clubs that the ongoing situation at Chelsea and other effected clubs is the least of the world's worries at the moment. Among what we unpacked included;- What these sanctions mean for Chelsea?- The practicality of Chelsea abiding by the current restrictions in place?- How grave the situation may become if alterations are not made to the current licence. - Is there a serious existential threat to Chelsea Football Club?- Will key figures Tuchel, Hayes, Cech, Granovskaia jump ship?- Should other Premier League clubs cast a nervous eye upon proceedings at Stamford Bridge?Follow Matt on The Athletic; https://theathletic.com/author/matt-slater/

“You are not there to tell people what to do, you are not an expert in sports science, in video analysis, your job is to recruit those best people for the role. “With a lot of uncertainty over the role of Sporting Director, Chris Casper of Salford City joined me recently to clarify the job, it's function and how it's evolved. Graduating from the “Class of'92“. Chris has taken the best principles and applied it within his own guise. Whether it has been playing, coaching or now at executive level he has taken ownership of his own pathway whilst holding the torch for many others. Not being afraid to adapt & change, embracing the new whilst remembering the old listen to how Chris marries up the short and long term to stack the odds in Salford City's favour.Among what we discussed included;- High performance lessons from Sir Alex Ferguson & “The Class of 92“.- Are support networks best equipped to enable players to make the transition out of football?- How Chris defines his role as Sporting Director?- Insights into how Salford City navigated GB permit changes post Brexit ?- Has a Sporting Director time to switch off from the game?- How will the role of Sporting Director evolve ?Timestamps;00:00 - 10:25 - Class of '9210:26 - 16:27 - Resilience16:28 - 19:26 - Coaching19:27 - 27:45 - Sporting Director27:46 - 31:42 - Recruitment & Academy31:43 - 35:49 - Identity35:50 - 40:57 - AdviceChris' LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-casper-msc-8501b5157/

“The greatest good for the greatest number of people, If there is any meaning in discussing fair play and codes of conduct in sports, then it is time to show Russia the red card.“Yesterday February 24th was a dark day for humanity. Amidst the backdrop of current affairs Professor Kenneth Cortsen and I recorded a podcast regarding the growing commercialization of the once beautiful game. In this hour or so we documented it's growth from the reformation of competition format's in the 1990's to the integration of social media platforms today. The top echelons of football seem to be fueled by the mutual interests of career politicians and new upstarts with little corporate governance to boot, With NFT's, cryptocurrencies and diverging ownership motives thrown into the mix, 90 minutes of football on Saturday has never been as profitable.Yet is what we are doing sustainable? Is it ethical at it's core? How can we do it better? At what point does “fan engagement“ meet the law of diminishing returns?Or should we hand free reign to these tenants?Among what we discussed included;- What impacts will current events in Ukraine have on the continental game?- A history of the professionalization and the subsequent commercialization of football.- DAZN and the cautionary tale of sports broadcasters.- How football clubs can better ethically conceptualize tokenisation?- What steps athletes are taking now to leverage Web3 as they attempt to control the narrative?Timestamps;00:00 - 13:55 - History13:56 - 23:43 - Russia23:44 - 35:01 - Corporate Governance35:02 - 41:18 - Romanticism41:19 - 46:30 - Fan Engagement46:31 - 53:23 - NFT's53:24 - 58:31 - Web358:32 - 1:05:56 - AdviceKenneth's LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethcortsen/Kenneth's Website; https://kennethcortsen.com/