Rangers FC has given 12 Scottish Premier League debut appearances to academy graduates in the past 3 years of what has been a tremendously successful period. 2020 saw Rangers win their 55 titles, under the guidance of now Aston Villa Manager, Steve Gerrard, the most titles of any football club in the world – and the first in 10 years following one of the most arduous decades in the club's history.
Developing adaptive decision makers
"We are hoping to develop attributes and habits that will carry on into different sessions, formations and the further players go.... for me constraints are massive." Rangers Football Club, John Lawson
Adding player challenges
Aware that a player's journey is an unpredictable one, John is conscious to develop skills that have a much wider impact than just on the pitch.
"We may give a kid who is really quiet and needs to work on their communication so we choose cards around that. A big part of his development long term is going to be after he stops playing the game, whether that be at 15 or 35, a lot of the skills we are working on sets them up for life"
"You can challenge players individually, you can do that in front of other players or just do it 1-1 where the player is choosing their own MatchPlay Card©The individual part is really important because at the end of the day it is about developing individuals"
"When I saw the cards I thought they really match up with the individual stuff we're trying to do, as much as we want to develop teams and groups, it is always about the individual. They fit in well with giving players their wants and needs." Foundation Phase Coach, Rangers Football Club, John Lawson
"If we can give players autonomy, confidence and ability to hold conversations at the younger ages we will have better learners and hopefully people who can make better choices"
"One way I use MatchPlay Cards© is 1-1 before the session where players pick a card as a target. It gives them an individual challenge to work on during the session and a chance for them to reflect or ask the group what they noticed about that player, that way they begin to understand it as well."
Playing games that look like the real game
"We will have 30 minutes of games at the end where we will do an accurate score, 10 rounds of 3 minutes and each team will take turns to then pick a card and shout it out to the group. Come the next 3 minutes a new card is picked. The score will carry over between the games, it is that constant chaos and variety that they have to think about"
"It keeps the kids on their toes, you could choose a different card every week and not have the same one. It adds variety, it's new and keeps their eyes wide open." Foundation Phase Coach, Rangers Football Club, John Lawson
"Constantly changing the environment, it adds to the fun and that excitement part about what MatchPlay Card© will they pull out next. They are always desperate to see what is next. They want to pick the card to see what happens next"
"You could do it in blocks as well, where you choose the same round of cards... 5/6 cards for a few weeks to measure development individually and collectively and then change the environment again with a new set of cards. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve"
Thanks to John for sharing his ideas on MatchPlay Cards© and appearing as a guest on The Coaching Lab Podcast - https://anchor.fm/thecoachinglab/episodes/Foundation-Phase-Coaching---John-Lawson---Rangers-Football-Club-e1eo2kj
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