Finland and England: Contrasting approaches to educating coaches about talent ID

To underline that fact, the FIFA Training Centre brought together Matti Lähitie, Head of Coach Education at the Finnish Football Association, and Matthew Portas, Talent Identification Manager at The Football Association, to discuss their countries’ contrasting approaches to educating coaches about talent identification (talent ID), and how they reflect specific local circumstances.

• How you educate coaches and practitioners about talent ID should reflect your association’s footballing identity, as well as the way your local clubs play.

• Talent ID training can be integrated into a wider coach education programme or run in parallel to it. Which approach is most effective will depend on your association’s specific circumstances.

• A strong community of practitioners can maintain professional networks and accelerate learning in talent ID.

Part 1: Talent ID education in Finland: the integrated approach
Talent ID education in Finland is based on a long-term strategy, and is integrated into a coach education pathway that reflects the distinctive playing style of the country’s national sides. Initially, coaches work on how to recognise and develop talented players, and learn to operate with an awareness of factors that can mask that talent, such as bias and the relative age effect. As they move along the pathway, the focus shifts towards how to scout and recruit players to fit a specific profile and playing style.

Part 2: England’s parallel track
In contrast, the English FA runs a parallel framework for talent identification alongside its coaching qualifications. The standalone talent ID qualifications are role-specific, and cater for everyone from scouts to heads of department and elite coaches. The courses also reflect the investment The FA has made in the women’s game, where it is common for individual staff members to carry out other duties alongside talent identification. With thousands of learners enrolling every year, The FA’s training in this area is helping to foster a strong community of talent ID specialists.

00:52
Why did the Finnish FA decide to incorporate talent ID training into its coach education programmes, as opposed to separating the two elements?

03:19
What led the English FA to adopt its parallel approach?

04:47
Women’s football is growing fast. What steps have your respective associations taken to cope with increased demand for this kind of training within the women’s game? What are the differences between men’s and women’s football in this respect? How have your associations taken them into account?

08:14
What has gone well for your associations, and what would you do differently if you were starting again from scratch?