Taking care of complete children's development

After concluding my football career, equipped with academic pedagogical knowledge and enriched by experiences from my ongoing professional involvement, which encompasses developmental football and sports in general, I want to reflect on the privilege bestowed upon me in recent years through my participation in football academy projects in Cyprus.

First and foremost, I must emphasize that, beyond being a professional in the sports field, I am also a father. Hence, I have no doubt that parents are the most influential figures in children's lives. The relationships each child forms with their parents significantly shape their psychology and character. It is indisputable that supportive and encouraging parents contribute to their children's self-confidence and self-esteem, while overly demanding or judgmental parents can instill anxiety and low self-esteem in their children.

However, in every child's life, institutions beyond the home and family play pivotal roles in character and health development—both physically and mentally. These include school, friends, extracurricular activities, and others. Here is where the role of the coach-mentor becomes an essential piece in the puzzle of behaviors and examples transmitted to a child.

I particularly feel and want to emphasize the significant responsibility that football academies, as organizations, and we, as coaches, have in shaping characters during the malleable and sensitive ages of around 4 to 14 years—the primary core of the participating children. Of course, the coach's role remains equally crucial during the challenging and often tumultuous adolescent years, where individuals undergo the building and inner discovery of their identity and chosen path.

In Cyprus, football is the most widespread sport, and the majority of children receive football messages even from infancy. Along the way, stimuli increase, and factors like fan preferences, whims, ambitions, and dreams for the future influence both the children and their parents. This is where these elements drive the search for a football academy that promises to fulfill dreams, marrying ambition with talent and education-training. For many children, such academies provide an opportunity for greater socialization, especially since those without exceptional football talent might face marginalization at school and events.

Therefore, parents seek a solution and an outlet in football academies for training and, unfortunately, for many children, greater acceptance in a friendly environment. Such is the power of football.

At this juncture, finding the right academy must be evaluated with great care based on strict but straightforward criteria: the emphasis on the competitive aspect, the daily ball contact for each child, how negative results are managed, the freedom given to kids to experiment and make mistakes, communication between coaches and kids on and off the field, the coach's demeanor during practices and games, pre and post-practice routines, game policies and philosophy, aims, working methods, principles, knowledge, and, above all, how the academy cultivates my child's development mentality.

Sports offer multiple benefits to children in various areas, not just physical exercise. In a football academy, we must be aware that we take on the role of a developer, not only of the technical aspect of football and muscles but also of the overall development of the children—body, mind, and spirit. The football academy is a school, not just a field or a gym. Exercise is vital for children's physical health. However, in the academy, we must promote not only football skills but also general fitness. Through age-appropriate training, we encourage physical activity and the adoption of healthy habits. Additionally, integral learning in football should not be confined only to the playing field. Within the academy, we must encourage intellectual development through life skills such as cooperation, stress and tension management, balancing school with sports, respect for teammates, coaches, and opponents, and dedication. Football skills, if not combined with respect for others and the spirit of teamwork, are fuel that will run out very soon.

Also, in an academy, we must not ignore mental well-being, an integral part of overall development. We are obliged to pay constant attention to the mental state of the children, providing a safe and supportive environment. We need to promote self-esteem, self-confidence, and facing challenges with a positive attitude.

Our aim must be to produce not only skilled footballers but also healthy, intelligent, and happy young citizens. It is the duty of every football academy to treat its existence as the foundation for the healthy development of our youth.

Nectarios Alexandrou

Technical Director, Liverpool FC IA Cyprus