The Coaches' Masia programme begins

The Coaches' Masia programme begins

Carlos Ortega and Jesús Velasco share their know-how with the youth development coaches and managers from all the Club's professional sporting sides

After the meeting featuring all the Club captains, the FC Barcelona Centre of Excellence has implemented a new cross-Club initiative, the "Coaches' Masia". The programme was developed because the coaches from the Club's professional sporting sides wanted to share ideas and work together on a regular basis in order to pass on each other's know-how.

Velasco and Ortega get the ball rolling

The programme will be officially implemented from next season, but there was a test run on Monday, with coaches Carlos Ortega and Jesús Velasco featuring as speakers. Joining them were 67 coaches and managers involved in the professional sporting sides' youth development, including familiar faces like Roger Grimau, Raúl Entrerríos, Ari Santos, Víctor Sada, and Alfons Alzamora.

There were two parts to the three hour session. The first involved groups of five coaches from different sports sharing how they deal with different aspects of their work, with a particular focus on what they say both pre-game and during stoppages in play. Based on practical examples, each group would start a debate that covered a wide range of topics including motivation, tactics, player roles, leadership, and managing game time. The second part was a master class by Carlos Ortega and Velasco, including answering questions on the issues that were put forward.

The key issues

The handball first team coach Carlos Ortega emphasised that “one of the most important aspects of any coach's work is how to manage player egos, with the aim that every squad member feels comfortable in their role”.

Jesús Velasco reflected on the importance of players feeling "confident enough to dare to try things during key games". In this sense, the coach that it is very important to “earn the squad's trust, that they all believe in what you are doing, and that they understand that you are actually there to help them”.

The programme's goals

The Centre of Excellence aims to achieve the following objectives with this type of meeting:

  • To create a meeting space for coaches and to augment the breadth of knowledge in a specific sport by exchanging know-how with professionals from different sports.
  • To introduce the foundations of the FCB Sporting Excellence model.
  • To adopt a holistic approach and provide know-how from all sports with a view to improving performance, in accordance with the Club's model.
  • To provide support along the pathway to self-understanding as a base for leadership skills.
  • To provide leadership and team building tools.
  • To present ideas, concepts, and reference professionals to participants in order to create a mindset of constant improvement.
  • And lastly, to reinforce knowledge of the FCB values and how to apply them during daily training sessions.

 

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Força Barça

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