The Foxes Philosophy
Player-centred from the off
From the moment they join the club, we provide Foxes FC players with a holistic development pathway. We nurture our kids with
a player-centred football environment. It’s essential that each child:
- Enjoys playing the game
- Develops as a player
- Develops through age appropriate coaching
- Receives positive support from their coach
- Feels like an important part of their team, regardless of ability level
- Learns life skills that go beyond the pitch
Developing better players and better people
We develop our players based on the pillars of the Four Corner Model: Physical, Technical, Tactical and Psychological/Social. This integrated approach gives our players the best opportunity to reach their potential – both as athletes and as people.
All Foxes FC coaches train aspiring players using the Long Term Player Development Strategy (LTPD). Backed by research from Europe’s biggest youth academies – huge clubs such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ajax – this strategy places a mastery-oriented focus on the development of young players.
The 5 stages of LTPD
Stage 1: FUNdamental (6-9 years old)
At this stage, coaches create a stimulating learning environment. The atmosphere is freedom and fun.
Stage 2: Learning to Train (10-12 years old)
This is where players start to move from a state of unconscious competence to becoming more self-critical and aware of improving their performance. This is also the time to teach basic principles of play and establish training ethics and discipline. A fun and challenging environment is essential for stimulating learning.
Stage 3: Training to Train (13-15 years old)
Skills and training time increases. This results in improved mental resilience, concentration and stamina. Awareness of tactics within the game becomes an important facet of the learning process. Players tend to be self-critical and rebellious, but they have a strong commitment to the team.
Stage 4: Training to Compete (16-18 years old)
We’re now working with athletes who are proficient at performing basic and football-specific skills. They are working to gain more game maturity as they learn to perform these skills under a variety of competitive conditions.
Stage 5: Training to Win (18+ years old)
The majority, if not all, of the players’ physical, technical, tactical and psychological qualities are now fully established. The focus of training shifts to optimising performance. They may still require additional tactical experience in high-pressure games to develop consistency.