“In all my years involved in football, both amateur and professional, as a player and now a coach, I have never seen anything like this.”
These are the words of our elite men’s team assistant coach, Nathan Paulse, as he discussed the inaugural HBUFC Values Camp for our youth teams that he played a key part in facilitating over the last few weeks.
Nathan played as a striker at the highest level of professional football in South Africa and in Sweden. He was the captain of Ajax Cape Town and was PSL top scorer for three seasons during his time with the club. He has been capped at international level for Bafana Bafana, and enjoyed a professional career that started when he was 17, and ended at age 37. To say that he has “been there and done it” is an understatement.
We used the winter holidays to invite 120 girls and boys between 11 and 18 years of age to our Values Camp. Each player participated for 5 days, while the camp itself went on for three weeks.
“The main idea behind this camp was to drive three key points:
- For our players to build a deeper understanding of and connection to HBUFC, as well as themselves, and how they as individuals fit into the organisation.
- To build trust between the players and the club, and create an environment that is conducive to this.
- To show that we care deeply for them, and for their needs as human beings.”
“In all my years involved in football, both amateur and professional, as a player and now a coach, I have never seen or been a part of anything like this camp, an initiative that truly sees to the holistic needs of young football players. Many people and organisations speak about a holistic approach to player development, but few execute this in a practical sense. For me, a holistic approach to player development is simple, we actually need to be more concerned with human development; the player will come once the human has the right foundations in place to go on and succeed. So often, we hear stories of players with all the potential, who end up never making a career in professional football. In many cases, the reasons for this aren’t anything to do with their football ability, but rather their social circumstances that never provided them with the vital tools necessary for a successful life. Integrity, ethics, character, mentality, how they respond to pressure, and an acceptance and appreciation for guidance and support from those around them who care. These are all vital components of any successful human being, and any successful football player. The key is that we need them to understand that we want them to become excellent footballers, but that they can’t achieve that without first becoming excellent people.”
These are our values
“When I was still a player, I had the opportunity to go on trial with Hammarby in the Swedish top flight. I was 26 years old and in a completely new environment. I don’t think I played very well during my trial, but little did I know, the club were actually observing me as a human being. They were monitoring how well I was integrating into this new environment, how I was interacting with my peers and soon-to-be new teammates, and how they received me. I ended up signing for Hammarby and it taught me a very important lesson – key components of my makeup as a player were my strength of character, intellect, and mentality – qualities that the club had identified and valued within me.”
“That is why I think a camp like the one we have just been a part of is so valuable. It is important that initiatives like this are seen as key components in a player’s journey and development, and this is just the first of many HBUFC camps and other initiatives that offer a holistic approach to player development.”
“I think it is important that our players who come from different social, economic, and cultural backgrounds, are almost forced to interact with each other, especially within a contained environment that we as coaches, mentors and programme facilitators can manage. We want our best, young players to get opportunities to play football abroad, so for them to connect with people from different cultures and environments is vital. Without this ability, it is much, much harder for players to move abroad for football. It is vital that they are encouraged and made to step outside of their comfort zones.”
“Having the current and former HBUFC elite team players around the building and facilitating certain workshops for our youth players has been a great asset to the camp. It shows our young players, many of whom are growing up in the same areas, with the same issues as the elite team players, that there is a clear and tangible pathway for them. It shows that they too can climb through the ranks and make it to the first team and beyond. That they too can get out of whatever circumstances they may find themselves in. It offers a first hand, practical insight into what life could look like down the line for these young players.”
“Our goal is that this camp acts as a catalyst for improving the quality of human beings we have within our academy. We want to elevate the stature of player (and person) who play for HBUFC so that we hold new players to higher standards. This will mean we’ll need to look at new metrics when bringing players in based on what we now expect from our current players.”
“We know that there is still plenty of work to be done, and that in actual fact, the work will never be done – we will just move closer and closer towards our target of creating a culture that embodies our 7 key values.”
“Key next steps for us are to continue to implement these values and then assess how they are being adopted and utilised. We spend so much time around these kids that it will be easy for us to see who has taken on board what we have tried to instil, and who hasn’t. We also know however, that we are on a journey with them, and that these values are not just for our players, but for our coaches, and leaders too. They apply to everyone involved in the organisation.”
As a closing thought, coach Nathan said something that interested me:
“Football is not an escape. It is a platform to improve one’s quality of life.”
Further Thoughts
Some thoughts from Mattia Belluzzi, a sports psychologist from newly promoted Serie A side, Como 1907, who observed our Values Camp:
“It’s great to see a camp like this taking place, it’s a real step in the right direction. Now it needs to be backed up with next steps in order to keep the momentum.”
Some of Mattia’s key points for us to consider:
- Remember no two players are the same. Context is everything.
- Include parents into the goals of the organisation. They need to buy into the vision so that they can echo the same values when the players are at home.
- Train the parents. The life of a young football player is filled with ups and downs, and in most cases, it ends without them being able to achieve their dreams of playing professionally. This means they are bound to face disappointment at some stage. Parents need to know how to handle these situations.
- Make sure to spend lots of time and effort teaching the coaches to embody these values. Players will never take the values to heart if their coaches do not fully embody and believe in them.
- Create a mentorship programme whereby players in the academy are paired with either a player from an older age-group, or an elite team player, depending on the age of the players. Ensure the young players can relate in some way to the player mentoring them (either through similar backgrounds, stories, positions, etc). This will benefit the younger players by giving them someone to look up to and receive advice from, while benefiting the older player by making them feel like they need to set the right example.
- Ensure the three key sections of the organisation (individual, group, management) are all aligned on the culture we want to achieve, and the direction we move in order to achieve it.
- Measure impact! Ensure that data is collected from all of the effort the club is putting into instilling these values. This will enable adaptation, evolution and improvement of the techniques used to instil these values.
As a closing thought, coach Nathan said something very interesting:
“Football is not an escape. It is a powerful platform to improve one’s quality of life.”
A special thanks to coach Nathan, Iris, Dali and everyone else involved with delivering the Values Camp. A job well done and the start of something truly special for our football club!
Thank you to Mattia for being so open and available to discuss these important topics with us – your feedback is greatly valued and appreciated!
