In our last programme we caught up with our Head of Academy, Shane Pallett, on his move to Wakefield AFC and how he plans to develop the academy.
How did you get into coaching and what made you want to coach?
We all start as coaches or parents, jumping into local grassroots football, and after a brief enjoyable spell coaching around the Sheffield Senior League and also coaching where I could, I was informed to continue I would require FA Coaching badges. After completing my level 1 surprisingly I got a phone call from Doncaster Rovers asking if I’d be interested in doing some coaching at the club. After just short of a decade at DRFC working within the academy structure, learning alongside some great people, coaches, gaffers, FA educators, visiting other professional clubs, home and abroad, this has proved amazing for me, allowing me to collect information and knowledge along the way. Now, here at Wakefield AFC, I want to pass on my knowledge, enthusiasm, hopefully parts of my experience to our players, but most importantly watch and guide them along their football journey and pathway. The biggest reward for everyone in coaching should be witnessing players participate, enjoying the game they love playing, keeping their passion to practice and improve individually and collectively.
Tell us about your role at Wakefield AFC and how you are finding it so far?
My role at Wakefield AFC is Head of Academy. I would be lying if I said, since my appointment early July, everything has been straight forward. Dealing with the organisation of training/match venues, Covid-19, recruitment of players, bringing in new staff has proven challenging but, within this short period, we now have an Academy structure developing which is slightly different to most clubs around the country. Usually academy pyramids start with the younger ages, 8-15s, progressing to the youth system, 16-18s. We as a club are building the pyramid from the youth age groups (16-18) down. This is helping to support our newly formed EFP and First Teams and we are setting goals and a pathway for the Academy to progress through the club system.
Tell us about the Academy set up at Wakefield AFC…
The first part of the Academy is now set up; we are building these foundations with the 16-18s age groups with over 40 players signed at the club. This now allows the Academy to start expanding over the next twelve months by recruiting players to develop more age groups to become part of the Wakefield AFC club/family. On building these foundations, I must say a big thank you to Ian Nicholson (Nico) who has brought his own ideas, experience, knowledge, support to the club making this task a lot easier for myself. Together we hope within the next 12 months we’ve built on the Academy pyramid, having a full age group programme from the juniors all the way through to the youth section.
What do you think are the biggest barriers to football development programmes at the moment?
There shouldn’t be any barriers within football, maybe this is created by others, but my full focus has to be making this Academy different to others, creating that freedom and enjoyment to stop any barriers appearing.
How do you ensure the players feel supported and can speak up if they have any issues?
Existing players within the club or new players joining the club firstly need to feel this is a good home to play their football. We speak constantly with the players around the importance of relationships between players and staff, working around them, learning the club’s values, respect, leadership, enjoyment, and policies. If we get those points right that just builds trust within all departments of the Academy, allowing the lads to feel confident that everyone is approachable and most importantly here to help, whether it’s about football or external issues within their life.
We’ve already seen a number of Academy players feature in our senior teams, how do you see the Academy impacting the club in the long term?
This has to be one of the main reasons why I came to Wakefield AFC. The most important thing for me is giving them a chance to reach the summit at this club by playing within our EFP and First Team and creating opportunities beyond. Many times players are promised first team opportunities at clubs that never arrive but, already seeing three players make First Team debuts within pre-season, four players only last week making their debuts with the EFP team at Parkgate, shows in a very short period of time the belief, trust and talent we have in our Academy, with opportunities already developing, and I’m sure this will continue.
How important is your relationship with Adam Lockwood and Lee Crooks in developing the Academy players?
Relationships throughout all the club are essential but working with Adam and Lee is proving exciting and successful. The knowledge, experience, guidance both bring to our club, having played, and coached within the professional game is invaluable. How we all look at the game the same way also helps to keep consistent messages throughout the club, keeping players focused on how we want the players to play and learn within the whole club system. Our communication just by phone speaking five to ten times a day about all things football proves our drive and commitment to create success for everyone at Wakefield AFC.
The Junior Premier League has said that coaches should focus on helping to develop people as footballers instead of whatever the results are. Can you do both? How do you reconcile the two?
This is a question that pops up all the time. My view on this question is you need to get the player environment right, creating fun, enjoyable learning and training sessions where players firstly continue to show eagerness, passion and drive each and every week they attend sessions.
Secondly, once they arrive, players have freedom to explore different skills within their game not solely focussing on mistakes but finding the way to learn both on positives and negatives. This becomes the job of the player and coaches to achieve this together positively. As to the result importance, as a club Academy, if we get the above right then player/team performances and results will follow, but we also learn and encourage all our players to be good losers as well as winners.
Away from the pitch, how important is it to develop them as people as well as players and produce well-rounded individuals?
Building player, coach, staff relationships off the field are paramount. We form player WhatsApp groups within the club to keep in contact with all the lads. Constant daily and weekly communication, which includes all our staff within the club, gives everyone access to learn, get to know the players, whether they are First Team players or under 16s. Team bonding sessions away from football also prove successful. Before the COVID pandemic, we would organise having player days out together, team meals after Saturday’s game, minibus to home/away games which always helps create solid squad bonds within the club. We are now processing tours and competitions in Sweden and Portugal next year helping the lads with behaviour boundaries, responsibilities and learning different lifestyle skills within different cultures.
What are your plans for the future of the Academy?
My plans are to give every opportunity to local and non-local people to play football, building each squad age group throughout the club academy from 7-18s, alongside opportunities for other sections within the club including; ladies/girls football, disability football, and walking football. I want to allow every opportunity to bring the whole Wakefield community together.