There aren’t many FA conference events that will open with a performance from five aspiring dancers and then follow it with insight from cricket, business and then professional football.
But then again, there aren’t many events quite like the annual FA Talent ID Conference. Each year it offers an opportunity to explore the latest thinking and best practice from not only in and across football, but within and outside sport in general.
And this year was no different. More than 370 delegates joined together at St. George’s Park on Friday for a day dedicated to talent identification.
Among the speakers was Stuart Worden, principal of The BRIT School in Croydon which is famed for producing world-leading talents such as Adele and Amy Winehouse. The former theatre director provided fascinating insight into how a culture based on three values – Original, Responsible, and Ambitious – works to nurture and develop young people equipped with the skills to navigate tremendously competitive industries successfully.
To showcase some of the school’s creative talents, five dancers took to the stage and entertained their football audience with an inspiring and enjoyable performance.
Dancers performing on stage during the 2016 FA Talent ID Conference
Following in their footsteps were Mo Bobat - England player identification lead at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - who spoke about the best practice principles that underpin their new player identification strategy, and then Robbie Cowling, chairman of Colchester United and founder of recruitment firm JobServe.
Focusing on the challenges involved in leading a football league club, Cowling spoke entertainingly about the reasons why he chose to reduce the first team budget and reinvest that money into the club’s academy.
There was further insight from the professional game later on with Birmingham City’s academy manager Kristjaan Speakman, and then Dr Kate Barker, lead performance pathway scientist at UK Sport.
The one-day event also featured some of The FA’s most senior Talent ID professionals.
FA talent ID manager, Nick Levett, explored the unique attributes of creative players and the challenges they can provide, while Dr Catherine Hesford – The FA’s newly appointed senior talent pathway scientist – took to the stage to discuss player profiling.
Richard Allen, head of talent identification, meanwhile, delivered a presentation on creating successful partnerships and offered an update into the new FA Talent ID Level 1 course, while technical director Dan Ashworth was also present to share his thoughts on The FA’s wider vision for talent ID.
“It’s events like this,” he said, “standing in a room with 370 like-minded people from across the game - grassroots, women’s, men’s, academy, tech directors, scouts, and working at international level - to engage in some fantastic Talent ID CPD.
“It is fantastic to see because it hasn’t always been the case. For one of the most important roles in football, getting meaningful CPD or getting onto an education pathway hasn’t been possible.
“But alongside this conference, we’ve also introduced the new Talent Identification Level 1 – a new course for any code and any level – that will offer something to benefit everyone. Mums, Dads, grassroots coaches - it’s important they learn about Talent ID too to help join things up.
