Lukashenko instructed to establish order in the system of football player training within six months
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has instructed to establish order in the system of training footballers within six months. This was announced to journalists by the Chairman of the Association "Belarusian Football Federation" (BFF) Nikolai Sherstnev following a report to the head of state on the development of Belarusian football, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
Nikolai Sherstnev emphasized the importance of the technology for nurturing a footballer and bringing him to sporting excellence. "If this technology works, there will always be a great athlete at the end," he said.
"No windfall money." Lukashenko instructed to establish order in sports clubs in the first quarter
Therefore, the head of the ABFF continued, upon his appointment to this position, the task was to understand the existing football player development system and compare it with the elite system that existed in previous years, including during the Soviet Union. As a result, a number of shortcomings were identified. Previously, the youth football development system, which consisted of several stages, starting from regional youth sports schools, worked efficiently: "A clear pyramid for developing young footballers was built, and a transition to reserve teams, youth teams, and, consequently, professional football was ensured."
Now, it is necessary to revive those best practices in modern conditions and bring order to the football player development system. "The task has been set to bring order within six months. That is, to build a football player development system, ensure a smooth transition to youth football and adult football. Everything that is currently unbalanced in the regulatory framework needs to be put in order. Six months of fruitful work lie ahead, and what has been lost for various reasons over many years will be restored, and football will become the sport that is loved and valued," stated Nikolay Sherstnev.
He emphasized the need to improve approaches and keep pace with the times: "We see where the world is moving today, where football development in Europe is heading. We need to do everything accordingly so as not to fall behind. The system we create will be fundamental for many years to come."
Over the past year, a number of decisions have already been made to improve football player development. "We see what we need. Firstly, to gather players at an earlier level and provide them with conditions to work in the national team. FIFA requirements are lowering by age. This issue has stalled for us. We have decided within the Federation to practically lower the age for selecting the best players from youth sports schools in the regions, from football academies, to 12 years old. This will give these guys the opportunity to work together until they leave the academy," said Nikolay Sherstnev.
The Chairman of the ABFF noted that previously, students graduated from football academies at 17 years old upon completion of secondary school.
It has been decided that this team of 17-year-old footballers will play in the First League this year alongside professionals. "The season, of course, will give the guys a lot of experience. Both practical and theoretical," emphasized Nikolai Sherstnev. "In any case, in a year or two, we will see the result of this team, completely different from what we have today."
By the way, this team is already achieving significant victories. For example, they won the Development Cup - in the decisive match, the 17-year-old footballers beat their Russian peers with a score of 2:1. The recent match with the team from Saudi Arabia also ended with a positive result for the Belarusian youth team.
To develop the spirit of competition, improve the quality of training and player selection, and generally increase public interest in domestic football, it has been decided to introduce a permanent championship for age groups 12, 13, and 14 starting from the current season.
This means that children's and youth sports schools will be obliged to form age-specific teams. Something that does not exist today. There are no permanent championships - consequently, why should a children's and youth sports school have a football team? Accordingly, if there is no football team, why should a coach bother about any sports parameters? - the head of the ABFF outlined the reasonable questions. - This is what I said at the beginning - the system is unbalanced. It sort of exists, but it's unbalanced. And when we bring it together evenly into one whole, the flywheel will start spinning, and there will be no need to manage it. It will be necessary to adjust and help. But the flywheel will work on its own."
Teams from different schools will be able to participate in these competitions. "Whoever wishes to participate, register your team and take part. We do not divide. Obunites sports. This will literally change the attitude towards sports within the season. These kids will be in plain sight of all coaches, player selection will become more productive, and of course, there will be interest from parents and classmates. Stadiums will also start to fill up. This flywheel will start working. A completely different attitude towards football will emerge," Nikolai Sherstnev is confident.
Source: belta.by