Declan Edge - Let Them Play

Ole mini-documentary coming soon to YouTube:

https://twitter.com/TotalFootballNZ/status/9596158...

https://twitter.com/TotalFootballNZ/status/9596158...

Could someone tell me what happens to the prey, ie the kids?  Most kids won't make it, so do they get eaten up and spat out? They say they are introducing the wolves...

They include the kids in the wolves, the prey is the current NZ football.youth development 'eco-system'

In general I make a few observations. They focus on the very hard work required, they see development as inescapable hard work, and their language reflects that, but they are interested in the whole player. Academic achievement is a key player requirement.

Currently, most kids age out to us universities, though that may change if West's get their national league spot.

In any case, if you look at the core messaging, they are very clear that they Are developing people, not players for success. Some will be in football, some won't, but they want to build leaders.

Parents/families will have to make their own judgements about the costs and benefits, but that said, there are scholarships for families who just can't affrod it.

didn’t see much in McCowatt or H edge in the game yest

On this, a kid who was in the academy up until 18 but realised he wasn't going to make it in football has just received a Rutherford Scholarship: https://olefootballacademy.co.nz/football-physics-ole-values-help-graduate-scholarship/

15 minute-ish documentary on ole by Total football - 

I’m finding the Ole self promo a bit wanky tbh

I read that initially as "The Only Way" which would be kinda of appropriate seeing its Declan and all.

This is the first time I've seen Declan Edge. He's certainly passionate about what he does, and seems to be turning out some good young footballers. All power to him. 

Tall poppy syndrome

It's crazy how obsessed he is, even lives at the football club!

We need more people like him TBH, not necessarily at the top but pushing hard.

well they have to do it, as they indirectly point out in that promo, NZF won't help them

anyway what's wrong with pushing yourself when you're doing a pretty good job?

I agree. It's a business, and one that doesn't get any support from its governing body, so you have to use 'wanky' promotion to keep growing the business. A lot of people let their Declan distaste cloud their judgement on things like this. I thought it was an interesting watch. 

And I'll put the qualifier in because if I don't then I'll probably be criticised for it.. I'm in no way affiliated with Wests or Ole, nor do I even like Declan, but I can look at Ole and admit that its better than anything else in NZ football.

Is  waving the Bic lighter for comfort or the fag after training?

It’s his bedroom so who knows 

There's a fireplace in his office/apartment. If he smokes he definitely doesn't do it around the academy.

Ole is a business, and ,Declan is the Director of that business that makes lots of money. They don't care about player development, they just care about their own pockets. They promote 1-2 players per year, the others 248 are making them rich.

Declan now is trying to get into the NZF Women's side as he can't get in through the Men's.

Only people who actually cares about players development are the clubs, the rest are full of s....t,

HARSH --

but he has been interested in womens football for five minutes...

Every football academy on the planet is a business and to survive they have to make money, its reality.

Also to produce players of high quality you will always end up with a large number who dont make it for every player who does, its like a pyramid.  They promote 1-2 players each year and the other 248 are the sad reality of the whole system that is the same all over the world. 

Every decent sized club in NZ runs its own academies or programs that also cost money. The coaches now get paid a small fee for each training session. 

As someone else mentioned people are letting their personal opinions of Declan as a person cloud their view of what he does.

Same thing happened with Wynton when his wynrs was the flavour of the month.

The people who moan the loudest about these things simply being ways to get rich are the same people who never actually contribute other than to bitch and moan.

I cant stand Declan, no fan of Wynton either but they are actually providing meaningful alternatives to the federation programs and that in turn is good for the federation programs as it applies pressure to try and perform.

Come back to us with some numbers that show its a scam and then maybe this sort of comment wont be laughed at.

Just to point out Ole is a registered charitable trust, not a business.

I do think the Porirua Project that they're involved in, and bringing football to porirua basin primary schools, and the new Waitangirua Street Football initiatives deserve praise; trying to widen the opportunities of young new zealanders from very different backgrounds to experience something new is a damn good thing.

http://poriruaproject.com/porirua-project/

Players families need to evaluate if the investment is something they can afford, and if it benefits the players holistically in their lives, outside football. I've no idea how far my player will go, but the discipline and centrality of Ole seems to drive good behaviours in their academic life.

Barely anyone makes it as a profession and any player looking to go to Ole needs to be aware of that... however, if a long the way of becoming a better footballer they develop some good self management skills and a bit of drive, all the better.

Like him, hate him... the fact is he has had a hand in a lot of our better young players lately so deserves respect based on that fact along. 

The kids certainly have an "in joke" that they want to play for the nix at 34, i.e in the last year or two of their career.

I think it's actually the reverse; not that they are too good for the nix; rather - is the nix good enough for them (or any player) - i.e to develop them to their full potential in the crucial developmental years.

(You could argue that Declan has more success in this area than the nix I suppose.)

Some  have turned out to be "top shelf" but 95% of the Ole kids will never be up to playing for the Nix.  That's just the plain reality. So why feed their heads with that crap?

I a! telling you an in joke that in have observed in the 10-13 year old bracket, not Ole messaging. 

8 year olds want to play for the nix; teenagers should be aiming for Barcelona/Real Madrid/Insert your preferred club bias here/, should they not?

Anyone who starts with 'Barely anyone makes it as a profession' is not going to make it in anything.

It's a message Ole have pushed multiple times in their videos over the last 12 months. Teaching a kid to pass with both feet is easy. Getting them to have a 'never say die' mentality is the hard part. The kids who will do anything to get there are the ones who make it.

I acknowledge that Declan has had good success and I enjoy watching Wests play.  Declan  is different but that is Ok. 

I still question why some of his players are not  trialing with The Nix or even Team Wellington. Maybe they are not being asked?

1. As has been stated earlier in the thread, they probably have higher ambitions than the Nix.

2. Up until recently they were probably too young for TW but four went to Auckland City for this years NL.

In the last two years Ole/West's have provided 50%+ of the TW youth squad over the summer.

I can understand Elijah Just having the ability to match higher ambitions because he is class but struggle to think of anyone else. 

Sounds like Auckland is Ole's  place of preference for The National League. Strange

Callum McCowatt, Owen Parker-Price for a start

Using Auckland isn't that strange, Ole \ Declan believe that his players would learn more under the guidance of Ramon so opted to send them there

Wests are still serious about a national league spot I would say.

I don't get the "higher ambitions than the Nix" bit.

The Nix is the highest standard of football in the country. His players are more likely to launch a career through professional football in Australia than through "amateur" football in New Zealand. So do they not rate the players the Nix are producing (Singh, Cacace etc), or do they just dislike the Pheonix for whatever reason?

Either way, I can't help but feel that Ole kids avoiding the Phoenix only serves to hamstring potential career development.

I'd say based on last season that's debatable, yes the A-League is the highest standard, but the Nix definitely weren't, both Team Wellington and Auckland City were better

remember its not all one way, The Nix did announce at the start of last season they weren't going to concentrate on kiwi's so as an academy developing kiwi kids what you going to do?

The Nix don't seem to have a lot of ambition other than staying in the A-League (which will be decided off the field) so is it worth going to a pro club because they are a pro club or wait and try your chance in europe without the mark of having a bottom dwelling club on your CV?

50% of the youth team was because Declan was coaching the team, other players didn't get much of a look in. Some clubs didn't even bother putting their players forward as they knew how Declan would treat them and there would be very little game time for them. Ole players came first no matter what. He also wouldn't let them play for Team Wellington (senior) unless he got to be involved with coaching the team.

So Team Wellington and Auckland City would have finished higher in the HAL?

It wasn't last season, I think it was Ernie who said that no international breaks made it hard to pick a lot of NZers though the club has invested in a youth academy in Wgtn and Soccer School in Akl so they are not against developing NZ talent - the 'Nix still supply a lot of players to all age groups of NZ football so it is a good shop window. 

Yes based on last season I think TW and ACFC would have finished higher than the Nix in the HAL

Aah it makes sense now. Team Wellington would not let him get involved in with their NL Team so he went elsewhere with his kids.

  

I don't think so

His way or the Highway!

Heard he has the hump with Auckland now and Danny Hay has been seen at Wests this season.