Life here is great, we consider ourselves lucky to be here and we really hope the children continue to grow in every way imaginable as a result of living here.
Like most English coaches with any desire to learn more about the game, I've certainly spent some time over the past decade or more looking on enviously at Spanish football, or at least my vision of Spanish football based on the teams you watch on the television and the predominant playing styles of those teams. Pep's Barca side started it, the success of the national team confirmed it and now most other countries acknowledge that Spain is arguably the most prolific developer of great players and great teams in world football.
So it seemed sensible to assume that our son might benefit from continuing his football development here - not a key reason for moving here but I'd be lieing if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind!
Less than 24 hours after arriving, George trained at the Estadio Fransisco Romero and 3 days later played in a friendly for his new club - CD Rincon.
I wasn't sure the image I had in my head of Spanish football was an accurate reflection of the game here or not...but I was going to find out.
His first season was probably better for him in terms of settling in than it was for his football specifically - it took a while for him to get used to it. The language barrier was undoubtedly the biggest challenge, but he overcame that by the new year, and by the end of the season he was making real progress on and off the pitch.
I watched from the stands, eager to soak up everything about the game over here...this was after all an opportunity for me to develop too. Very few people at the club speak any English, and my Spanish is taking much longer to improve than Graham junior's! I did however make a good friend in one of the coaches at the club, Curro, who coaches one of the older age groups. Curro speaks more English than anyone else at the club, and luckily he was willing to give me some time and take the opportunity to improve his English at the same time. A few awkward silences and cafe con leches later, he asked me if I'd like to take a session with his team. The international language of football proved better than my Spanglish and the session went pretty well, and I went on to take some more sessions with other teams at the club.
CD Rincon is a Tercera league club - their first team play in the 4th tier of Spanish football. It's the level that Messers Guardiola and Zidane started at, coaching their respective clubs' reserve teams in what is actually a regional level of football. In my opinion the standard is similar to the level I played at in the UK, so roughly the 6th/7th tier of the English game, possibly even lower at times. The teams in that league, unless it's a reserve side of one of the La Liga clubs, are all part time and most players at this level get paid less than half of what 7th tier clubs pay in England - there is much more money in the English semi-professional game. This is even more fascinating to me because the first team here train 4 nights a week...impressive.
The stadium is an excellent facility and because it has an artificial playing surface, every team at the club trains on the main pitch, which helps to build the sense of community and family evident at the club. Underneath the main stand, there are a number of excellent changing rooms, meeting rooms, offices and a media room, whilst the cafe behind the main stand is very popular and always busy.
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| Estadio Fransisco Romero |
Due to the fact I have a busy job that requires regular travel I do not expect or plan to be able to take a team anytime soon. Long term there is so much I want to do in the game but for now, I am happy to gain experience when I can whilst other things in my life take priority.
I have however agreed to step up a little this year and instead of sitting in the stands watching, I am now officially my son's team's waterboy/logistics support/assistant vice coach! He has moved to play with another group in his category this season and the coach Antonio works on his own. Knowing a little of my background, he asked me if I could help. I have to be honest, coaching younger players is not my forte (I prefer to work with senior/U19/U21 sides) but it is a great opportunity for me just to gain some understanding at the coal face of the game in Spain and I think the biggest benefit for me personally will be the development of my Spanish language capability. Win win situation!
Thanks to the coaches, staff and other parents, we are settled at a terrific football club, and I'm going to write a regular piece here to explain more about our experiences in Spanish football and how that compares with football in the UK. I'll cover coaching topics like tactics, technical development, coaching development pathways and general communication, as well as more general culture including aspects of Spanish life that are intertwined with the game their nation loves so much.
Un gran abrazo
Kevin
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