Luton Town Youth Development www.lutontown.co.uk Academy Football Philosophy Luton Town Youth Academy look to develop individuals who play through the thirds in a progressive manner encouraging creative, innovative and incisive players who work hard We like our teams to play out from the back and through the thirds utilising possession football but recognising opportunities to play forwards. We believe it is important to play the elements as well as the opposition and for players to adapt their game according to the conditions and the situations. We also encourage our coaching staff to adapt training sessions and matches to allow for the best possible developmental opportunities to occur. We believe our philosophy should build and grow throughout the age groups to allow players to digest each progression in a consistent and logical order. Within each training session and within the games programme players are consistently challenged to work on their individual learning objectives. Under 7- Under 10 Our Under 7s 10s age groups look to play out from the back and through the thirds and are encouraged to be creative all over the pitch. We do not look to limit the player s decision making but encourage them to experiment with varying techniques. During this phase, players will be asked to play in a minimum of two positions and two units. We believe that players should be working within formats and shapes that run through the whole Academy right from a young age. s are based on creating diamond and triangle shapes to allow for passing options as well as movement and rotation. 5v5 Gk + Diamond, GK + 2-2 6v6 GK + 2-1-2 7v7 GK + 2-1-2-1 + GK + 3-Triangle We encourage our players to play on different lines. We like our players to make differing angles rather than receiving the ball completely square or straight down the line. We start to introduce basic rotational movements and encourage our players to be creative and experimental, to pass or dribble forwards and progressively whenever possible, and to play through the thirds.
When we are in possession, our goalkeeper becomes the deepest defender / sweeper, and he is encouraged to relieve the pressure from outfield players by offering a passing option and being comfortable to play with his feet. Goalkeepers during this phase will be asked to play outfield when appropriate. In the young Foundation Phase ages, we only require two things when out of possession. 1. For the players to work hard to press high and encourage them to keep the game compact as a group. 2. To work hard to make recovery runs when caught out of position. Upon regaining possession, we like our players to recognise the opportunity to counter attack straight away when possible. Players are encouraged to adopt a positive mind set to playing at high tempo and speeding the game up to maximise and exploit counter attacking opportunities. If the ball is won back when a counter attack is not possible, players are encouraged to keep possession of the ball through varying dribbling or passing techniques and even involve the Goalkeeper who would be encouraged to offer an outlet for the outfield players to play through when appropriate, rather than to kick the ball out of play. We look to instil a culture into our players to work hard to recover and win the ball back as quickly as possible. Players must demonstrate high levels of energy to make recovery runs, or win the ball back immediately when possible. During a negative transition the players are encouraged to make the game compact as quickly as possible. Set Pieces (restarts) In the Foundation Phase we try to encourage the players to be creative with all restarts and vary the outcome. We try to instil an ideal of can we play quickly where possible which we look to continue throughout the phases. We start to encourage sharp movements from throw ins and look for players to begin to recognise the trigger to begin their movement. We do not worry too much about foul throws in this phase. We usually encourage our boys to defend 1v1 from restarts especially when we defend corners where we go 1v1 in the penalty area and clear everyone else out of the box. Under 11-14 Our Under 11s 14s age groups look to play out from the back and through the thirds and are encouraged to be creative all over the pitch where possible. We encourage players to experiment with varying techniques with an emphasis on playing forwards quickly when possible. Possession with progression is key in this phase and upwards. During this phase, players will be asked to play in a minimum of two positions and two units. Again an emphasis is placed on triangles and diamonds. The formations we look to adopt are: 7v7 GK + 2-Diamond + GK + 3-Triangle
9v9 GK + 3-2-3, GK + 2-Diamond-2 11v11 GK + 4-3-3, GK + 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 or 4-Diamond-2 We encourage our players to play on different lines. We like our players to make differing angles rather than receiving the ball completely square or straight down the line. We start to introduce double movements to receive the ball and encourage our players to be creative and experimental, to pass or dribble forwards and progressively whenever possible but recognising when it is appropriate to keep possession safely. We continue to play through the thirds but now incorporating the longer pass when available and appropriate. We begin to introduce pass appreciation during this phase and teach the boys to have an understanding of safe side passing and receiving. When we are in possession, our goalkeeper becomes the deepest defender / sweeper, and he is encouraged to relieve the pressure from outfield players by offering a passing option and being comfortable to play with both feet. In the Youth Foundation Phase ages, we only require four things when out of possession. 1. For the players to work hard to press high and encourage them to keep the game compact as a group 2. To work hard to make recovery runs when caught out of position 3. Introduction of defending in units Angles, distances and body shape and the recognition of the opportunity to intercept 4. Can a tackle be made? At Under 14 level we also begin to introduce responsibilities when defending against set plays. Upon regaining possession, we like our players to recognise the opportunity to counter attack straight away when possible. Players are encouraged to adopt a positive mind set to playing at high tempo and speeding the game up to maximise and exploit counter attacking opportunities. If the ball is won back when a counter attack is not possible, players are encouraged to keep possession of the ball through varying dribbling or passing techniques. We start to introduce playing quickly to release the furthest players for overloads and 1v1s etc. also beginning to look more closely at the end product in the final third. The Goalkeeper is encouraged to offer an outlet for the outfield players to play through when appropriate. We look to continue the culture of working hard to recover and win the ball back as quickly as possible. Players must demonstrate high levels of energy to make recovery runs, or win the ball back immediately when possible. The players are encouraged to make the game compact for this to be successful. We feel it is important for players to begin to recognise the appropriate triggers, and know when to drop off and when to press. Players attitude to making recovery runs and track opponents is key. Set Pieces In the Youth Development Phase we try to encourage the players to be creative with Set Pieces and vary the outcome. We continue to instil an ideal of can we play quickly where possible but looking
to test ourselves with more inventive ideas to result in more successful outcomes. We look for players in this phase to make better and more clinical decisions, particularly around the penalty area. We start to encourage sharp movements from throw ins and look for players to begin to recognise the trigger to begin their movement. We look to introduce foul throws at U11. We look to teach a set way of defending set pieces at U14 and introduce marking posts and a hole man. Under 15-16 Our Under 15s 16s age groups look to play out from the back and through the thirds and are encouraged to be creative but efficient in our defending third whilst being even more inventive, fluent and dynamic in the attacking two thirds. We encourage players to experiment with varying techniques with an emphasis on playing forwards quickly when it is appropriate. Possession with progression is key in this phase and upwards. A greater emphasis is placed upon being more efficient both in the attacking and the defending thirds and learning to play with a more organised shape and with more specific movements. An emphasis is placed on each player learning how to play from their position or positions within the team. 11v11 GK + 4-3-3, GK + 4-4-2, GK + 4-2-3-1 or GK + 4-diamond-2 The team must play with as much width and depth as possible in this phase, looking to play out from the back at every opportunity. Players must demonstrate the ability to break down opposition teams regardless of their defensive strategy through excellent movement and decision making whilst continuing to expand on double movements and pass appreciation which now becomes critical. Our players must have a forward thinking possession based approach through the thirds of the field, creating numerical supremacy everywhere on the pitch; Possession with Progression. We must play on as many different receiving lines as possible to allow for angled passing and receive the ball between the lines at every available opportunity to turn with a forward thinking mentality. If players are marked we still encourage them to receive the ball safe side. It is clearly highlighted to players in this phase that if they receive the ball in space they must look to play forwards. Teams are taught to play with rotation, interchange and an unpredictability with regards to movement off the ball. Players are required to play with good quality from wide areas and deliver the ball into the box when the opposition prevent entries from central areas. We encourage a Full Back to join in late and fast at every opportunity to create maximum width during attacking phases. Players must show intelligent movement and quick interplay in the final 3 rd with flair and creativity when in possession. Players must be innovative to create isolated 1v1s and in these situations are encouraged to use individual flair and creativity to beat their opponent. A greater emphasis is placed on the importance of creating goal scoring opportunities during this phase. The team look to press and regain possession as high up the pitch as possible when realistic to do so. The players must show an understanding of how to press high up the pitch regardless of how the opposition set up and which shape they adopt through intelligent decision making. If opposition have good possession and there is a high risk of being played through/around we drop off to make a narrow and compact unit. Players are required to recognise the triggers for this as a group both visually and verbally (reference Vocabulary). Individually the players must recognise the
opportunity to press and close down aggressively when appropriate in 1v1 situations. An emphasis is placed on the nearest man to the ball closing down when he can affect the opposing player - Can a tackle be made? Our players are required to create numerical supremacy around the opposition in order to regain possession and he must be supported at all times either verbally or physically. They need to show an excellent understanding of which passing lines to cut off when pressing high and make good decisions in terms of when to show inside/outside and in which areas of the pitch. The team instruction is to look to show outside away from goal in our defensive third however, players must be flexible enough to change their defending styles to suit different phases of the oppositions attack (i.e. players may show a talented left footed left winger inside onto his right foot on certain occasions). The Back 4 must demonstrate an understanding of when to press and get tight and when to drop off and recognise cues and triggers to make these decisions. If there is no pressure on the ball, the back 4 must drop off to deny space in behind. Upon regaining possession, counter attacking is the key priority. Players must adopt a forward thinking and direct approach where applicable. If the counter attack is not an option, we begin to build possession and probe, utilising the Goalkeeper when necessary and possible to do so. Players are required to play the most intelligent pass forward to the team-mate in the best receiving position to maximise attacking threat early. We teach the players several forward runs with and without the ball incorporating clever movement utilising power and pace whenever possible. Forward passes, dribbling and individual skill and technique are all key to excellent counter attacks. We teach our players to think about ATTACKING whilst we are DEFENDING which allows the counter attack to be activated. Thereafter we teach our players to think about DEFENDING whilst we are ATTACKING making the counter attack less dangerous for us. Our players must work hard to recover the ball back as quickly as possible. A good defensive shape must be regained within a few seconds. When we are caught out of balance it is important to drop off to deny space behind and delay the opposition. We feel it is important for players to recognise the appropriate triggers, and know when to drop off and when to press. Player s attitude to making recovery runs and track opponents is key. When we lose possession, players must prevent the opposition making forward passes as early as possible. The shape must become compact quickly, forcing the opposition one way triggered by the nearest player s body shape and angle of approach. The rest of the team takes its shape from this. Players are encouraged to think about ATTACKING whilst we are DEFENDING, getting ready to counter attack quickly on the regain if the opposition have switched off and are out of balance. Set Pieces In this phase we try to encourage the players to be creative with Set Pieces and vary the outcome. We continue to instil an ideal of can we play quickly where possible but looking to test ourselves with more inventive ideas to result in more successful outcomes. We look for players in this phase to make better and more clinical decisions, particularly around the penalty area and taking into consideration the elements and conditions that are on offer! We encourage sharp movements from throw ins as well as beginning to introduce some movements in pairs and look for players to recognise the triggers. We look to instil a set way of defending corners; marking post(s) and we have a hole man always leaving at least one player up front. When defending free kicks we have a designated player lining up the wall with the GK and again have a hole man when it is wide and a closing down man when it is central, again when it is possible we leave at least one man up.
Under 17-18 Our Under 17s 18s age groups look to play out from the back and through the thirds and are encouraged to be creative but efficient in our third whilst being even more inventive, fluent and dynamic in the attacking two thirds. We encourage players to experiment with varying techniques with an emphasis on playing forwards quickly when it is appropriate. Possession with progression continues to be key during this phase. A greater emphasis is placed upon playing with a more organised shape and with more specific movements. An emphasis is placed on each player learning how to play from their position or positions within the team. The Under 17s-18s philosophy mirrors the U15s-16s, the only difference being that more emphasis is placed upon learning how to win and manage games in preparation for senior football. Players must be adept enough to adjust their game in accordance with the conditions, occasion and the opponent when necessary. 11v11 GK + 4-3-3 or GK + 4-4-2, GK + 4-2-3-1 or GK + 4-diamond-2 The team must play with as much width and depth as possible in this phase, looking to play out from the back at every opportunity. Players must demonstrate the ability to break down opposition teams regardless of their defensive strategy through excellent movement and decision making whilst continuing to expand on double movements and pass appreciation which now becomes critical. Our players must have a forward thinking possession based approach through the thirds of the field, creating numerical supremacy everywhere on the pitch; Possession with Progression. We must play on as many different receiving lines as possible to allow for angled passing and receive the ball between the lines at every available opportunity to turn with a forward thinking mentality. If players are marked we still encourage them to receive the ball safe side. It is clearly highlighted to players in this phase that if they receive the ball in space they must look to play forwards. Teams are taught to play with rotation, interchange and an unpredictability with regards to movement off the ball. Players are required to play with good quality from wide areas and deliver the ball into the box when the opposition prevent entries from central areas. We encourage a Full Back to join in late and fast at every opportunity to create maximum width during attacking phases. Players must show intelligent movement and quick interplay in the final 3 rd with flair and creativity when in possession. Players must be innovative to create isolated 1v1s and in these situations are encouraged to use individual flair and creativity to beat their opponent. A greater emphasis is placed on the importance of creating and finishing goal scoring opportunities during this phase. The team look to press and regain possession as high up the pitch as possible when realistic to do so. The players must show an understanding of how to press high up the pitch regardless of how the opposition set up and which shape they adopt through intelligent decision making. If opposition have good possession and there is a high risk of being played through/around we drop off to make a narrow and compact unit. Players are required to recognise the triggers for this as a group both visually and verbally (reference Vocabulary). Individually the players must recognise the opportunity to press and close down aggressively when appropriate in 1v1 situations. An emphasis is placed on the nearest man to the ball closing down when he can affect the opposing player. Our players are required to create numerical supremacy around the opposition in order to regain possession and he must be supported at all times either verbally or physically. They need to show an excellent understanding of which passing lines to cut off when pressing high and make good
decisions in terms of when to show inside/outside and in which areas of the pitch. The team instruction is to look to show outside away from goal in the our defensive third however, players must be flexible enough to change their defending styles to suit different phases of the oppositions attack (i.e. players may show a talented left footed left winger inside onto his right foot on certain occasions). The Back 4 must demonstrate an understanding of when to press and get tight and when to drop off and recognise cues and triggers to make these decisions. If there is no pressure on the ball, the back 4 must drop off to deny space in behind. We also want our players in this phase, as individuals to show a controlled aggression and mental toughness to deal with physical contact - Can a tackle be made? Upon regaining possession, counter attacking is the key priority. Players must adopt a forward thinking and direct approach where applicable. If the counter attack is not an option, we begin to build possession and probe, utilising the Goalkeeper when necessary and possible to do so. Players are required to play the most intelligent pass forward to the team-mate in the best receiving position to maximise attacking threat early. We teach the players several forward runs with and without the ball incorporating clever movement utilising power and pace whenever possible. Forward passes, dribbling and individual skill and technique are all key to excellent counter attacks. We teach our players to think about ATTACKING whilst we are DEFENDING which allows the counter attack to be activated. Thereafter we teach our players to think about DEFENDING whilst we are ATTACKING making the counter attack less dangerous for us. During this phase we expect to be more efficient and clinical with their end product. Our players must work hard to recover the ball back as quickly as possible. A good defensive shape must be regained within a few seconds. When we are caught out of balance it is important to drop off to deny space behind and delay the opposition when we are out of balance. We feel it is important for players to recognise the appropriate triggers, and know when to drop off and when to press. Player s attitude to making recovery runs and track opponents is key. When we lose possession, players must prevent the opposition making forward passes as early as possible. The shape must become compact quickly, forcing the opposition one way triggered by the nearest player s body shape and angle of approach. The rest of the team takes its shape from this. Players are encouraged to think about ATTACKING whilst we are DEFENDING, getting ready to counter attack quickly on the regain if the opposition have switched off and are out of balance. Set Pieces In this phase we try to encourage the players to be creative with Set Pieces and vary the outcome. We continue to instil an ideal of can we play quickly where possible but looking to test ourselves with more inventive ideas to result in more successful outcomes. We look for players in this phase to make better and more clinical decisions, particularly around the penalty area and taking into consideration the elements and conditions that are on offer! We also have several set pieces which change periodically. We encourage sharp movements from throw ins as well as beginning to introduce some movements in pairs and look for players to recognise the triggers. We look to instil a set way of defending corners; marking post(s) and we have a hole man always leaving at least one player up front. When defending free kicks we have a designated player lining up the wall with the GK and again have a hole man when it is wide and a closing down man when it is central. When it is possible we leave at least one man up.