The Scottish FA's Coach Education department saw a hectic 2023 conclude with another exciting educational visit as several prominent coaches within the girls' and women's spent a week learning within Club and Academy programmes of the world leading environment of FC Barcelona Femeni.
The Scottish FA-led CPD trip saw a number of Scottish Women's Premier League academy coaches visit the club, who are the current holders of the Women's Champions League, and their player development contributes significantly to the success of the Spain National team’s (currently the holders of all the World Cups at U17, U20 & Senior levels)
The trip, which was funded by Erasmus Plus, marked the latest offering of Continued Professional Development (CPD) for coaches, and another positive step as the Scottish FA continues to work in partnership with SWPL clubs to evolve the elite domestic player pathway for girls and women.
The group attended the famous El Clasico femenino match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and were tasked with analysing the game before presenting their findings to each other and FC Barcelona first team staff.
The educational visit also saw the delegation spend time with the FC Barcelona Femini First Team and with the club's academy, learning first-hand about Barcelona's philosophy, structure and governance.
During the week, Scottish FA Girls' and Women's Performance Manager Michael McArdle and Scotland Women's International Head Coaches Pauline MacDonald and Nichola Greig also presented to the coaches about contents of the national team training camps and information about the association's game model.
Shirley Martin, Head of Girls' and Women's Football: "To spend a week within such a high performance environment was a privilege and I am in no doubt that everyone on the trip will have learned something that they can take back to their own club.
"It was fantastic to be able to spend valuable time with some of the top academy coaches in this country,
"As the the girls' and women's game continues to grow in this country, the development of the youth game is vital and we are all working hard together to raise the collective standards.
"Benchmarking where we are compared to one of the world's top academies was a hugely useful exercise, building on a similar study trip to Belgium earlier last year."
Michael McArdle, Girls’ and Women’s Performance Manager: "I would like to thank all the coaches for their enthusiasm and positive attitude shown throughout the week, and to our hosts, FC Barcelona Femeni for their world leading insight and behind the scenes access.
"A joined up approach between National Associations and member clubs is vital when it comes to youth / player / coach development and trips like this are fantastic to give us time to share with the clubs the work that goes into national team camps and what is expected of their players, as well as for the clubs to share their feedback with us."
Emma Hunter, Head of Girls Academy, Heart of Midlothian: "As we continue to develop the women’s and girl’s game in Scotland it was great to utilise the knowledge of such a successful club to help us implement key infrastructure, strategies, and environments where our players can thrive. We have taken huge strides in this area across Scotland, but we still understand those strides need to continue to be taken to improve the product on and off the pitch.
"The biggest takeaway for me was learning that one of the key areas for development is the environment that you create. We need to maximise the time we have with the players and the session design and delivery is critical. Create an environment where players are given opportunity to explore, make decisions whilst maximising ball rolling time is vital. Seeing this done to the highest level is a reminder and good for re-focussing your attention.
"I'm hugely thankful to all involved at the Scottish FA for making the study visit possible and also all the participants who created a environment to have open and beneficial discussions on developing the game."
Michael Tuohy, Girl's Academy Co-ordinator and First Team Coach: "While getting the opportunity to share, learn and discuss with some of Scotland's elite youth educators, we were also able to enjoy a first-hand look inside the best club in the women's and girl's game. The opportunity to watch, listen to and question the coaches and co-ordinators that continue to facilitate the growth of some of the world's best players was an experience that I do not take lightly.
"For me, an important learning from the experience was the clarity of methodology throughout the football club. The level of support across different departments that they have tailored to be bespoke to elite female athletes shows us the level of detail and focus required to strive to the top of the game."