At The Olé Way we view football as the world's #1 vehicle for implementing a multifaceted holistic education. "Holistic" seems to be the 21st century "catch phrase" when it comes to football academies; however, our results demonstrate that we are "walking the talk." Did we mention that we like acronyms? 

Professionalism is standing for something. Professionalism is delaying gratification. Professionalism is the little steps someone takes that add up to one giant leap for mankind. Setting goals that seem impossible at first and committing to them for the long term. That is professionalism. Hoping for an end result is not wise, nor is it professional. Professionalism is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

The grass is 5 inches long. 5 inches of cakey mud below. One can barely make out the knees of the 10 year olds about to wreak havoc on this patch of grass. I've summoned my team to "pull their hands out of their sleeves and try to get a rondo going." A kid's shoe comes off in the mud. The parents are better suited to play in their gumboots and Swanndri.

The game is the best teacher. The best teacher understands this. Nothing teaches like the game itself. Nothing the master coach can do, say, or conjure can replace the rich learning environment of the game itself. 

That’s until Teteh shows up… 

Suddenly, every single cent of your five bucks is worth its’ weight in gold. The next time you watch Teteh play it will be in front of a sold-out 30,000 for Sweden's biggest club. You’ll be paying way more than five dollars.   

“We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” - Archilochos

Eventually, the truth rises to the surface. It always does. Welcome or unwelcome. Expected or unexpected. Sometimes ugly, other times beautiful. A clear transparent unveiling.

We’ve got this theory in player development that it’s not the "best" that become the "best". i.e “Billy was the best when he was 11. You should have seen him back then."

Rather, we like the idea that the "best" player is the one that 1. Turns up. 2. Works Hard & 3. Listens. It’s this player, the player that’s able to do numbers 1, 2, & 3 repeatedly over a long period of time that is not the best, but becomes the best. As a trainer and coach, it is this player that you invest in long-term, set alarm clocks for in order to make calls across time zones, and commit to for the long haul.

“Culture is about permission. It has to do with what’s acceptable and what is not, and who says so... Culture is a system of permissions. It’s about the attitudes and behaviours that are acceptable and unacceptable in different communities, those that are approved of and those that are not.” - Ken Robinson 

HERE, you have permission to think BIG.

HERE, you have permission to dream. 

HERE, you have permission to imagine.

The New Zealand youth football development life - cycle is in dire need of a metamorphosis. A profound, exciting and entirely new way of thinking and doing in regards to curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment around youth football development in NZ needs adopting i.e. the way the beautiful game is played (and taught). All NZ youth football development schemes need uprooting and redeveloping from the foundation. A fundamental transformation is in order. 

If there’s one thing to remember during your time at Olé, “it’s all about the player.” The player is #1 and without the players, well… this whole thing wouldn’t really make sense, would it? Keep this idea as a guiding principle in your day to day and your work will be filled with relationship, meaning and purpose.

EXPERIENCE THE OLÉ WAY IN THE WORLD'S #1 RATED PLACE TO LIVE

Wellington, New Zealand was recently voted the World's best place to live with the highest quality of life. Bring football into the mix and you really "can't beat Wellington on a good day." Olé Football Academy is located 25 minutes from Wellington International Airport. In the past, Olé has accommodated groups of up to 50 players and 10 trainers / coaches at a time. In recent years, The Olé F.A. has worked as lead consultant with the Vanuatu Football Federation (2017 U-20 World Cup Qualification), Team Wellington Youth (NZ National Youth League), South Auckland Elite (SAE) and Western Suburbs Football Club. Read more about the Olé Way of training and a visit to Porirua HERE. 

Children need permission. Permission to unashamedly believe in themselves. Permission to think BIG. Permission to dream grand dreams. Permission to chase their most “absurd” and “delusional” desires. Permission to see, believe and act on behalf of their greatest visions. Permission to follow their instincts. Permission to deny the voice of a status quo telling them “You can't do it. It is impossible." 

Someone once told me, "sacrifice the immediate for the benefit of the future." I listened for a long time, until now. Stop making sacrifices. Choose. Make a decision. 100%. Be deliberate in thought and action. Do not sacrifice. 

What greater pursuit is there than a life lived deliberately? To pour one's entire energies into the tank of becoming the best one can be - footballer, scholar, writer, trainer, coach, parent...

ARE YOU A JEDI KNIGHT? 

We are spanning the globe and New Zealand for like - minded, devoted, enthusiastic and eager to learn trainers in the space of youth football development. There is a massive sub-current of trainers in New Zealand in agreement that the country's current player learning model i.e. how the beautiful game is played (and taught) needs to be changed, and a new way forward adopted. Are you one of them? If so, please send an email query titled "Olé F.A. Jedi - Knight" to ben@ole.co.nz for more information regarding job specs.

Pursuit towards mastery in any field - football, farming, friendship, fly - fishing, whatever the f you like - requires constant refinement, a quality of always "under construction."

“If I skip practice for one day, I notice. If I skip practice for two days, my wife notices. If I skip for three days, the world notices” - Vladimir Horowitz.

Is life too sweet in New Zealand to produce "World - Class" footballers? Is the football landscape conducive to producing players with the necessary ingredients for top - flight football or is it too nice, easy and pleasant? Is the environment we create for our players uncomfortable enough? Do we challenge our players in the "right" or "wrong" ways? What are the "correct" set of environmental conditions New Zealand needs to put in place / implement in order to build better coaches, footballers and teams? Great coaches make great players. Great players make great teams. Great teams win football matches... #CANi #L3 #LiBTYFi #SH3

We clearly see the potential of a vibrant and thriving New Zealand football development landscape with the "correct" set of environmental conditions in place. In order to consistently produce "world - class" footballers from New Zealand, because it can be done, a "fundamental transformation" is required in the country's current player learning model i.e. how the beautiful game is played (and taught).