Create and innovate

Intelligence’s role in creativity

Although creativity and intelligence aren’t the same thing, intelligence is definitely part of the plot. We know three things about intelligence. First, it’s diverse and unique to each individual. Humans take information on board visually, through hearing and by actual physical experiences. Therefore, information should be presented to players in this way.

Second, it’s dynamic. The brain is wonderfully interactive and is not compartmentalised. Too often the coach will favour drill-like activities which are too one-dimensional and present too few game-like actions. These are profoundly unproductive where creativity is concerned. (Even throwing in a basic challenge like ‘look for one-touch opportunities to pass’ during the practice will help a bit.)

Third, it’s distinct. Creative practices for players in training and challenges set for them during matchplay help them think in a new way. Footballers have to move to think. Learning and practice are much more productive when they take place in dynamic circumstances where players are running, jogging or walking, where the topography is fluid and ever-changing, just like the game itself. For too long they just stand about listening to coaches talk, denying their aptitude and passion for actually playing and learning the game.

So what is creativity?

Creativity is a subtle blend of innate ability and learned behaviours, and these, with the right inducement and practice, produce the unique solutions the game requires from moment to moment. To be regularly successful in these moments players need:

• Vision and awareness
• Skill with and without the ball
• Decision-making capacities with and without the ball
• Bravery to try out new actions in training and in matchplay
• Adaptability to thrive in fast-changing situations
• Willingness to seize the moments and opportunities that present themselves.

These attitudes are developed mostly in free play, matchplay or in game-like directional practice where offside applies and decisions have to be made under pressure, over and over in real time. In the big moments players have to execute the basics to the highest standards, but you can argue that because of the nature of the game footballers are being creative most of the time.

We need to create a culture of possibility, not simply compliance. Young players don’t know how good they could be. The coach’s job is to help them get better and find out. Too often, this isn’t the case, and winning matches is still the priority, especially as players get older. This attitude can severely restrict players’ development opportunities.

Unfortunately, many training and matchplay environments, certainly as players progress towards their scholarships, are based on conformity, with the curriculum and pedagogy narrowing to suit tactical necessity or playing styles rather than producing a rounded footballer who can be pragmatic and adaptable positionally, tactically, and to any playing style or coach as their career develops.

Developing a positive learning and creative environment as a coach

Coaching is a relational experience because teaching happens with the players. It’s all about the people taking part. We have to recognise that there are certain environments where people generally thrive and certain conditions where they don’t.

A coach could develop a positive learning and creative environment by adopting some of the following actions:

• Stop practices infrequently; when you do, offer a useful golden nugget
• Encourage players to explore, experiment and problem-solve during training and matchplay
• Individuals take information on board visually, verbally and by having a go, so complement this in the way you present information to them
• Be brave enough to let the players breathe and encourage them to come up with their ideas rather than offer your solutions too quickly. Give clues rather than answers
• Tell them that mistakes are just part of the learning and practice process and that you would rather they made a mistake than didn’t try anything
• Build in break times for the younger players for social interaction and free play. (Even do it for the older ones sometimes!)
• Try to catch players doing things well
• Praise effort and intent for specific actions
• Be on the look out for golden teaching moments where good play can be highlighted to the group.

All high-performing environments where people thrive tend to include these features. They are individualised to a high degree, where each players’ learning, practice and curiosity are constantly engaged. There is investment in the development of their coaching staff. The senior managers trust their staff and devolve responsibility to their coaches to get the job done with very little top-down command and control.

Between the ages of eight to 21, young players are significantly affected by what happens to and around them, and coaches are in significant positions of influence. They are in unique leadership positions to help educate their players both in developing their game and as people.

But there are risks. Too often academies retain footballers for their reliability, athleticism or early maturation because these traits are easier to recognise and measure as opposed to talents that whisper who may have more imagination, the courage to be different and a creativity that does not fit a club’s tactical model.

As such, a coach should be clear about what their priorities are, and what they care about, they should lead from the front and be a good role model to aspiring elite footballers by setting appropriate examples of elite behaviours. They should also never promise what they can’t deliver.

These elite behaviours include prioritising development. A player’s motivation for attending a football academy must be to ‘get better’. This is embodied in the definition of an academy which literally means ‘place of learning’. If a young player picks up that the prime directive is to win, this could paralyse their potential for creativity and they may play safe curtailing their willingness to take risks, as these could lead to errors and even defeat.

“A young player who is made to feel confident, capable and trusted to be creative will have a greater chance of fulfilling their potential than one who feels afraid to fully express themselves.’ – The Future Game

To create young footballers who are more creative, more skilled and more effective decision-makers with or without the ball and more resilient in moments of pressure, the coach must role-model elite behaviours to encourage the development of such players. By consistently promoting such behaviours and learning principles the coach will create a place where players will feel free to be brave enough to express their natural individuality and creativity.

For us to succeed in such an endeavour, coaches need to be compassionate but demanding, and players must be humble and confident. There are many creative players in England, but we have to have to foster the courage and the know how to protect and develop them.