Gary Broadhurst: A different lens

Setting standards

Behaviour and conduct is key for Broadhurst and his team, who want to support players to develop life skills that will help them to navigate their entire football journeys as well as a transition to the real world when necessary.

“We’re responsible for all of our young people and we have to set those standards and behaviours accordingly. So they are non-negotiable. That’s something that we do demand. Their behaviours and how they are perceived and how they carry themselves and how they respect each other and the environment and other people and how they represent the football club and their families is huge.”

He says that entering an academy set-up can be a “culture shock” for players and their families, starting with three sessions a week plus game day at the weekend.

“We try and keep it as simplistic as we possibly can for the primary school age groups,” he says.

“We don’t put our young players in the foundation phase in the gym at all unless they’re in rehab from injury. I think it’s really important that they’re on the grass for as often as they can be in order for them to be able to learn and enjoy their football.”

A life outside football

At the academy, there is a wider programme beyond just football, with enrichment days every half-term that are delivered in conjunction with the player care team, nutritionists, sports science staff and the psychology department.

“We have psychology workshops, we have nutrition workshops, player care workshops, but we also deliver a huge multi-sport programme in the half-term, which allows the boys to try their hand at activities such as tag rugby, badminton, handball, and lots of other different sports, which they really enjoy.

“They’re also exposed to lots of tournaments and tours. I have just got back from a trip to Greece for five days with our under nines and under 10s, which was a really good experience for them. Those things can’t be underestimated in terms of the life experience for the children, but also how much we can learn about them in those three, four or five days. So, for us, it’s brilliant.

“We positively encourage our boys to throw themselves into different activities other than football, and on top of that, we really encourage additional sporting activities outside of the academy. 

“We don’t want to take away the other things that they’re good at and keeping that normality and keeping them well-rounded is really important to help them find their journey through the academy and through life. We can predict. Our prediction skills get better as to how far we think the boys can go, but it’s really important, particularly in the formative stages of their journey through the academy, that we try and keep things as normal as possible for them.”

Trying something different

Having a certain amount of positional flexibility, even later on in a player’s academy career, is important for Broadhurst. He says that being able to play different roles makes a player more versatile as they leave the academy and look for a professional contract.

“We’ve got some brilliant people at the academy that work incredibly hard to give our players the best opportunity to get a job in the game,” he says. “When they get to about 15, we think we know where they might end up playing - top half, middle of the pitch or back half players - however they still need to be exposed to a little bit of playing out of their comfort zone. It could be on the opposite side of the pitch, for example, on their non-dominant side, or it could even be a centre half getting some some 6 or midfield time, or midfielders spending some time in defence or attack.”

He points to Dennis Cirkin as a good example.

“He’s been playing Championship and Premier League football now for four seasons. So it’s a brilliant outcome for him, and I think that’s down to the fact that we were brave enough to try something a little bit different with him to give him what he needed. When Dennis joined us as a 10-year old he was a number 10, but now he plays as a left-back.”

And Broadhurst is quick to note that players can often teach him things as well, which helps him to guide them on their paths.

“We are the teachers - absolutely. We want to be able to impart our knowledge into our young people, but letting them show us what they already know or what they think needs to happen is really important as well.

“You’ve got to embrace that because everybody that’s involved in our wonderful sport, the people that are doing it, are the ones that matter, and they’re the ones that actually can convey their thoughts and feelings to you about a particular situation through a different lens. 

“And I think that’s so important that you’re open-minded enough to listen to their ideas.”