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Gary Ireland Quotes
Recommendations
Gary Ireland with Carine Ireland after PSV Union match vs. Liverpool FC youth team
"Coaches should be physically enthusiastic and proficient when coaching children. Age and old injuries (provided they are incapacitating!) are not excuses not to demonstrate proficiently and this goes for players up to and including college. High caliber professional players, even in their early 20's, are still developing technically and need visual examples and corrections, if not from the coach but from thier teammate mentors. Too many players are coached not taught" Gary Ireland
“His enthusiasm for all matters relating to football coaching has given him an excellent knowledge of all aspects of coaching young players. He has many contacts in the game throughout the world. His open and inquiring mind has allowed him to study a variety of coaching styles and content. He adopts a fresh, open approach, which allows him to accept and develop new ideas. In his coaching Gary successfully achieves a friendly, yet well-disciplined approach, which puts the young player at the centre of the process. His different roles in a number of countries have given him a strong base of experience. Gary’s own high level of skills and techniques as a player allows him to provide excellent demonstrations, which are so important when coaching young players. He has a strong philosophy, which concentrates on the development of young players over the short-term aim of winning games. He educates and encourages his players to appreciate the true essence of the game”.
"Gary's approach to football is excellent. For the ambitious and serious player (training with him) is a fantastic opportunity to broaden your complete understanding of the beautiful game. There is saying "In Football the truth always comes out on the field". Gary is always there to demonstrate his sharp form on the field." Christopher Sullivan - former European 1st Division Professional. World Cup player for U.S. National Team. MLS player. Current Fox Soccer Channel Analyst and commentator.
Benjamin Ziemer Id2 National coach, PDP and NorCal Premier Director
"Gary is a brilliant developer of talent." Anson Dorrance – Head Coach. 23-time National Champion, UNC, 1991 World Cup Champion, U.S. Women’s National team 1986- 94
"I have had the privilege to coach a number of talented young women the past 20 years but few with the technical sophistication of Lorrie Fair. When I asked her about her extraordinary development her reply was quick: Gary Ireland made sure I understood everything about the ball, he was not only an amazing coach but a powerful motivator for me and my sister Ronnie.” On Lorrie’s recommendation alone I hired Gary one summer to watch him work and I came away impressed with his knowledge, his energy and his professionalism. He is a brilliant developer of talent." Anson Dorrance – 20-time NCAA National Champion. University of North Carolina. Coach of USA Women’s National team 1991 Women’s World Cup Winners. Coach, U.S. Women’s National team 1986-1994. (Coaching record. 943 winning percentage). ACC Champions 19 times and ACC Tournament 20 times. Coached 13 different women to a total of 20 National Player of the Year awards. NCAA Women's Soccer Coach of the Year eight times (1982, 1986, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006) & Men's Soccer Coach of the Year in 1987. Elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
"I have played with and worked alongside the Gary Ireland for many years. His depth of knowledge on every aspect of the game is remarkable. Players love working with him because the has the right balance of intensity and levity. Each player that works with him finds dimensions they never knew existed." Chris Ducar - Current University of North Carolina Assistant Coach, Goalkeeper Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. Former goalkeeper coach and National goalkeeper coach to U.S.A. U/21 National side. Former Director of Tony Di Cicco, Post to Post camps.
"You will learn skills that will enable you to become a world class player. Gary took the raw athleticism and added the finesse necessary to play at the level I am now." Lorrie Fair. Former professional with WUSA of Philadelphia. Former University of North Carolina 3 times NCAA Champion. 120 appearances for U.S.A Women's National Team. 1 World Cup winner’s medal and 3 time USA Olympic team
"This camp offers not only the opportunity to learn skills that will enable you to be able to become a world class player, but also provides positive role models and a chance to make good friends." Lorrie Fair- former professional with WUSA of Philadelphia. Former University of North Carolina 3 times NCAA Champion. 120 appearances for U.S.A Women's National Team. 1 World Cup winner’s medal and 3 time Olympic team. Ronnie Fair former WUSA professional and standout with Stanford University. Former USA U/23 National Team and first team appearance.
"You've made the game fun and pushed us to where we are now. As a result of working with (the staff) I was nominated as an Umbro and parade all American and chosen for both the USA National youth team (U20 & U16) and received a full scholarship to for and attend the University of Portland. I was also named to the 1996 Soccer America all freshman team and the final four all tournament team." Regina Holan - former Sparta Prague, U.S. U-20 & U20 Women's National Team. Former NCAA Div. 1 player at University of Portland and U.C. Berkeley.
"Thanks to Gary I have come to realize that soccer is not just a game of passing and dribbling but a pursuit requiring intelligence and mental toughness." Brooke O' Hanley - former WUSA player with Carolina, Champions 2002. Former NCAA Div. 1 player at University of Portland. Member of 3-time National Champions Central Valley Mercury.
"I have been training with Gary and the staff continuously for over 4 years, and I attribute much of my passion for the game, skills, and strategic development to their professionalism, enthusiasm, and unique coaching techniques. They are truly a remarkable group. They helped me get to the top" Kelsy Hollenbeck. 2 times NCAA Champion with University of Portland. Northern California State Team U/14-17
“Gary is an excellent coach/trainer, teacher and player of the game. There is no doubt that Gary has had a profound impact on playing career. For the past 10 years I have been very fortunate to have someone so passionate and knowledgeable developing my game. Gary is different than any other coach have had. He's played at a very high level professionally. He knows what he's talking about. He never takes a day off and he's constantly expanding his knowledge about the game, watching games, studying players, training on the field himself, etc. When he coaches the players feel and see his love and expertise for the game and its amazing that we get to learn from him daily. He can demonstrate and break down everything he teaches us to the smallest detail, explaining why everything we do has a purpose. He wants to get the absolute best out of you. There's no room for mediocrity. If you cant do it, remember it and practice on your own until you can do it and do it well. He instills a work ethic in you, you thought you didn't have. I strive to be great because i see him doing the same thing. He definitely finds a way maximize the best out of a players potential. Since I was 13 I've always said Gary and his family have influenced me the greatest in my playing career and it stands true. I thank him for all his support and spending hours and hours in a day training me and in sharing some of my happiest moments playing soccer. Gary has been important in my player development and has helped me find success in my soccer endeavors. I had a great 4 yr career at the University of Washington. I’m listed as top 10 players in school history in many categories, Goals scored in a single season, shots attempted, games played, etc. ,I was drafted to play in the Women's Professional League for the St. Louis Athletica in 2010. And I currently play for the Mexican Women's National team. I participated in the FIFA 2011 Women's world cup and Pan American Games. My greatest soccer moment has to be when I scored the game-winning goal to beat the US 2-1 in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. That game is said to be the greatest upset in women's soccer history! Whenever I'm home in the bay area you can find me in Palo Alto coaching and training with Gary. I love to come back to my roots and I learn something new and exciting from him everyday. He always finds a way to move forward and teach me something new even when we're going over the basics”. Current Mexico World Cup and Olympic team player Veronica Perez
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Other References:
* Zdenek Sivek- Vice President & Exec. Committee AEFCA & UEFA Instructor
PROMOTING WITHIN
"Barça’s (FC Barcelona) management style chimes in with the thinking of two admired theorists. Boris Groysberg, of Harvard Business School, has warned that companies are too obsessed with hiring stars rather than developing teams. He conducted a fascinating study of successful Wall Street analysts who moved from one firm to another. He discovered that company-switching analysts saw an immediate decline in their performance. For all their swagger, it seems that their success depended as much on their co-workers as their innate talents. Jim Collins, the author of “Good to Great”, argues that the secret of long-term corporate success lies in cultivating a distinctive set of values. For all the talk of diversity and globalisation, this usually means promoting from within and putting down deep local roots." (SOURCE UNKNOWN)
Promote Young Players Within the Club
Johan Cruyff remembers the first time he set eyes on Pep Guardiola. The scrawny teenager was playing in Barcelona's youth team and Cruyff had just been appointed first-team manager at the club. 'He was a boy and the people said to me, "Oh, he's one of the best". 'So (over the next year) I looked for him in the reserves, but he didn't play in the reserves. So then I looked at the first youth team, and he didn't play in that team. And eventually I found him in the third youth team.
'So I said to the coaches, "You said he was the best one!" And they said, "Yeah, but physically…" I said, "Put him there (in the reserves). He will grow. Don't worry, everybody grows". And they said, "Yeah, but we will lose". I said, "If we lose, we lose. We need to create players". And he did very well.' Johan Cruyff
GARY IRELAND QUOTES
"If players concentrate on becoming technically, tactically and physically competent they will always be in demand. They should focus on being in the right learning and training environment. Showcase events, just as markets are not always beneficial. Displaying ones talent should happen after a player has perfected differentiating aspects of their game. Knowledgeable consumers like to know more about the produce they are buying: Under what gtraining and development conditions has the players been subject to?
Selectors want to know what kind of person is the player? Do they have potential to learn and improve? Are they respectful of teammates and coaches? Do they apply themselves to improving both on the field and in the classroom? Do they know how to train? (quality, duration and intensity of practice. There are shortcuts to success but these are shortlived, based on luck and outside of ones control. What you can control is quality. Focus on becoming a technically, tactically and physically competent player with a positive and strong personality on the football field and you will be in demand. Players without these qualities simply wont last. They get found out right away.
Too many youth coaches all over the world are addicted to winning and would prefer to win a meaningless game than develop a player. Too many college coaches are only keen to remain in their jobs. The club coach picks the dominant athlete and the college coaches needs players to compete. Neither are invested in the long-term development of players and arent concerned about real development and teaching career-long skills. The unknowing or misguided parent who doesnt know the game is misled into thinking the biggest. strongest, fastest players are the most valuable.. This couldnt be further from the truth but one can forgive them for being brainwashed into believing so. (GARY IRELAND- MAY 2, 2011)
Gary's Favorite Quotes
“And weak, smaller players, to survive they had to have a better technique than the others. Normally everyone grows — some a little later, some at different times, but everybody grows. A lot of things will change but the base of soccer is always technique, always should be technique” Johann Cruyff
"To be honest, we dont train the players to peak at certain points in the season. We try to be as good as we possibly can in every game. By working hard and, first and foremost, by knowing all about our opponents, thinking about them and watching their games to find out what we need to do to win. Its my duty to know as much as I possibly can about the team were going to face, so they cant take us by surprise, and then pass that knowledge on to the players. And, of course, we have to adapt the way we approach the game depending on what were going to be up against, without ever straying from our footballing philosophy" Guardiola.
“I learned the most by playing in the backyard or at the local park with my brother Rod and my mates. Hitting a ball up against a wall for hours on end with different parts of my foot, juggling a soft drink can up against the backyard fence, that is what it's all about.” Harry Kewell-Australian National Team. Former Leeds Utd. & Liverpool legend
People talk about tactics, but when you look at it, tactics are just players
“Theres nothing special about it really. Ive tried to be faithful to the history of Barcelona. Its just been a question of making good signings and blending them in with the homegrown players, handling them in the right way and not being scared to give the youngsters a chance when the times right. I wanted the fans to see that the team was going to work hard, run, play good football, and take pride in their work on the pitch. People want to be entertained. They dont want to be cheated. The fans can accept a poor performance but they wont take it when you choose not to put in the effort. The idea is still the same, though: to attack, score as many goals as possible, and play as well as we can. People talk about tactics, but when you look at it, tactics are just players. You change things so that the team can get the most out of the skills they have to offer, but you dont go any further than that. When it comes to tactics you have to think about what the opposition does and the players who can hurt you. What Ive done this season is a response to the game plans our rivals are now adopting against us. As time goes by, people get to know you better. They pose problems for you and you have to come up with solutions.” (Guardiola)
