Elsewhere In Football #28
TOVO Course and New York Deliver a Massive Boost
June was one of the toughest months I've had for a while.
I spent much of it alone, away from the football pitch and missing the daily energy that comes from working with children and coaches. Sometimes a short pause is exactly what you need, but by the end of the month I was more than ready to get back to doing what I love.
Thankfully, July brought exactly that.
With my family back in India, schools reopening and an eight-day trip to New York to work with TOVO Academy, I found myself feeling refreshed, re-energised and excited for what lies ahead.
Back on the Pitch.......
After the summer break, it was fantastic to be back on the field with the children and our young coaching team.
I'm now approaching one full year in India and, looking back, the progress has been incredible. We're beginning to see a genuine football culture develop here in Haldwani. Children are playing more often, coaches are growing in confidence and the enthusiasm around the game continues to build every week.
Our coaching team has grown to nine coaches, including myself, and together we're now working with more than 1,000 children every week across the city.
The numbers are encouraging, but they are only part of the story.
The relationships are what make this journey so rewarding. Seeing familiar faces every week, watching children gain confidence and feeling genuinely appreciated by the families and community reminds me why I chose this path. Our coaches have also embraced every opportunity to learn. They ask questions, take initiative and constantly look for ways to improve.
That excites me just as much as anything happening on the pitch.
The next few months promise to be some of our biggest yet, and I can't wait to see where this journey takes us.
Learning from TOVO Academy.....
One of the highlights of the month was travelling to New York to attend a three-day positional play workshop hosted by TOVO Academy.
I've admired Johan Cruyff and his football philosophy for as long as I can remember. His ideas shaped modern football and influenced generations of coaches. To see many of those principles being applied first-hand through TOVO's methodology was fascinating.
My admiration for this style actually goes back much further.
In 1995, when I was just ten years old, I became obsessed with Ajax. I even owned their famous away shirt and dreamed of one day playing in the Ajax academy, even more than I dreamed of playing for my beloved Tottenham Hotspur.
Ajax, Barcelona and Benfica have earned worldwide respect for producing outstanding footballers, and their influence can still be seen in coaching around the world today.
The workshop itself was a breath of fresh air.
The overall concepts weren't completely new to me. Much of the structure reflected ideas I had previously studied and used throughout my own coaching career. What stood out was the way those ideas were communicated. Every exercise had clarity, every detail had purpose and every player understood exactly why they were doing what they were doing.
Great coaching isn't always about inventing something new. Often it's about delivering familiar ideas in a way that inspires better understanding and better learning.
That's exactly what I took away from TOVO.
Their methodology is heavily influenced by the Spanish approach to player development, so watching Spain lift the Women's World Cup during the course felt like the perfect reminder of what that philosophy can achieve when applied consistently over many years.
A City That Never Stops....
Football was the main reason for visiting New York, but I also managed to spend a few days exploring one of the world's great cities.
Whether it was walking through Times Square, taking in a Broadway show or paying my respects at the 9/11 Memorial, every corner of the city seemed full of energy.
New York has a rhythm all of its own. It constantly feels alive, inspiring you to keep moving, keep learning and keep chasing bigger ambitions.
Looking Ahead......
The next three months will be relentless.
Seven days a week. Long hours. Plenty of travel. Hundreds of coaching sessions. New projects and exciting opportunities.
Exactly the way I like it.
This past month reminded me how important it is to keep learning, keep exploring and keep putting yourself in environments that challenge you. Every new experience, every conversation and every course adds another piece to the puzzle.
As coaches, we ask our players to step outside their comfort zones every day.
We should be doing exactly the same ourselves.
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