Player Movement
For any New Zealand football fan that wanted to understand the difference between how we play the game compared to the rest of the world the last fortnight has been particularly illuminating.

Combinations
Building player combinations is a vital factor in developing a successful team.

Perhaps more so than individual skill, tactical formations or fitness, combinations can be incredibly powerful in differentiating the good teams from the great.

Many elements of football across all levels can be copied if the expertise is available to players or a club.  But combinations are much harder to copy because they rely on a number of individuals becoming a harmonious unit.

Why the All Whites Need to Win the Oceania Nations Cup
The last 12 months have been a desperate time for All Whites football fans.

The eligibility debacle of the Olympic qualifiers, just three away games for the All Whites and a current FIFA ranking of 161, wedged between the Maldives (currently coached by Ricki Herbert, population 345,000) and Guam (population 162,000) – it hasn’t been a champagne year.

Soccer Italian Style 11-15 July
Top Flight Football Academy is committed to ensuring that our young footballers have the opportunity to experience a high quality of coaching.

To deliver a world class learning experience we will once again, for the 4th year running, be hosting Soccer Italian Style in Auckland.  The camp will be held 11 – 15 July at our home ground, Bill McKinley Park. This year the coaches will also be holding a players camp in Wellington from 18-22 July at the Te Whaea artificial turf.

Concentration Counts
At 1-0 up against Sevilla FC in the Europa Cup final Liverpool players knew what to expect from manager Jürgen Klopp at half time.

Klopp had effectively given the team talk days earlier at the final press conference before the Reds’ last Premier League game of the season.  Asked if the match against West Bromwich Albion was a distraction Klopp reinforced the importance of what matters, is what happens in the now.

Big Sam’s Secret Weapon
Sam Allardyce, the garrulous manager of Sunderland Football Club, is known for his old school approach to football.  Uncompromising, direct and not known to back down from an argument he also has the capacity to surprise.

His disclosure, prior to a crucial relegation decider for Sunderland, that he practices Transcendental Meditation (TM) was greeted with an element of shock in the UK media.

But given the value of TM and other forms of meditation the biggest surprise is that more coaches and athletes are not making it part of their daily routine.