CX Coach Education Experience in Madrid

At the start of May, CX Team took 25 coaches on a Coach Education Experience to one of Europes best Academies in Atletico Madrid. The group were fully immersed within the club with them all staying at the clubs residency which is reserved for their academy players. The experience included presentations from the clubs staff like Head of International Development, Academy Technical coaches, Analysts, Strength and conditioning coaches, and Women’s first team coaches. As well as the presentations the group got to observe training sessions from various teams within the club and also got to take part in specialist training sessions delivered by academy coaches. Please see below what some of the coaches had to say:

This year I decided to travel with Coaching Xchange to Madrid for the second time in the space of two years along with three of my co-coaches/friends. Atlético’s academy set-up and facilities are really something to behold, paired with the way in which it works daily. With this experience, you really become immersed in this, developing a strong sense of belonging as the week goes on. Key individual’s within the club invite you to share their industry leading knowledge whilst being happy to hear your ideas in exchange. Perhaps one of my most important takeaways from the week was taken from an hour’s presentation/conversation with Atléti’s Sports Co-ordinator for U12-U17. Within this hour we gained insight into youth academy football within the club but also spoke about ideas we had based around the differences in coaching styles between England and Spain. The staff here are more than happy to talk with you to answer questions you may have, and this is where perhaps most insight can be gathered. I would urge you to go and have these conversations as, within coaching, building connections throughout different environments is important for progression. Overall, the experience is a fantastic opportunity and one that would not be possible if it were not for the Coaching Xchange.

Oliver Froggatt – YDP/PDP Football Coach

 

“This year, like the last, I learned a lot of information based around the academy set-up at Atléti. I particularly enjoyed Iván (academy co-ordinator) taking the time to speak to us about academy methodology and I gained important insight through this. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this experience to up and coming coaches looking for an insight into different professional coaching environments. Many thanks Coaching Xchange.”

Sam Daw – YDP/PDP Football Coach

“I’ve had the pleasure of going on the CX experience to Madrid on two occasions now and I have to say it was an eye opener on both occasions. The way we were treated by our hosts at Atléti was second to none. All of this is thanks to Coaching Xchange and their connection with the Madrid based club. The best part of the experience for me personally was a lecture on club methodology we had from Iván and Igor (Academy Co-ordinator/Academy Coach). Both gentlemen were very engaging but also very humble in the sense that they wanted to learn from us just as much as we wanted to gain insight from them which was flattering. The way the club philosophy at Atléti is set in stone and engraved into each and every staff member is fascinating and something to behold. We learned about how coaching in Spain differs to coaching in England, particularly interestingly, the Spanish ideas around coaching youth players to play in a variety of positions and disciplines. Once again, a big thank you to Darren Smith and all at Coaching Xchange for the opportunity to go out to Madrid again and learn more about different cultures and coaching styles.”

Yahya Hassan – YDP/PDP Football Coach

  CX Trips for 2025 will be released this summer