Turning point in youth football training (*): The dream of reaching new heights is very close

If the FIFA Football Academy project in Vietnam becomes a reality, this will be the beginning of an era of professionalizing youth football training in Vietnam.

The platform is already there

Vietnamese youth football has recently achieved many great achievements, the national U17, U19, U21 and U23 teams have regularly reached the Asian finals, many young players have played in the V-League and the national team when they were only 18-19 years old. The success of U23 Vietnam in Southeast Asia or continental tournaments is a clear proof of the "sweet fruit" from the youth training system.

However, many V-League clubs still focus on achievements so they do not dare to take risks and give young players the opportunity to compete. This is also the reason why many players who have reached adulthood are not appreciated locally, and have to find a new "destination" to compete and demonstrate their abilities.

Many training centers also compete for short-term achievements in youth tournaments instead of prioritizing long-term personal development. Facilities at First and Second Division clubs are still poor. Young coaches lack opportunities to update their international knowledge. In particular, there is no unified national standard for youth training, leading to a situation of "everyone doing their own thing" and a lack of connection between academies and the Vietnam Football Federation.

Bước ngoặt đào tạo bóng đá trẻ (*): Giấc mơ vươn tầm đã rất gần - Ảnh 1. — Vietnamese football will have more talented young players when the FIFA Football Academy in Vietnam comes into operation. Photo: VFF

A young player in Vietnam usually goes through 3 stages of development. The selection stage (U9-U13) takes place through youth tournaments, summer camps or local satellite systems. Talented players are brought to the center for long-term study.

The basic training phase (U13-U15) focuses on training techniques, physical strength, tactical thinking and sports culture. Players study culture while training, and are supervised in nutrition and competition psychology - a model that PVF, HAGL - Arsenal JMG and Viettel have implemented quite systematically.

The specialization stage (U16-U19) is a stepping stone to professional football. Players are divided by position, participate in national youth tournaments and, if they meet the requirements, are promoted to the U21 team or the first team. Some centers also send players to Europe, Japan or Korea for practical experience.

From a professional perspective, many Vietnamese youth football training centers have begun to apply international training standards, such as JMG or PVF, using video analysis technology and physical data to monitor player progress... However, the difference in facilities and training methods between centers is still a big problem. Not all places have enough funding, standard training programs, or internationally certified coaching staff. In the past, many famous clubs in the V-League did not meet the AFC's youth training criteria for Class A.

Realize the goal

According to football expert Doan Minh Xuong, producing professional players who meet modern football standards requires a long-term plan and a clear process. "We must overcome the situation where many training centers skip the training and orientation steps for players from the gifted generation. Skipping steps causes young players to not receive proper nutrition, leading to slow physical development and being at a disadvantage compared to their peers..." - Mr. Doan Minh Xuong analyzed.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino affirmed that he always appreciates and supports the development of Vietnamese football. Mr. Infantino commented that in recent times, Vietnamese football has made many positive steps forward, Vietnamese football players are increasingly improving both physically and technically. Mr. Infantino wishes to build a FIFA Football Academy in Vietnam, thereby contributing to further improving the capacity of Vietnamese football.

When the FIFA Football Academy project in Vietnam comes into operation, it will not only have the function of training players, but also be a training center for coaches, biomedical experts, and sports managers according to global standards. Vietnam can become a "regional training station" for Southeast Asia, with access to the world's leading resources, curriculum, and experts.

Furthermore, FIFA’s direct participation will encourage VFF and domestic clubs to unify training frameworks, share data, and apply a youth player evaluation system according to international standards. That is the premise for Vietnam to get closer to the goal of participating in the World Cup in the future.

Regarding FIFA's support for VFF in youth training, expert Doan Minh Xuong said: "The opportunity is clear, but success will only come if Vietnam takes advantage of it properly. The State, businesses and clubs need to invest long-term, prioritize education along with sports and most importantly, build a national strategy for youth football training."

According to experts, when domestic youth football training centers operate synchronously and are supported by FIFA Academy standards, Vietnamese football can completely dream of producing "real stars" of continental stature.

Insiders believe that the emergence of the FIFA Academy is not only a symbol of international cooperation, but also the beginning of an era of professionalization of Vietnamese youth training. It is the only way to make the dream of Vietnamese football reaching the world level come true.

(*) See Lao Dong Newspaper from the issue dated October 29