Dutch football link forged with Cirencester (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Dutch football link forged with Cirencester

AT a time when the Football Association is considering appointing a Dutchman to manage England's national team, Cirencester Town are forging coaching links with one of Holland's biggest clubs - PSV Eindhoven.

Guus Hiddink, the favourite to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson as England manager, is currently head coach at PSV, from where Cirencester's Paul Cooper is importing coaching techniques that he believes will eventually improve the quality of local players available to The Centurions.

Fulham-supporter Paul, 48, is an FA-qualified coach who trains Cirencester Town's junior players.

He and Bert-Jan Heijmans, a Dutchman living in Durham, founded the Dutch UK Football School four years ago with the aim of producing the kind of technically superior player the Netherlands is renowned for, players such as Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Denis Bergkamp.

Paul has since regularly visited Holland to learn the techniques he applies when coaching the 200 children who attend his weekly training sessions at Cirencester Arena, adjacent to Town's Corinium Stadium.

He has watched Dutch First Division and youth games, including those involving PSV's youngsters.

On one of his visits, he delivered a seminar about English grassroots football.

Bert-Jan meanwhile arranged for a friend who coaches Dutch Second Division side, OJC Rosmaler, to help with courses run by the football school, which is independent of Cirencester Town.

OJC Rosmaler consequently signed one the school's players: Cirencester's David Godley.

The school has also sent English coaches on courses in Holland.

Bert-Jan has several times welcomed PSV representatives to his youth club in Durham and is doing a coaching course at the giant club.

Paul and Bert-Jan have also worked with English Premiership club, Bolton Wanderers.

Paul said PSV coaches would eventually visit Cirencester.

He said: "It's very early days but we do hope to get coaches over from PSV at a later date."

The coaching sessions Paul holds at the Arena from 9am to noon every Saturday are split into two age groups: four-to-eight and nine-10.

Paul also trains under-11, under-12, under-13 and under-18 players there during the week.

Parents who help Paul have obtained FA-coaching qualification, enabling him to provide one coach for every five or six children.

Each child gets a ball and are encouraged to find their own solutions to situations.

They also play matches focusing on dribbling, shooting and other skills. Originally from Devon, Paul's sales work brought him to Cirencester 20 years ago.

Given a passion for football by playing street-soccer as a boy, Paul has worked part-time for Cirencester Town since successfully applying for a coaching position advertised in the Standard 12 years ago.

Becoming disillusioned with England's antiquated coaching system, he chose the Dutch model instead.

Paul said: " I was a bit unhappy with the structure in England.

"We had a lot of good, raw talent but I didn't think the courses the FA put on addressed the question of technique.

"I found that adults had taken over the children's game.

"The emphasis was on winning. It was like a mini-Premiership for little tots. What we've tried to create is a culture of fun, all based on development and education. That's really where the Dutch thing comes in: they've been doing it for years.

"What we're trying to do here is build a pyramid, at the bottom of which will be the juniors and the top will be the first team.

"In the UK and England, the commitment and the passion is fantastic.

"Combine that with the education and development in Holland and you have a real winner because the raw talent in England is far better than in Holland."