Youth Academy Coordination

Coordinating a youth academy is no longer just an administrative role — it has become one of the most strategic positions in any sporting organization. The coordinator provides a unified vision for the processes carried out each season and connects technical staff, players, and management. Why this course? Athletic Club Bilbao has stayed at the elite level throughout its history with a unique philosophy: maximizing the performance of its own resources. In this program, the people behind the Lezama methodology open up the full playbook for managing and developing youth players at one of Europe's most storied academies. What you'll learn The Lezama methodology — philosophy, the Decalogue, psychological mapping, and the Garatus program for personal development. Growth strategies — annual audits, club tiering (D1/D2/D3), and the OKR system used to manage 161 partner clubs. Staff & player evaluation — self-recording, reflective diaries, and peer-to-peer feedback tools. Building an academy model from scratch — the 5C model, talent identification, and shaping club identity. International experiences & scouting — insights from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Independiente del Valle, and KAS Eupen. Technology & data management — using Airtable as a platform for player data, evaluations, and competition stats. Recruitment processes — the six-step framework: Understand, Observe, Register, Know, Decide, Negotiate. Running a professional academy — RCD Mallorca's full restructure of its youth football operation. Who's teaching Eight top-level guest speakers: methodology and development leads from Athletic Bilbao, the head of youth football at RCD Mallorca, the head of scouting at Independiente del Valle (Ecuador), and an assistant coach for the Iraq national team. Course format Approximately 14 hours of video training across 8 intensive lectures , with full transcripts and practical resources. Self-paced, fully online — learn when and where you want. Whether you're already coordinating an academy, a coach aspiring to take on academy leadership, or a director building a structure from the ground up — this course gives you a complete framework you can apply immediately to your own context.

  • Category: Football Coaching
  • Level: intermediate
  • Duration: 11 weeks
  • Price: 349 EUR

What you will learn

  • Get to know the Athletic Club youth academy model
  • Define a shared idea that helps make sporting decisions
  • Develop a methodological model for your club
  • Implement your own models from scratch
  • Design coaching education programs
  • Evaluate the performance of athletes and coaches
  • Define a relationship plan with local clubs
  • Apply implementation strategies and secure the future of your club

Who this course is for

  • Coordinators
  • Coaches and methodologists
  • Sports technicians
  • CAFyD graduates
  • Sports directors

Course content

  • Player-Centric Approach and Developing Autonomy in Football Academy Systems
    • Coach and player processes inside the Lezama academy
    • Individual objectives as the core of the methodology
    • The player as the protagonist of training and learning
    • The Methodology Department and its role in the club
    • Designing tasks: pre-training, training, post-training
    • Internal coach education and creating coexistence spaces
    • Psychological Mapping technique
    • The Garatus program: personal & social development
    • The 10 methodological principles (Decalogue)
    • Internal logic of the game and the goal
  • Managing and Developing Football Academy Systems
    • Regional context and club philosophy
    • Department structure: 25 staff managing 161 partner clubs
    • Four pillars: audit, projects, field intervention, training
    • The sporting coordinator role: professionalising it
    • Annual club audit and weighted indicators
    • Club classification: D1 / D2 / D3 tiers
    • OKR system (Objectives & Key Results)
    • Tiered field intervention by club level
    • Internal training plan: Topaquetas, 15-15, Píldoras
    • External training plan for partner clubs
  • Player-Centered Coaching and Autonomy Development in Football Academies
    • The person as the centre of the formative process
    • 8 pedagogical principles of Lezama
    • Individual objective: reflection, participation, empathy
    • Evaluation as a growth engine (not a grade)
    • Horizontal staff teams: no rank hierarchy
    • Coach competencies and 7 functions on arrival
    • Evaluation tools: post-action log, checklist, self-recording
    • Player evaluation: reflective diaries and self-edited video
    • Peer-to-peer feedback dynamics
    • Player-designed match plans and roles
  • Philosophy of Managing and Developing Players in Football Academies
    • Philosophy: "Adapt, do not improvise"
    • The academy coordinator as a multidisciplinary figure
    • Short / medium / long-term goals per age stage
    • Talent identification and recruitment
    • Day-to-day management and position rotation
    • The 5C model: Communication, Coordination, Complementarity, Confidence, Commitment
    • Building and protecting club identity
    • "Broken toys": risks of early over-professionalisation
    • Department integration: psych, medical, safeguarding, academic
    • 10 principles for applying an academy model
    • Iraq national team experience
  • Scouting Strategies and Cultural Adaptation in Football Academies
    • Career across Barça, Real Madrid, Aspire, KAS Eupen, IDV
    • The 5 pillars of a football club
    • Scouting types: pro, formative, pre-formative, female
    • Tools: big data, AI, machine learning, databases
    • Football Dreams Africa: 500,000 kids, 7 countries
    • KAS Eupen: scouting with only 2 scouts across 10+ leagues
    • Independiente del Valle: titles across all youth tiers
    • Core values: humility, sharing knowledge, mental health
    • Cultural adaptation: religion, emotion, customs
    • Agent management: open doors, never one exclusive agent
  • Digital Transformation and Data Management in Football Academies
    • Current data-management problems: Excel chaos
    • The "No Code" movement
    • Airtable: visual, collaborative database
    • Field types: number, text, select, attachments, formula, rating
    • Views: grid, gallery, calendar, form
    • Filters, groupings, hidden fields for role-specific views
    • Star-rating evaluation system (1–5)
    • Competition data: minutes, goals, participation rates
    • Table linking: the key to scaling the system
    • Pricing tiers and free-plan limits
    • Athletic Bilbao tech evolution and custom platforms
  • Talent Acquisition Strategies and Player Development Management in Football Academies
    • Step 1 — Understand (Entender): club identity, environment, budget
    • Step 2 — Observe (Observar): match volume, contexts, holistic view
    • Step 3 — Register (Registrar): reports, colour-codes, potential scoring
    • Step 4 — Know (Conocer): contract status, human side, physical profile
    • Step 5 — Decide (Decidir): internal consensus and priorities
    • Step 6 — Negotiate (Negociar): visit, present plan, design contract
    • Tools: ViSoccer Pro, Wyscout, Opta, Media Coach
    • Planning 2–3 seasons ahead
  • Rebuilding Academy Systems and Holistic Player Development
    • Starting point (2020/21): diagnosis and full restructure
    • Organisational structure and 18+ staff roles
    • Facilities and logistics across age categories
    • Scouting strategy in an island context
    • Methodology and coordination across all age groups
    • Tutor (mentor) system with individual goals
    • 2–3 week evaluation cycles with structured tools
    • Host-family system for off-island players
    • 9 core player values
    • Institutional independence from first-team results
    • Supporting departments: psych, medical, safeguarding, academic

Youth Academy Coordination