The battle for the most talented players raised due to the liberalisation of the player labour market and tremendous revenue streams in several national competitions. This context is stimulating the quest for professionalisation with regard to talent development. At the same time, there is a need for a European standard for profiling high quality and productive Academies.
By means of doctoral research, the Double Pass Talent Development Framework has recently been optimised by an exploration phase, a quantitative survey (85 Academy Managers from more than 35 countries) and semi-structured interviews with 20 Academy Managers. Clubs were classified as <10 million, 10-50 million, 50-100 million and >100 million euro revenue to reveal if certain standards were revenue-dependent.
The Talent Development Framework is consisting of European standards grouped into 10 overall dimensions. The framework is using different theories to come to a relevant and scientifically researched framework. You can find it below:
A first element is the inside-out perspective which refers to the resources and processes that lead to organisational effectiveness. Bringing resources (e.g. staff) together with processes (e.g. individual development) enhances the organisational capacity of a professional club.
A second element is the outside-in perspective based on the model of Porter (2008). The analysis of the professional environment gave a broad description of influencing factors on talent development in a European context. The five forces (e.g. suppliers) are indicated on the framework.
“It’s so heartening to see the turnout today from all parents, coaches and kids. Double Pass Development League has provided a fantastic platform to both boys and girls to showcase and develop their skills. I am impressed with the way the tournament has been organised professionally by Double Pass. Its brilliant for the children!“
Head Coach | Bengaluru United F.C.
"The cooperation with Double Pass was an important breakthrough and step forward in our relationship with the clubs and their academies. Double Pass is a catalyst in the Belgian Talent Development System and the project is an essential means to help the clubs to run their academies. It is a leverage for the implementation of our football development philosophy."
Technical Director Belgian Football Association & U17 National Team Coach
"We were independently audited by world renowned auditors who have worked with the EPL, MLS, Bundesliga, etc. and achieved a score of 88% which was the highest in the country and significantly above the European average where the percentage is in the mid 60’s. This was a fantastic achievement, which we wouldn’t have been close to achieving 5 years ago, but every day we push on and we look to get better again."
Head of Academy Rangers FC
“It was a privilege for all of us to leave our comfort zone and day-by-day operations to share our thoughts and experiences, to define and formalise our way of working and to cross check it with the international expertise of the dp consultants. After each visit we received new assignments, which were followed up closely by dp experts. The dp approach is clearly the best way to define, implement and evaluate improvements to the club and academy operations.“
Administrative Director | Sport Club Internacional
“The Double Pass project has optimised the quality of our academies and is a success story! It’s our youth academies that continuously provide talents that make the Bundesliga clubs and the National team so exciting, attractive and successful.“
COO & CEO | Bundesliga
“It was a pleasure for me to get inspired and meet the experts of Double Pass. I have been working in talent development for many years and met a lot of experts. But the meetings with Double Pass are one of the most inspiring moments in my career. I am looking forward to cooperate and get even more inspired by dp in the future.“
Academy Director | FC Copenhagen
“Double Pass is a consolidated company in world football. At Inter, we look for the evolution of the work and believe that this consultancy can give us much support to advance in many aspects of the training. We always stand out for being the leading player in terms of athletes, titles and structure. With this partnership, we are seeking to further increase our work and evolve as a training club. Double Pass’s history gives us certainty that we will have a great result with this partnership.“
Vice-President | Sport Club Internacional
“Delighted to welcome the experts from Double Pass in Tashkent. Interesting talk about Pakhtakor FC, Uzbekistan football and the importance of talent development. Our common goal is to bring Pakhtakor to the top, not only in Uzbekistan, but also in Asia. Double Pass shows us how we should progress. We are glad to take the first steps with this company. Looking forward to working on it to improve the club!“
Head Coach | Pakhtakor Tashkent FK
"The cooperation with Double Pass have brought us unprecedented growth. The Double Pass team is extremely professional and have a depth knowledge. During the whole assessment process, they set us at ease, and everybody could speak candidly."
Coach | Crossfire Premier
"Our goal is to form Pakhtakor not only as a strong team in Uzbekistan, but also in Asia. Double Pass assists us with the implementation of the Talent Development Framework to achieve this goal. We are glad that the company’s first steps in Central Asia began precisely with Pakhtakor."
Head Coach | Pakhtakor Tashkent FK
“Our partnership plays a key role in the further professionalisation of our clubs regarding their talent development system. The clear findings, benchmarks and recommendations that Double Pass proposes, are the basis for our strategic plan for the future.“
CEO | The Danish League
“Double Pass has been an excellent partner throughout the whole assessment process and I will have no hesitation in recommending the company to any other relevant sports organisation”
Performance Director Scottish FA