Youth Development 2023 Webinar

Des Ryan is Director of Coaching and Performance at Setanta College in Ireland and a world leader in the development of young athletes. Before joining Setanta College in May 2021 he worked for Arsenal for more than eight years, as Head of Sports Medicine and Athletic Development. In that role he played a key part of the development of several young players who are now mainstays of the Arsenal first team.

Hannah Dingley is Academy Manager at Forest Green Rovers. The UEFA Pro Licence holder is the only woman to hold this position in English football. The Category 3 Academy is one of the country's newest and is already making great strides. Hannah was Head of Academy Coaching at Burton Albion before joining FGR in July 2019.

Mathieu Lacome îs Chief Performance and Analytics Officer at Parma Calcio in Italy. Youth development is at the heart of the vision of the club's new owners, the Krause Group. Prior to Parma, Mathieu was Head of Research and Development at Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Dr Perry Walters is a visiting fellow at Bristol University and was a psychology consultant at Bristol City for several years. He is also the co-founder of IDYOMS, the Institute for Development of Young Minds in Sport. Perry was behind one of TGG's most read articles - Why understanding the teenage brain is key to coaching.

Benjamin Balkin is a former AS Monaco Academy player and has worked in scouting and talent ID roles. Three years ago he co-founded Eyeball - the first video scouting platform dedicated to elite youth football. The company now has more than 300 partner clubs in 16 countries and showcases in excess of 60,000 elite youth players.

Jack Brazil is Under-17s assistant at PSV Eindhoven. PSV are one of the most famous clubs in Holland, with a philosophy that is built on youth development and homegrown players. Jack is a UEFA A Licence coach and worked for Valerenga in Norway for three years before joining PSV in August 2021.

Andy Goldie is Academy Manager at Swansea City, where the club playing model and individual development are key across the age groups. Prior to joining the Swans last summer, Andy was Academy Manager at Dundee United for three years, overseeing a major expansion of their youth operation. Sixteen Academy graduates featured for their first team in 2021/22.

Tom Hocking is Assistant First Team Performance Analyst at Wolves. Tom has worked for the Premier League club for more than five years and previously worked in their Academy, including with their Under-18 side.

Carlos Casal Lopez is Football Programs Leader for LaLiga. He has worked for LaLiga for seven-and-a-half years and helped to formulate the National Plan for Academies across 42 clubs. This is a 10-year plan designed to take youth development in Spain to the next level.