VÅLERENGA U16 HEAD COACH &
HEAD OF PERSONAL AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

In addition to my leadership role on the pitch I was also in charge of the Personal and Cognitive Development Program, which was designed to support players with the mental and social demands of elite sports participation. In my first season we won the National Cup as well as finished second in the National League losing only by goal average. Most importantly, all the players that were under my management in 2019 continued their participation in the club the following season; results that validated my approach to individual player development and allowed players to compete at the highest levels of their age groups.

When I relocated to Norway in May of 2017, I quickly recognized an opportunity to apply the knowledge and methodologies I had been refining in my previous positions. My involvement began with various grassroots activities such as sessions in local schools and assisting with “social” teams of different age groups. Very quickly the club took notice of my high work ethic and commitment to player development, leading to an invitation from academy director Thomas Hasselgren to get involved with the elite sector of the club. Here, I worked alongside David Ribeiro, head coach of the U14 Elite team at that moment and former coach at the renowned Benfica Academy in Portugal, assisting in daily administrative operations as well as with the planning and delivering of the sessions. Again, showing great passion for the profession and positive rapport with the athletes, I accepted an offer to work as head coach of the U12 group the following year.

Excited with the new opportunity and energized by an eager and talented group of young players, I started directly affecting the development of the academy’s youngest group. The season was a great success, made evident by the improvement the U12 players showed throughout the year. In addition, I was having a positive impact on the U16 group which I was assisting. It was also during this season that I, alongside head first team psychologist Mette Rosseland, started developing a program to support players with the psychological and social aspects of life on and off the pitch. The initiative consisted of developing a holistic approach to player development. Our goal being to effectively deliver technical and tactical feedback alongside life skills and cognitive training. Within one year, the Personal and Cognitive Development Program was implemented and so highly received by the club that it was integrated as an official part of Vålerenga’s training curriculum.