– For a small boy, it is not easy to deal with disappointments. Not being selected and not getting playing time can be difficult. Vetle Walle Egeli noted early on as a talented soccer player when he was 13 years old. He was selected for the circuit team, but was chosen away when it came to the talent camp, G15 and G16 national teams. The reason was that he was small in stature. LOW: Vetle Walle Egeli (first row on the left) experienced his teammates growing on him at the age of 13. Photo: Privat Many talents may have fallen by the wayside. It became demanding to assert oneself on the field among boys who were two heads taller than himself. – It was a bit difficult for me, but at the same time I knew that if I worked hard I would one day catch them. Egeli noticed that many boys in the same situation as himself gave up football. WORKED HARD: Vetle Walle Egeli never gave up on his dream of a football career. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Can’t separate young footballers You can’t separate players who are 13–15 years old, Espen Dokken Kirknes believes. He is now head of the development department in the Norwegian Football Association Vestfold, but previously he worked as a game developer for 25 years. PLAYER DEVELOPER FOR 25 YEARS: Espen Dokken Kirknes has himself been involved in selecting late-maturing talents. Now he is looking forward to putting the NFF’s measures into practice to bring in all the talents, not just those who grow first. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news He himself has been involved in selecting young talents such as Vetle. – I feel for everyone who has been like Vetle in body and size, but who has fallen away. It was almost like if you weren’t born between January and April, then the age-specific national team wasn’t for you. AFTERWARDS: Espen Dokken Kirknes in NFF Vestfold thinks back with horror at all the late-developed talents that Norwegian football may have lost. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news This did not stop Vetle, he has always stuck to his dream. – I had decided very early on. No matter what happens, I’m going to be a footballer. Late puberty crushes many dreams The Norwegian Football Association is now starting the talent project “Growth and maturation” to prevent this from happening. The goal is for more players who develop more slowly physically than others to be seen and taken care of. In the project, they look at how puberty affects boys and girls, and what opportunities they have to be selected for different teams. MUST TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE: The NFF is concerned that those who are physically developed early should not feel that it is suddenly negative. The NFF must also become even better at preparing them for the period when the physical differences are evened out, says Brantsæter. Photo: Norwegian Football Association Important to keep dreams alive One of the initiatives the NFF is running is Future Teams. These are age-specific national teams for players with late physical development. Head of Talent ID in the NFF, Thomas Brantsæter says this will help players with great potential to become as good, perhaps even better, than players who have developed early. – We have to convey that: “We see you. You may be lagging a little behind physically now, but it will even out. We have faith in you.” It is an important recognition to give them, says Brantsæter. He believes it is important to send the right signals so that young talents can endure the highly variable physical development during adolescence. Is ready for what needs to be done It’s about cultural change, says Kirknes in NFF Vestfold. – It must happen at club and coach level, because that is where the decisions are made. Those who are considered the best, preferably those who are developed early, they get to play the most, he says. He believes the clubs must roll more on the players so that everyone gets a lot of playing time and take care of the young players during a mentally challenging period. At the same time, the circle will create arenas for the talents that have been developed late. REACHED THE GOAL: After several years of hard work, Vetle Walle Egeli was finally able to play with the Norwegian flag on his chest. Photo: NFF Vestfold For Vetle, patience has paid off. As a 17-year-old, he was selected for the age-restricted national team and the same year he signed with Sandefjord Fotball. Now he can claim to be both an elite series player and a national team player. But Vetle is not done setting goals. CAPTAIN: On the G18 national team, Vetle Walle Egeli was captain of the team. Photo: Fotball.no – The big goal is to play in the Premier League. By working hard, persevering and doing absolutely everything you can, anything is possible. And that’s exactly what Vetle knows all about. Hello! Thanks for reading. Do you have tips or input for this matter or other things we should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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– Can’t separate 13-year-olds – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
