– This is what I usually show. Do you understand what it is supposed to illustrate? Håkon Grøttland, head of coach and player development in the NFF, wonders if news’s emissary is able to interpret the meaning behind the picture he has found on the powerpoint where we are sitting in a lodge at the Ullevaal stadium. We are guilty of an answer, but among the 15,000 lines, Grøttland points out, there is only one red. This red line, surrounded by 14,999 black ones, should illustrate and remind how few in each age group actually break through and become A national team players. According to Grøttland, all statistics show that only 1-3 out of 15,000 players in each cohort end up with the flag on their chest at A level. – More important than creating top players That knowledge helps to a greater extent than before to lay down guidelines for how the football association will work with talent development in the years to come. – We want as many people as possible to enjoy football, it is more important for the NFF than creating top players, Grøttland states. The idea is: If you manage to get more people to like football, then the rest will likely follow. Håkon Grøttland is clear on what the NFF will emphasize in the work on talent development going forward. Photo: Dag Robert Johansen / news When news’s journalist interviewed Grøttland several years ago, when both Norwegian club teams and the men’s national team were struggling to get results, the talent manager was confident. “Just wait and see in a few years, then our measures will have worked”, he stated at the time. Today, everything looks so much brighter on the men’s side. Norwegian teams, led by Bodø/Glimt, are doing well in Europe. The Norwegian A national team leads the group in the National League and steers towards promotion to level A and better seeding when the EC qualifying groups are drawn in Frankfurt on 9 October. Not only that, but Norway has also got perhaps the world’s hottest footballer in Erling Braut Haaland, and Norway’s national team captain Martin Ødegaard is also captain of Premier League leader Arsenal. – Now things are starting to happen At the same time, all reports say that Norway is in the process of bringing out new ones in super talents such as Antonio Nusa (17), Kristian Arnstad (19), Oscar Bobb (19), Isak Hansen–Aarøen (18) and Andreas Schjelderup (18). – It is very motivating and fun to see that things are now starting to happen, and that we are starting to get paid for a job that has been put in by many people over several years. There was a lot of negativity and howling and screaming a few years ago, when the A national team did badly. There was no way around the kind of changes we had to make in children’s and youth football and player development. Some of it was correct, but we had started things that we were quite confident would work, says Grøttland today. What do you think about the future of Norwegian football? It looks very bright. I think it will be pretty much the same as today. I think it’s heading for darker years. Show result Now he is concerned that the progress should continue. But there is something that worries the talent manager. He believes that Norwegian top clubs, which in recent years have invested significant amounts in player development and contributed to progress in that way, get too little in return for it financially. The five news listed earlier, Nusa, Arnstad, Bobb, Hansen–Aarøen and Schjelderup, are all examples of the topics that give the NFF headaches these days. – There are very good footballers. There are also players who retired early, before they rounded the Eliteserien, Grøttland asserts. Nusa (now in Club Brugge), with his 11 games for Stabæk, is the only one of these with games in the Eliteserien. – They must be left with something From a purely sporting point of view, Grøttland does not think that these players have suffered anything from leaving early, but the clubs are suffering, he believes. – Norwegian football is now being worked on so well, and great resources are being spent on development, that our clubs must be left with something in order for us to continue developing. Now too many kroner and øre are disappearing from Norwegian football, warns Grøttland. He believes that the optimal thing is for young Norwegian players to be in Norway and play at the highest level, you get the chance to do that early in this country, and complete this level before you leave. – Then these players get senior experience before they go out, and they are brought to a club that really wants you and wants to pay for you. It will also mean that the clubs in Norway are left with money in a completely different order of magnitude than if the players leave when they are 15-16, says Grøttland. – Have too few match winners Another concern for the talent manager right now is what you can see from news’s list of super talents above. All five mentioned are offensive players. It is a topic that is also in the NFF’s consciousness, Grøttland asserts. – We have identified some things we have to take action on. Something is speed and frequency, we need to get more players with greater speed in their legs in Norwegian football. We are also working on what happens in both boxes, we have too few match winners offensively and defensively. The reason for that is very simple, we haven’t practiced it enough, because many people have been working on midfield exercises for many years. Yes, we have a Haaland and a Hegerberg, but we have to bring in more strikers, stoppers and goalkeepers, he believes. National team manager Ståle Solbakken is also concerned about this. In news’s directed conversation between Solbakken and Åge Hareide, the national team manager warned against precisely that part of Norwegian talent development. – I think we develop too few defenders in Norway. And we develop for equal players going forward on the pitch. I am criticized in Norway for fussing about the artificial grass, but we must have defenders who tackle, duel and want to defend. You get that on grass, said Solbakken. Håkon Grøttland and the NFF have not always received full declarations of confidence from the Norwegian people. But public opinion is about to turn in step with the rise in Norwegian football. Photo: Egil Sande / news Grøttland describes Norway as “a very special country in terms of football” with large geographical distances and very different development environments depending on where you live. Therefore, when he, together with a number of other wise football supporters, is to develop the NFF’s plan for talent development, he has been careful about how to solve this task. – A large part of the success formula According to Grøttland himself, they have managed to cultivate a unique player development model in a European context. And it is in particular the interaction between the top and broad clubs in Norway that he believes is unique. – There is no one else who feels like that, with that interaction and recognition of each other, says the NFF boss. He believes that most other countries have a much clearer distinction between top and width than is the case in Norway. – The top clubs are working there, while the wider clubs are buzzing and going for themselves. That is the standard in Europe, but we have achieved close cooperation, and we are proud of that. I think that is a large part of the success formula, says Grøttland. Photo: NFF That formula for success is being noticed. In 2021, the NFF received an award from UEFA as the “most successful nation” of all age-specific national teams on the boys’ side after Norway, in the period 2016–2019, went from 29th place to 10th place in Europe. It happened after Norway, with various U-national teams, made it to four European Championships and one World Cup play-off. Grøttland believes that there are three specific measures in particular that have really borne fruit: The top clubs invest in player developers – We have to give great credit to the top clubs and the resources they have spent on this in recent years. Today, there are a three-figure number of coaches in Norway who work with player development in the top clubs. Young and promising players today have a completely different offer than they would have had just a few years ago. Continuation of the national team school – The national team school, the curriculum and the model that underlies it will ensure that we meet everyone, regardless of your gender or postal address. You are seen and receive follow-up from the football association from the age of 12. It has had an effect. Photo: NFF Focus on wide football – We have had a major focus on wide football. It is about building a club, the introduction of the Quality Club and more training for coaches in grassroots football. – Are you taking any new and concrete steps to continue the progress, or have you found your model and are stuck with it? – We have found the model and framework, but see that we still have a lot of potential for improvement when it comes to quality in the various stages of development and the various age segments. Among other things, we now see in children’s football that we have to “push on” a bit. We must ensure that there are more better training sessions in children’s football, today there are too many bad sessions, he states. Håkon Grøttland believes the Norwegian model is unique in Europe. Photo: Egil Sande / news What pleases the NFF today is that Norwegian players go up the trail and show the way for those who come from below. Grøttland believes that one must not forget what lies in the power of example. Guarantees a lot of fun with the A national team He reminds that it is not many years since it was talked about that Norway had almost no players in the top five leagues. – Now one comes after the other. It gives an insane belief, “guts” and motivation towards the future. And the talents who come see that it is possible, he points out. The fact that today’s Norwegian talents see that it is possible to become a loner in international football even if you are Norwegian should not be underestimated. – There is a fearlessness and confidence in the next generation that bodes very well for the future. We will have a lot of fun with the A national team in the next few years, I can simply guarantee that, says Grøttland. By the way, couldn’t you find the red line in the picture at the top? Then you can get some help here: Photo: NFF
ttn-69
The NFF boss often looks at this picture – do you see why? – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
