David John Williams, president of TT Pro League club W Connection, has offered his views on the best trajectory emerging footballers can take in their quest to turn Pro, and its starts with their willingness to be a student of the game.
Delivering the feature address at Friday’s Secondary School Football League 2014 season held at Digicel IMAX at One Woodbrook Place, Woodbrook, John Williams made it clear possessing natural talent, while nurturing ignorance about the rules of engagement would swiftly derail all professional pursuit in the sport.
He said the road to attaining the rank of professional footballer required the dreamer to: be realistic citing football was extremely competitive; be exceptional; be in great shape; be aware of what football scouts looked for; and commit to playing football through graduated levels and be prepared for hard work.
“Even though you should already be showing top dedication and excellent performance during games, it is helpful to know what scouts look out for when they’re scouting for top talent in football. After all, they might appear at any time to check out your team. Basically, a scout will watch your entire attitude, not just you ball play, which means that you will be watched for character as much as talent,” he said.
John Williams added, “You have to be prepared for hard world, and be patient. Being the best comes at the price of dedicated hard work, but if your single focus is to be a professional soccer player, this hard work is essential. Aiming for the professional level also takes time–being able to accept that turning professional is a gradual process during, which you continue to learn–to build your technical skills, soccer knowledge and importantly, making good contacts with other people.”
The W Connection official related that during his time on the field he had to continuously examine his skills set. To achieve this he had to know what position his ability was best suited, while understanding his role as a team player and not an individual.
“Your fitness levels matter in football. Work on your fitness by exercising regularly, eating healthy and avoiding substances that can impair your performance, such as alcohol and drugs. Get enough sleep at night. It is also important to learn how to try and stay injury free–this includes learning how to play well and how to keep good physical shape generally, through stretching and exercising, so that you don’t suffer from non-contact injuries,” said John Williams.
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