Welcome to the Simply Sport Management blog

Late Developers

Hello everyone, welcome to the first ever Simply Sport Management blog entry, hopefully this will be one of many over the coming years.

Our aim with this blog is to give those in our management team a relaxed, open platform where we can share our musings on the industry and anything else that comes to mind. We hope it provides readers with an insight into the way we operate, the way we think and, in general, make for an interesting read.

Today I want to talk about football players who develop at a much later age than others – otherwise known as 'late developers'.

It comes to mind because of the success of Tomer Hemed, who played for Maccabi Haifa last season and is now in Spain with Real Mallorca.

A real professional

I met Tomer near Haifa, Israel in October 2010 as a result of my scout there saying that he felt Tomer had all the attributes to play in Europe. This despite the fact Maccabi Haifa had loaned him out for three consecutive seasons and he was rarely involved in the first team at 23.

On meeting Tomer, I knew I had met a real professional who recognised in himself a need to change. By change, I mean a change in his fitness regime and mindset.

I learnt from Tomer that he was beginning to use a psychologist and he was challenging himself mentally – he was assessing his own performance and setting objectives for the next game he was involved in. What I could see was a new-found mental strength, something that was probably always in him but he accessed it at a later stage than some other footballers.

Results of his hard work

We agreed to representation and the only advice I gave him was to avoid going on loan again and to stick at breaking into the first team – even if it meant less game time overall. He did and he finished top scorer to help Maccabi Haifa win the league.

I know Israel is seen as a small league internationally and that even if he scored dozens of goals for a smaller league side it wouldn’t be effectively recognised by good clubs in Europe – even if it should be.

Changes lead to success

In March 2011 a leading former Scottish international and ex-Premier League player told me that Tomer was a classic case of a 'late developer'.

Late development can occur in different ways; in some it may just be psychological, in others it may be physical. What Tomer's story over the past year and a half demonstrates is that even as a professional, late development can occur. However, if you’re prepared to make fundamental changes and accept support you can still achieve your goals.

Support when you need it

Of interest to our clients is that they too can have access to exactly the same psychologist and personal performance analysts that Tomer did when he decided to make that change.

At Simply Sport Management we also ensure any scholars or young professionals who are represented by us and are released by their clubs are given our full support in finding the next, right club.

It may well be a semi-professional team or a lower league team but I believe our help during this pivotal moment in their careers may result in one or two developing late and making a push for a full and long professional career.