English Schools' Football Association

Andy Williams with Shield

esfa.co.uk once again, caught up with England Under 18 Schools’ Football Team manager, Andy Williams, following on from the Centenary Shield success against Republic of Ireland at Brighton & Hove Albion. The match was Andy’s last as England Schoolboys’ Team Manager:

“During my tenure both as Assistant, and later as Manager, I always tried to set a standard for my players by being passionate, sharing what I know about football, paying attention to detail, and by being a good person. I hope that the environment we created as a management team has helped these young menrecognise and understand how to create a team mentality with a sense of belonging and astrong work ethic. Whether we achieved that aim I don't know, all I know is that the Class of 2012 delivered with flying colours.

Followers of our organisation will be delighted to hear that our international team carried the ESFA banner with the greatest of honour this year. To an individual they were outstanding, collectively moreso. Their humility, respect, responsibility and standard of performance were consistently of the highest order. I congratulate and thank them all. None of this would have been possible without the magnificent support I received from the management team of Andy Buckingham, Shaun Hemming, Dave Burns and Arthur Tabor - tributes to each of them. Wecould notdo any of our work without the ESFA staff who worked diligently on our behalf and our sponsors who kindly and generously supported us again - we never underestimate their contribution.

When playing representative football at any level especially with the international team, there is just not the time to work on the technical and tactical issues you would when you are with a club side. The emphasis has to be on enjoyment and the small things that can make a big difference. We know how determined our opponents are to beat us, so one key element of that is creating a sense of belonging for all of the players. I am fortunate that I have known each of the members of staff individually for a very long time; we have become very good friends. Each of us has a different personality, but collectively our aim is to help the boys settle into the squad and find their feet quickly. This season we spent a lot of time getting around all of the players individually and gauging their mood. This not only gave us the opportunity to learn a lot about them as individuals, but it also allowed us to highlight issues early on and to talk about them openly. All footballers, especially younger ones, are very sensitive; they are prone to worrying about the slightest things; these boys were the same, but the difference was they were both intelligent and receptive. We talked openly and honestly in an attempt to remove any nerves or stress, helping them focus on what they do best - namely play football.

So, the concluding chapter is now written, our history is etched amongst the greats. I shall recall my memories with a smile and retell stories with fondness. ESFA I shall miss you old dear - YNWA.”

www.esfa.co.uk/international for more