Simon Clifford
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Simon Darcy Clifford is an English football coach and businessman known for introducing Brazilian training techniques into the UK.
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[edit] Man on a mission
Once back in England, Clifford blended his academic knowledge of coaching and his experience as a teacher to develop his own coaching programme. In 1998, he started a Brazilian-style soccer school for youngsters in Leeds, teaching Brazilian skills as well as introducing his students to futebol de salão, unheard of in Europe at the time.
Clifford set out to train his first batch of young footballers with his new methods, with a notably different philosophy, preferring to concentrate on improving ball skills and close control instead of the traditional emphisis on fitness and physical strength. He has since expanded his "Brazilian Soccer Schools" school franchise to other regions and countries, even expanding overseas to the likes of Hong Kong.
Clifford is regarded in the football industry, however, he failed to emerge onto the professional scene after being recruited by Sir Clive Woodward in December 2004, to become his assistance coach at Southampton Town FC. After falling out with the coaching establishment there he returned to his own non-league club, Garforth Town FC, as manager.
In 2003 Clifford purchased the Northern Counties East Football League First Division club Garforth Town. At the time of the purchase Clifford expressed the desire to take the club, then at the tenth level of the football pyramid, into the FA Premier League within twenty years. So far the club have only gained one promotion under Clifford's stewardship. However, Clifford has managed to attract a number of his high profile friends to play for the team including: Lee Sharpe, Sócrates and Careca.
In 2003 Clifford also introduced his pre-school coaching programme SOCATOTS, the first such programme in the world to teach basic ball skills, movement and co-ordination exercises to children from as young as six months old. The programme also teaches language, numeracy and colour identification and the children attend with their parents who are an integral part of the classes. This programme, like Clifford's Brazilian Soccer Schools is also a franchise and is running throughout the UK as well as internationally in places such as Holland, Canada and Singapore.
[edit] Noted graduates
The following noted players have all graduated from Simon Clifford's BSS system:
- Micah Richards, Manchester City, England
- Theo Walcott, Southampton, Arsenal, England
- Jason St Juste, Darlington, Southampton, Garforth Town
- Nick Riley, Celtic
- Oliver Hotchkiss, Leeds United U-19's
- Seb Muddel, Norwich City U-18's
[edit] Trivia
- Clifford has worked in film as well. He worked as Technical Coach for the two lead actresses of Bend It Like Beckham, Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra.
