Italian trip proves valuable for Tom Brown
5/3/2013 3:43:00 PM | Soccer
Football coaches wanting to get an edge in their field might make a trip to visit with the New England Patriots. A trip for baseball coaches wouldn't be complete without a stop at Yankee Stadium.
For soccer coaches, the obvious destination is Europe. Sam Houston head soccer coach Tom Brown recently got the opportunity to travel to Italy to learn from some of the best clubs in the world.
As part of a program with US Soccer, Brown travelled with a group of coaches to visit Italian clubs Roma, Fiorentina AC Milan and Inter Milan as well as the Italian National Team. They spent eight days learning from some of the best organizations in the sport.
“This was a great opportunity that US Soccer organized,” Brown said. “The access to the clubs and their coaches was absolutely fantastic. It was great to be immersed in the Italian soccer culture and have the opportunity to learn and discuss issues with fellow coaches.”
As part of the trip Brown visited the training facility for the Italian National team, which has won the World Cup four times, most recently in 2006. In addition to watching a presentation from the Italian Coaching Educator, the group also observed the national team train in preparation for an international friendly against Brazil.
The visits with the clubs included interactions with the directors of the youth programs at all four clubs and observations of the youth training sessions.
Brown also listened to a presentation about the AC Milan model for collection of data concerning physical training and motor movement. He also got to meet with US Men's National team star Michael Bradley, who currently plays for AS Roma.
A European trip wouldn't be complete without getting the experience of attending a match. Brown got the chance to take in a pair of top flight Italian League matches between Roma vs. Parma as well as Siena vs. Cagliari.
