Developing players takes more than running good training sessions. Clubs need a clear plan for how players learn, improve and move from the academy to the first team. Coaches also need to know whether that plan is being put into practice.
Athlete development software can record sessions, goals and feedback. But recording activity is only part of the job. Coaches also need to see which parts of the development plan have been delivered and what still needs work.
Spreadsheets and separate tools can make this harder:
- Information sits in different places. Coaching, medical and performance staff may have different records for the same player. That makes it harder to see the full picture.
- Long-term decisions are harder. Without a record of progress over time, decisions to keep or release players may rely too much on recent form.
- Development differs across squads. When age groups follow different plans, it is harder to prepare players for the first team.
- Coach support gets missed. Without a shared view of sessions, academy leaders may not see where coaches need support.
- Player progress is harder to judge. Without a clear view of development, staff may miss when a player is ready to move up or needs more help.
Kitman Labs’ Coaching & Development Solution in iP: Intelligence Platform connects the club’s curriculum, what coaches deliver in sessions, and how players are progressing. Staff can see what has been covered and what needs attention.
Development Principles & Curriculum
Every club has a way it wants to play and develop players. The Coaching & Development Solution helps clubs turn that approach into a shared curriculum, based on their playing principles and the type of player they want to develop.
How It Adds Value
Coaches across age groups can plan around the same development goals, from the youngest academy squads through to the first team.
The Result
A clear development path as players move between age groups, with progress reviewed against the club’s goals.
Growth & Maturation: Tracking Physical Development
Young players grow and develop at different rates. The Coaching & Development Solution helps staff track physical growth and review estimates of a player’s stage of development, based on validated calculations.
How It Adds Value
Staff can review growth alongside performance data when planning training and making development decisions. This helps them look beyond a young player’s current size or strength.
The Result
Training plans and development decisions that take each player’s stage of growth into account.
Session Planning and Delivery
The Coaching & Development Solution brings session planning, game information and player participation into one system. Coaches can use a shared drill library, record what was delivered and review what happened in games.
How It Adds Value
Coaches can compare what they planned with what the squad completed. When available, GPS and game data can add more detail to those reviews.
The Result
A clearer link between the training plan and what coaches actually deliver week to week.
Player Assessments and Development Plans
Individual development plans in the Coaching & Development Solution track progress in technical and tactical skills, as well as mental and social development. Staff can record assessments, test results and feedback to build a fuller picture of each player.
How It Adds Value
Coaches can review test results alongside what they observe in training and games. They can identify strengths, areas to improve and next steps in one shared plan.
The Result
Clear development goals that coaches can discuss with players and parents, with a record of progress over time.
Participation and Player Status
Participation tracking shows when players are available and how much they take part in training and games. Status updates and alerts help staff notice changes in availability and workload.
How It Adds Value
Staff can see when a player moves to modified work or becomes unavailable, rather than finding out at the session. Plans can be adjusted around the squad that is actually training.
The Result
A current view of who is available and who is on modified work, so the next session is planned around the squad the coach actually has.
Reviewing Development in My iP
Setting a curriculum is one part of the job. Checking what coaches actually delivered is another. My iP, the Reporting & Visualizations experience in iP: Intelligence Platform, gives staff dashboards using information already recorded in Coaching & Development.
How It Adds Value
The Session & Curriculum Dashboard brings curriculum coverage, delivered sessions and game participation into one view. Staff can filter by squad, time period or player to see which principles, activities and drills have been covered. They can also spot gaps while there is still time to adjust the plan.
It is the first My iP dashboard template for the Coaching & Development Solution. Staff with Creator access can copy and adapt it to fit the academy’s curriculum, playing principles and terminology, then share it with coaches and academy leaders.
The dashboard shows what was delivered. It does not measure session quality or rank coaches.
The Result
A Head of Coaching can review what each squad delivered without asking every team for a separate report. They can spot gaps early enough to adjust the plan.
Game Planning and Review
The Coaching & Development Solution helps staff plan and review games. They can look at team lineups, minutes played by position, formations and player contributions to see what happened in each game.
How It Adds Value
Staff can see how game time is spread across the squad and by position, not only who started. That shows whether a player is getting the minutes their development plan needs.
The Result
A record of how game time was used, so selection and development decisions line up.
Why Choose Coaching & Development?
Kitman Labs’ Coaching & Development Solution helps coaches, clubs and leagues:
- Build a development pathway: Give squads a shared set of development goals, from the academy to the first team.
- Connect training and games: Use game reviews to plan sessions around how the team plays and what players need to improve.
- Keep player information together: Give coaching, medical and performance staff access to the information they need in iP.
- Respond to changes: See when a player’s availability or status changes, rather than finding out afterwards.
- Review progress over time: Use assessments, training records and reports to see how players are developing.
Want to see how it works? Contact us to learn more.
