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The Wellington Phoenix is the only professional football club in New Zealand. Today on the show we explore the academy system in charge of developing their elite players of tomorrow.

To better understand the club’s processes – and how they get the balance right between striving for success and looking after the young people at the heart of it – I sat down with Phoenix Academy Director, Paul Temple (@paultemplecoach).

Paul Temple is an UEFA A license coach and has been working in football for over 20 years. In addition to leading the Academy at the Phoenix, he also works for New Zealand Football as the Men’s U20 Assistant National Team Coach.

I’ve known Paul since we met as part of the New Zealand U17 Women’s Team staff back in 2011. I love the way he thinks about development, both from a strategic point of view, and how he rolls it out on the grass in practice. In this conversation, I wanted to understand Paul’s core values – both personally and as a professional – and how he uses them to drive behaviour. I think this comes through very clearly.

We also talk about the importance of a growth mindset, the intersection between the ex-pro and the career coach and how Paul brings the two together, how they recruit young players at the Phoenix, the key ingredients for successful long-term player development, Ted Lasso, and much more.

This conversation really challenged my thinking about creating developmental environments and I think it will do the same for you.

Enjoy!

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