Simon Clifford

Simon Darcy Clifford is an English football coach, currently managing Garforth Town. He is a businessman known for introducing Brazilian training techniques into the UK.

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 and steve turner 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 England at the time. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article743050.ece]

Clifford then 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 emphasis 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. After falling out with the coaching establishment there he returned to his own non-league club, Garforth Town, 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. The club have made good progress, gaining two promotions during Clifford's three seasons as manager. Clifford has managed to attract a number of his high profile friends to play for the team including: Lee Sharpe, Sócrates and Careca. The club now plays in the new Unibond Northern league.

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.

He lauds Everton coach, Tosh Farrell as “light years ahead of anyone else”. Tosh said: Our Under 7, Under 8, Under 91, Under 10 Academy players now use Futebol de Salão in 75% of their training. Our U9’s who have used the ball for two years are one of the strongest age groups in the club.“

Noted graduates

The following noted players have all graduated from Simon Clifford's BSS system:

* Micah Richards, Manchester City, England
* Jason St Juste, Darlington, Southampton, Garforth Town
* Nick Riley, Celtic
* Oliver Hotchkiss, Leeds United
* Seb Muddel, Norwich City U-18's
* Adam Vickers, Hull City U-18's
* John Bostock, England U-16's

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. Clifford also performed the same role in the film There's Only One Jimmy Grimble with Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone as well as the more recent 'Kicking and Screaming'. He is currently working on the movie The Damned United, due for release in 2009. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/03/29/parminder_nagra_bend_it_like_beckham_interview.shtml]

External links

* [http://www.icfds.com/ Brazilian Soccer Schools]
* [http://www.garforthtown.com/content2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=50 Simon Clifford@Garforth Town AFC]
* [http://www.socatots.com/uk/main.htm SOCATOTS concept]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/combined Bend It Like Beckham at IMDB]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/326325.stm Secrets of Samba football]
* [http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200506/story/0,,1776390,00.html Ronaldinho the boy genius grows into a full-scale marvel]
* [http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport.cfm?id=1367242004 An old philosophy]
* [http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/carnegie/11980.htm Simon Clifford to launch Publication]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2957364.ece Brazilian factory where child labour enhances national pride]