Flamengo has victories in the youth team and improves integration with professionals
Director Carlos Noval highlights work focused on quality
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
From the all-conquering generation of the 1980s, to the São Paulo Junior Cup champions in 1990, to the 2011 champions of the same competition, many Flamengo players have emerged on the pitch over the years. The club's Football Department is working to make this increasingly common. And the results begin with the victories. On Tuesday (September 03.09), Flamengo was crowned Champion of the Brazil-Japan Friendship Cup for under-15 football. After defeating Corinthians 5-0 in the final, the team led by coach José Ricardo demonstrated that the renewal that has been taking place within the Flamengo youth academy in recent years will bear much fruit.
Carlos Noval, Director of the Mais Querido youth teams, assured that the main focus of this overhaul is its qualitative, not quantitative, nature. "When we arrived here in 2010, we focused heavily on revamping the 1998, 1999, and 2000 teams. We revamped everything, and now we're reaping the rewards. We have a working methodology for each category. Each year of growth is a year of learning, as we incorporate more information into them. We've adopted a more rigorous quality approach so that our athletes can progress well through the Mirim, Infantil, and Juvenil categories, allowing them to reach the Juniors and, consequently, the professional teams, fully prepared," said Noval.
Flamengo's youth teams are truly experiencing a promising period. In the second round of the Rio de Janeiro Children's and Youth Championships, the club is leading both. In the Metropolitan Tournament, which is still in its first matches, Flamengo has played twice and won both. Furthermore, in the Guilherme Embry Tournament, for the under-16s, the club is also leading after a comeback victory over Fluminense, 3-1.
When dealing with such young players, seriousness and care for their image and mindset are essential, so that external factors don't influence their development and the youngsters advance in their careers. "Making our athletes complete all stages of their careers and combating these external adversities are our main goals. Sometimes a player is very good and we have to let things flow, but ideally, they should progress through all the categories before reaching the professional level. We strive every day to maintain the vision of what Flamengo truly produces in-house and to have, with increasing consistency, more athletes from the youth academy joining the first team," said the Director.
Given the circumstances, Carlos Noval affirms that this development would have been impossible without the support of other departments within the club. "To work with such young athletes, psychological supervision is absolutely necessary. Sports psychology, as a whole, is fundamental, let alone at the grassroots level. The educational department, the nutritionist... Everyone is essential. Today, Flamengo has a great structure in this regard, which facilitates our work," he concluded.
Carlos Noval, Director of the Mais Querido youth teams, assured that the main focus of this overhaul is its qualitative, not quantitative, nature. "When we arrived here in 2010, we focused heavily on revamping the 1998, 1999, and 2000 teams. We revamped everything, and now we're reaping the rewards. We have a working methodology for each category. Each year of growth is a year of learning, as we incorporate more information into them. We've adopted a more rigorous quality approach so that our athletes can progress well through the Mirim, Infantil, and Juvenil categories, allowing them to reach the Juniors and, consequently, the professional teams, fully prepared," said Noval.
Flamengo's youth teams are truly experiencing a promising period. In the second round of the Rio de Janeiro Children's and Youth Championships, the club is leading both. In the Metropolitan Tournament, which is still in its first matches, Flamengo has played twice and won both. Furthermore, in the Guilherme Embry Tournament, for the under-16s, the club is also leading after a comeback victory over Fluminense, 3-1.
When dealing with such young players, seriousness and care for their image and mindset are essential, so that external factors don't influence their development and the youngsters advance in their careers. "Making our athletes complete all stages of their careers and combating these external adversities are our main goals. Sometimes a player is very good and we have to let things flow, but ideally, they should progress through all the categories before reaching the professional level. We strive every day to maintain the vision of what Flamengo truly produces in-house and to have, with increasing consistency, more athletes from the youth academy joining the first team," said the Director.
Given the circumstances, Carlos Noval affirms that this development would have been impossible without the support of other departments within the club. "To work with such young athletes, psychological supervision is absolutely necessary. Sports psychology, as a whole, is fundamental, let alone at the grassroots level. The educational department, the nutritionist... Everyone is essential. Today, Flamengo has a great structure in this regard, which facilitates our work," he concluded.