Right to Dream’s Post

Saturday’s match between Manchester’s finest underscored a pivotal moment where the underdogs had to outwork, outthink, and execute a plan against one of Europe’s top sides. Under intense scrutiny, Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag turned to two youth academy graduates, Alejandra Garnacho and Kobiee Mainoo, who delivered exceptional performances against a dominant Manchester City. Kobiee, in particular, stood out, navigating the field with the poise of a seasoned professional and earning the Man of the Match title. The credit goes to Ten Hag for his strategic introduction and management of these young talents in such a critical game. Youth development requires early engagement and a process combined with the will to keep trying. In our team, we span ages from 15 to 76, with a platform built by @Jas Dahil that fosters intergenerational engagement. The more experienced members share their knowledge with the younger ones, ensuring continuous development. For instance, @Maykhel recently mentored a graduate intern who has now moved on to other opportunities. Jas and Maykhel are managing a steady stream of talent, including Karina, a part-time marketing manager who is still studying and now overseeing two younger members. We may never fully understand Ten Hag’s methods with the academy members until he shares his insights, but Manchester United’s philosophy of integrating young players into the main team is evident. While some clubs use this approach to generate revenue by selling developed players, having a robust youth development policy goes beyond mere training. It’s about supporting their journey, which in turn keeps your company dynamic and ahead of the competition. #YouthDevelopment #TalentManagement #IntergenerationalEngagement #TeamBuilding #ContinuousImprovement #LeadershipInAction #MentorshipMatters

Roundtable - Raising resilience: Giving the younger generation a sporting chance of success “If we give youngsters the aspiration to believe, to have confidence and to understand what relationship building can do, we will supercharge them to do some incredible things.” In a recent roundtable discussion, hosted by NET alongside Newcastle Rugby Foundation and Barnard Castle School at Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club, education leaders and senior industry figures shared their thoughts and insight on the current landscape in schools and what can be done to better assess, prepare and develop young people for a rapidly changing world. In a wide-ranging discussion, which focused on building resilience and confidence in young people, there was consensus amongst the panel that the current education system, which places such importance on exam results, does little to build the character, communication, teamwork or problem-solving skills that are so highly prized by employers, nor does it provide an obvious career path for many, leaving them without the tools or the self-belief to enter the workplace. Read the full report, which set out several objectives and focused on the pioneering Futures programme delivered by Newcastle Rugby Foundation, to develop attributes and skills that cannot be sat in an exam hall, helping to better tie education with industry, and, in the words of Anthony Jackson, outgoing headmaster at Barnard Castle School, “prepare young people for a test of life, not a life of tests”: https://lnkd.in/ekWndu6Q Photography by Pawel Gajek for The Bigger Picture Agency Ltd The panel included: David and Melanie Magee - head of Newcastle Rugby Foundation John Oates - Newcastle Rugby Foundation Tony Underwood - Former England and British & Irish Lions rugby union international and Newcastle Rugby Foundation’s Rugby+ Futures programme pioneer Tony Jackson - outgoing headmaster at Barnard Castle School Chris Ord - Work and Thrive Central partnership co-ordinator David Van der Velde - programme manager at the Living Wage Foundation Kay Charlton - North East group senior partnership manager at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) John. Johnston - chief executive of Bernicia Group Alosh K Jose - founder of Cricketqube Lysa Morrison MBA - founder of LMA Training & Consultancy Carole Loader - co-founder and director of Mesma Steven Hugill and John Duns - North East Times Mark Eadle Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club Chris Cook Newcastle City Council #NET #northeasttimes #roundtable #NETevents #education #skills #employment #recruitment #resilience #confidence #makingconnections #drivingconversations

Saturday’s match between Manchester’s finest underscored a pivotal moment where the underdogs had to outwork, outthink, and execute a plan against one of Europe’s top sides. Under intense scrutiny, Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag turned to two youth academy graduates, Alejandra Garnacho and Kobiee Mainoo, who delivered exceptional performances against a dominant Manchester City. Kobiee, in particular, stood out, navigating the field with the poise of a seasoned professional and earning the Man of the Match title. The credit goes to Ten Hag for his strategic introduction and management of these young talents in such a critical game. Youth development requires early engagement and a process combined with the will to keep trying. In our team, we span ages from 15 to 76, with a platform built by @Jas Dahil that fosters intergenerational engagement. The more experienced members share their knowledge with the younger ones, ensuring continuous development. For instance, @Maykhel recently mentored a graduate intern who has now moved on to other opportunities. Jas and Maykhel are managing a steady stream of talent, including Karina, a part-time marketing manager who is still studying and now overseeing two younger members. We may never fully understand Ten Hag’s methods with the academy members until he shares his insights, but Manchester United’s philosophy of integrating young players into the main team is evident. While some clubs use this approach to generate revenue by selling developed players, having a robust youth development policy goes beyond mere training. It’s about supporting their journey, which in turn keeps your company dynamic and ahead of the competition. #YouthDevelopment #TalentManagement #IntergenerationalEngagement #TeamBuilding #ContinuousImprovement #LeadershipInAction #MentorshipMatters

South Island NRL Bid is thrilled to partner with the New York University Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport for a Summer research project to support our North American strategy for our #NRL / #NRLW license submission. It is evident that the National Rugby League regards North America as a pivotal region for its ambitions of global dominance in #sports #entertainment. The growing interest and recent developments in U.S. rugby league are laying a solid foundation for future expansion and success. This strategic focus on North America aims to capitalize on the region's potential, ensuring a thriving and influential presence in the global sports arena. That's why we are partnering on this research project—to leverage these opportunities and build a robust North American strategy. The project: Eight exceptional #NYU #undergraduates from countries all over the world will study the rugby league context in the U.S., diving deep into the NRL’s recent Vegas endeavor and exploring new pathways for American players to join our future Men’s and Women’s Team, building on the good work already being done by the NRL. The project will be led by Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs & Clinical Assistant Professor Gina Antoniello, who has extensive experience with new franchise development and strategic launch initiatives for major sporting organizations. Her industry stops include leadership roles with the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors, as well as the XFL's historic North American launch in 2020. Her research interests focus on athlete #activism and #socialjustice in sport and society. In her doctoral coursework, her cognate was law and policy in sport and her Dissertation examines using sport as a protest platform and its impact on fan attitudes and behaviors. Her familiarity with the Australasia sporting landscape as well as her global consulting will lend a nuanced perspective to the team, as her socialization of sport courses have been taught across four continents in the last year alone. The NYU Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport (https://lnkd.in/emxnzRBz) is a top 20 sports management program in the world, with a vision statement dedicated to preparing global sport #business and sport #management #leaders for the future. Their three key pillars of focus are: - Sport Industry #Research and Thought #Leadership - Industry-Focused Continuing #Education - Custom-Tailored Executive Education South Island NRL Bid Team is committed to fostering real-world experiences through university partnerships both at home and abroad. These projects equip students with valuable industry insights and hands-on learning opportunities. Please welcome our new extended Team! 

🌟✨ Spotlight on Success: Langley Academy's Transformative Journey 🌟✨ We're excited to celebrate the incredible achievements of The Langley Academy, a key milestone in our portfolio. Our strategic journey—from development to a successful exit—highlights our dedication to merging academic rigor with top-tier athletic training 🏫. This powerful combination has cultivated a thriving environment, propelling numerous talents to the forefront of the football world ⚽️🌟 📰👀 Dive into "Inside the School that Produced Jon Rowe and Alex Matos" by Connor Southwell, which chronicles the academy’s journey and its profound impact on students. The article showcases standout alumni like Jon Rowe, now a pivotal figure at Norwich City, and Alex Matos, whose move from Norwich to Chelsea marks a significant step in his career. The stories of Ken Aboh and other rising stars underline the academy’s extensive influence and success. 🔗📌 Click below to read the full article and discover how The Langley Academy has seamlessly blended sports with academics to develop well-rounded champions. 💬🔄 Join the conversation: How do you envision the future of integrating educational and athletic pursuits? What impacts do you think these programs can have on young talents? #LangleyAcademy #InnovationInEducation #SportsDevelopment #SuccessStories #StrategicInvestments

Theory and practise in practice……

Last night I had the privilege of being the Guest speaker at the Victoria Blues Awards. I was asked to impart some of my "wisdom" to the students, and thought I would share that here too (albeit a lot more succinctly) 1. The best leaders make space for others. Whether it be as a captain, a coach, a manager or a director on a board we often see the same people get picked over and over again for these positions, by virtue of having been one before. This only perpetuates the same system, and the cycle of exclusivity continues. I am where I am today because someone made space for me and held the door wide open rather than slamming it shut behind them. 2. Find out what your values are, stay true and listen to those. In sports environments, often there are significant power imbalances that exist. People hold multiple hats, and have a huge impact and say on your future. It can be hard to speak up. Equally in financially constrained environments we can be held to ransom but those same funders. Find out what your values are. Listen and let those guide you. They'll always tell you if you're in the right place or not. 3. Older and Wiser We need to abolish the harmful rhetoric that 30 is where sports ends, particularly as a female. Value rest, value your mind, your knowledge and that will take you to where you need to go. 4. Leave your community in a better place than when you found it All of us who participate in sport stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. They fought, hard tough conversations and left legacies so we could enjoy the sport we do today. We have all also been beneficiaries of volunteers. Whether those be coaches, managers, umpires, sports administrators. These are the lifeline of grass sports here in Aotearoa. Its our obligation as beneficiaries of our present, to contribute to our communities and leave it better than when we found it. A big congrats to all the Blues Award winners. Student athletes and administrators are nothing short of incredible. Victoria University of Wellington

Its that time of the year when we review the year as a company at AJB Sports in Education and Active Minds , what has gone well, what has not, areas we need to improve, areas we have improved and put those all important plans together for next year. With our success this year being up there with the companies best in recent years - the new partnerships with Brentford FC Community Sports Trust as well as three new components of our business in HAF Camps 🏃🏼 Birthday parties 🎉 and Fundaments for pre school and nursery children 👶🏽 to name a few- it got me thinking a bit further back than just the last year. We started looking at the last few years and all the adventures, partnerships and wonderful organisations that we have worked with and are still working with (not including our brilliant partner schools). As always, some ideas worked better than others, some lasted longer than others, some didn't work at all for various reasons and some last until this day. When you start to put some down, you realise just how many we have worked / are working with and how much we have done in the few short years we have been an organisation. Pretty humbling when you look at some of the logos from Premier League football clubs, to Universities and Colleges, to the County Football Association, Radio appearances, working with the county council, partner organisations around the county and entire country and more. Very proud of where we have got to, and how we will look to use this as a springboard into the next evolution and progression as a company into 2024 Thank you to all those below and more that we have worked with, we have learnt so much from working with other professionals and organisations and would not be where we are today without everything. We are always learning and always moving forwards. #review #partnerships #organisations #companies #workingtogether #success #yearinreview #thankyou

“Black people are over mentored and under sponsored.” 🤔   “Women are over mentored and under sponsored.” 🤔   “People with disabilities are over mentored and under sponsored.” 🤔   These are the kind of phrases that used to get you a round of applause at generic Diversity panel events.    These are the kind of phrases that don’t make sense given the content of this book: Mentoring at Work Developmental Relationships in Organisational Life By Kathy E Kram This is THE Classic text on the topic.    Here, sponsorship was identified as part of mentorship, not distinct from it.    Most people agree that Sponsorship in a career is crucial for advancement. 👍🏾   Sponsorship involves:    - Senior leaders publicly supporting younger talent in their career development. - Actively nominating individuals for desirable lateral moves and promotions. - Securing promotions when competence and performance are not enough   There’s no doubt it’s important.    I’m not saying Sponsors are Mentors either.. Sometimes they’re not. I’m saying it’s important to really think about what Sponsorship and Mentorship look like for you. Share this with your friend who is “under sponsored” 

I've got two challenges here." said Nick Cox, Manchester United's Academy Director. "I've got to try and land them in the first team; if not, I've got to try and get them a career". 249 academy footballers have made the first team at Man Utd. I wonder who will be the 250th? The article in The Times at the weekend, really resonated. Developing your in-house pipeline of skills, knowledge and talent... Is as relevant to YOUR BUSINESS as it is to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford. And whilst we may not be able to invest in a full-blown Academy set-up - we can replicate many aspects of what Nick Cox has built at the club and will continue to improve with the new ownership. If it isn't on your horizon yet... don't leave it too late. It takes TIME more than money, to develop a continuous pipeline. Connect with schools, colleges and local training organisations. Make your business known. Develop a solid training plan and method. Buddy up apprentices with your top team players (who may have retirement on their horizon). Get started. You may be needing a graduate to the First Team sooner than you realised!