The Talent Coach Programme from a coach's perspective

Part 1 – First steps
Lina Arana joined the FCRF after working as an assistant coach in the top division of the domestic women’s league. FIFA’s Claudio Garcia joined her in the country in late December 2023 and immediately looked to take in as many games as he could, with the aim of selecting 25-player boys and girls squads. All the players selected for the initial training squad were drawn from a 50 km radius of the Association’s headquarters in San Rafael (which is about 15km from the capital, San José) but the FCRF is now looking to expand the programme across the country.

Part 2 – Identifying talent
In the second part of the interview, the two coaches explain how they approach the task of identifying talented youngsters. The overall aim is to recruit players to the programme who are creative, adaptable, and equipped to cope with the unexpected. To find them, they start by running open trials from clubs in the region around their offices. They then scout the most promising of those players to narrow each squad down to 25 players – while always leaving the door open to new talent as and when it emerges. 

Part 3 – A typical working week
The coaches then describe a typical working week. Training sessions usually dominate the early part of the week, with scouting missions the priority at weekends. Reviewing and reflecting on their work is a key part of the coaching process, and the FCRF has been an enthusiastic adopter of the “Plan – Do – Review” approach. Following this procedure helps them not only to monitor young Costan Rican players more effectively, but also to ensure that the training is appropriate to those players’ needs. It also shows the coaches how they can improve their own performance on and off the pitch.

Part 4 – Reflections
To finish, Lina Arana reflects on how being part of the Talent Coach Programme has affected her as a coach. As she explains, the experience has transformed her approach to planning training, setting objectives, and delivering sessions. Her aim is to give her players the skills that will equip them to do well, wherever they play their club football and regardless of the playing style their club coaches employ. The programme has given her many more tools with which to achieve that aim.