PZPN

Another Talent Pro training camp begins on Monday. What will the schedule look like? What can the participants expect?

We already have considerable experience in organising these camps, but it is a major event for us every time. Once again, the most gifted players, whom we want to get to know even better and support in their development, will meet in Siedlce. We will focus primarily on individual and unit-specific training. We have also planned intra-squad matches so that every player can showcase their abilities in various scenarios. Our overriding goal is to create an individual development pathway for each player, and we do this in cooperation with the clubs. This training camp will be unique for another reason as well. We have invited the coaches responsible for the individual development of the players called up to Talent Pro at their respective clubs. Joining us will be, among others, Łukasz Trałka, Maksymilian Rogalski, Radosław Mozyrko, and Patryk Rachwał. Together, we will work on individual development plans, combining the club and national team perspectives. These workshops, focusing on conscious work regarding one's own strengths and areas for improvement, will be led by FIFA expert Hugo Pereira – a highly experienced coach who is our supervisor within the FIFA Talent Development Scheme. It is worth noting that Talent Pro is co-financed precisely by FIFA. Every year, we apply for additional funding to support its delivery. We are pleased that FIFA rates it very highly. Its guiding principle is: "Give every talent a chance," and it is exactly this individual, player-centred approach that we strive to implement. We also want this philosophy to reach the widest possible group of coaches in Poland. Talent Pro is not a project confined solely to PZPN structures. We want to inspire the club environment as well. We are not discovering anything new – we all know how important the individualisation of the coaching process is – but I believe that such a working model by the association can positively impact the entire football ecosystem in Poland.

Will particular emphasis be placed on any specific element during this camp, or does the programme remain similar to previous editions?

The structure of the camp remains similar. We continue to focus on individual and group training, as well as on player development, including off the pitch. As always, there will be sessions on sports psychology, media training, and the individualisation of the training process in terms of physical conditioning. Working with the players will be, among others, head coaches and coaching staff members of the Polish national youth teams, as well as our individual development specialists. Every position during positional training will be adequately catered for. Working in Siedlce will be: Radosław Sobolewski, Łukasz Surma, Rafał Lasocki, Piotr Klepczarek, Piotr Kobierecki, Dariusz Dudka, Sebastian Mila, Grzegorz Żytkiewicz, Łukasz Nadolski, Rafał Kaczmarczyk, Paweł Rybiński, and Maciej Mateńko (coaches), Andrzej Dawidziuk, Arkadiusz Onyszko, and Jacek Skrzyński (goalkeeping coaches), Mateusz Oszust, Paweł Dryk, and Wojciech Paluszkiewicz (strength and conditioning coaches), Jakub Nowak and Kamil Kolebski (video analysts), Kamil Damentka (psychologist), Błażej Bomba, and Jakub Korkiewicz (physiotherapists).

How does Talent Pro differ from the standard national team setup?

The mere fact that national team coaches participate in the camp shows that many elements are shared. We continue to look after players who develop in their clubs on a daily basis and come to us for a few days. However, the nature of this project is completely different; it is not team-oriented. We are not focusing on building a team, but rather on the potential of a specific player. We want to determine what they should work on, what their areas for improvement are, but also what their greatest strengths are and how to develop them so that they become competitive advantages in the future, allowing them to reach the highest level. It is also a very important project from the perspective of our experiences in recent years. Given that we are already launching the 13th edition, we can look at tangible results. The majority of young players making their debuts for the Poland national team have previously participated in Talent Pro. During this year's camp, examples such as Oskar Pietuszewski and Kacper Potulski, who were themselves participants in this programme a few years ago, will be presented during team meetings. Talent Pro allows us to look into the future. If someone comes to Siedlce to watch the intra-squad matches, there is a high probability that they will see future senior Poland internationals. Of course, there will also be team elements, because football remains a team sport, and the camp includes coaches from youth national teams that will later play in European Championship or World Cup qualifiers. At Talent Pro, head coaches of the older age-group national teams and those responsible for coaching at PZPN have the opportunity to get to know the most talented players in Poland much better. Also joining us in Siedlce will be Poland Under-21 Head Coach Jerzy Brzęczek and his staff, as well as Poland Under-20 Head Coach Miłosz Stępiński. The presence of all head coaches of the Polish men's national teams makes the project exceptional and makes a strong impression on FIFA, as in this format it remains unique on a European scale as well.

What does the selection process for Talent Pro look like? Who decides on the 40-player group of participants?

We discuss call-ups a great deal. Sometimes we consciously rotate players so that the largest possible number of talented footballers can be given an opportunity. Naturally, the national team head coaches know the individual age groups best, but the coaches from the PZPN Individual Development Department, who observe players on a daily basis specifically for their potential and further development, also make a massive contribution to the selection process. We also have to keep in mind that in the oldest U-17 age group, we do not always have all the players at our disposal. It is increasingly common for 17-year-olds to be away at pre-season training camps with their clubs' first teams during this time, and for us, this is very good news. It means they are developing in a highly demanding environment. In their place, we invite other players who also receive the chance to prove themselves. Besides training, the workshops are also incredibly important. I believe this will be a powerful inspiration for the players in their further development.

The presence of the Poland senior national team Head Coach, Jan Urban, will also serve as such an inspiration.

That is true. Coach Urban was already with us during the winter Talent Pro training camp in Türkiye, and he observed the players during training sessions then too. In fact, in previous years, Poland national team head coaches have also visited our camps. I remember photos of the then head coach Jerzy Brzęczek together with a very young Tomek Pieńko and Kacper Duda. A few years later, these players were called up to the U-21 national team managed by Jerzy Brzęczek himself. This shows that such meetings pay dividends. Today, Coach Urban will also have the opportunity to get to know players who may strengthen the Poland national team in the future. We are delighted that we are managing to integrate the entire football community.

This training camp is also one of the rare occasions for virtually all the key figures responsible for coaching and development strategies in Polish football to meet in one place.

Yes. We will also be joined by the PZPN Vice-President for Coaching Affairs, Sławomir Kopczewski, and his very presence underlines the prestige of this event. It is worth noting that he is a UEFA Pro licensed coach, which is why his perspective is of great value to us. At PZPN, we frequently hold online meetings with coaches; we regularly discuss the players' progress, analyse potential call-ups, and plan our next steps. However, the opportunity to spend seven days together, both on and off the pitch, provides a completely different quality. Every day we talk about football, about the players, and about development directions. We will analyse the ongoing World Cup, watch the STS Polish Super Cup, and discuss many aspects of coaching. It is an incredibly intensive time, but simultaneously one of the most interesting moments in our entire calendar. In the winter we meet during the training camp in Türkiye, in the summer in Siedlce. In one place, we have head coaches, coaches, former Poland internationals now working as coaching staff members, and players who may themselves be playing for the senior national team in just a few years. It truly is a unique atmosphere.

So one could say that Talent Pro has become a brand in its own right.

Definitely. We can see how eager the players are to receive a call-up. Participating in Talent Pro is a huge distinction for them, and the programme's prestige continues to grow year on year. Those who have been observing this project from the beginning know that it is a truly elite environment. Of course, today we are talking about players who are 15, 16, or 17 years old, which is why I do not want to immediately talk about the senior national team, but history shows that this is precisely where the likes of Kacper Kozłowski, Mateusz Łęgowski, Oskar Pietuszewski, and Kacper Potulski, among others, began their journey. Many more such names could be mentioned. This shows that Talent Pro is a platform that paves the way to the highest level.