Good coaches are one of the vital cogs in the youth development of any country, opines Sebastian Dremmler, who has been with the successful Bayern Munich development setup for two decades.
Dremmler, who was appointed the head coach for international programme is one of the key personnal behind this yearâs Allianz Junior Football Camp (AJFC).
The German says the blueprint to producing youth products such as Phillip Lahm and Thomas Mueller, who have played a key role in Bayern Munich’s success for the last decade, is to possess a coach with solid fundamentals.
âYou need quality coaches who can make a difference. Some clubs have the best facilities and infrastructure, but they do not progress much because they lack in quality guidance. For me, all a team needs is a decent field and some balls.
 âBut more importantly, the manpower has to be committed and dedicated if they club are to go far,â said Dremmler, who pointed to Bayernâs own development success.
âOur Under-17 and Under-19 youth teams are leading the Bundesliga table. That is due to our excellent scouting, which is aimed at finding the best footballers in Munich.â
Dremmler, formerly a youth coach with the academy also debunked the perception that the club ultimately tries to sign an international youth player through the AJFC.
âFifa rules make it hard for us to do so. We are very careful with this, but our goal is not to sign the best players, but to help them develop in their own country.
âWe do not want to take these players out of their turf, but to help them be the best player in their own country. That means finding the best Malaysian or Thai player and ensuring they can grasp some of the techniques we teach them,â said the German, who has worked with former youth coach Lim Teong Kim, who is now in charge of the National Football Development Programme.
Dremmler hopes to see participation from more countries when the ninth edition kicks-off next year.
âThis is a chance for the young footballers from all over the world to play each other, and we hope to see it continue. If we can implement some of our clubâs philosophy in their short stint, our programme is a success.â
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Caption: Dremmler (centre) says a good coach plays a vital part in any grassroots development
