St Mary’s Academic Speaks at FIFA Event

Associate Professor of Skill Acquisition at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU) Dr Andre Roca was recently invited by the football’s world governing body FIFA to collaborate with them in developing engaging content for their new FIFA Training Centre.

Andre gave a talk on Creativity in Football to an audience of coaches and football practitioners as part of FIFA’s Science Explained series. Through the presentation, he identified the hallmarks of a creative player, considered how coaches might be able to develop this quality in their players, and explained how creative players find the gaps their team-mates miss.

Speaking of the experience, Andre said, “I was delighted to be invited to collaborate with FIFA and to be recognised as one of the world’s leading experts in the field. I hope that coaches who view the new content will be able to nurture creativity in their players by modifying their approach to training and developing sessions that encourage players to step out of their comfort zones.”

A recording of his talk and interview is available to view on the new FIFA Training Centre platform, which aims to inspire, support, and educate coaches and players worldwide by providing cutting-edge content from renowned experts.

Andre has published widely on performance in elite sport, skill acquisition, creative decision-making, and coaching practice. Andre has worked extensively in high-performance sport and has coached in professional football academies for nearly two decades.