Associate Professor of Skill Acquisition and Lecturer in MSc Performance Football Coaching at St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU), Andre Roca, was recently invited by the Hungarian Football Association (FA) to deliver a prestigious Training Education Conference for their top coaches. The event took place at the stadium of Hungarian Premier League football club ETO Győr and was attended by 120 coaches representing the leading professional youth academies across the country.
The conference featured two keynote talks by Andre on the critical topics of game intelligence and creativity in youth football, both of which sparked deep interest and engagement from the attendees. Andre also led a practical session on the pitch, providing hands-on insight into effective coaching techniques for fostering creativity in young players.
Commenting on the event, Máté Havas, Academy Director at ETO Győr and one of the main organisers said, "The event was a great success in opening the minds of professional Hungarian coaches to the development of game intelligence in the next generation of Hungarian footballers. Interest in Andre’s conference was massive, with the event being oversubscribed within days."
This conference served as a valuable opportunity to foster knowledge exchange and strengthen international ties in coach education. Andre’s expertise and innovative approach to coaching were well received, marking the event as an important contribution to the development of youth football in Hungary.