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It's Richard Bate


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The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) has named Richard Bate, effective October 14, 2005, as Canada’s new Technical Director. Bate’s contract will see him lead the country’s technical programs until the end of 2009.

“After an exhaustive, extensive global search for the ‘right person’ to lead our Association’s technical programs, I believe we have the perfect man for the job,” declared CSA President Andy Sharpe. “Dick’s experience and dynamism is exactly what we require and I am excited about what the future holds for soccer in Canada.”

Bate, 59, is currently employed with The Football Association (England) as a staff coach and has had over 30 years of high level coaching experience at both the club and national team levels. He has also conducted Education and Coaching Courses worldwide for FIFA, the Asian Football Federation (AFC), UEFA, and the FA’s of both England and Malaysia.

From 1992-1995, Bate held the post of Technical Director of the Football Association of Malaysia.

“I'm delighted to be joining the Canadian Soccer Association and am looking forward to working with everyone at the CSA,” said Bate from his home in Herefordshire, UK.

“It seems as if there is a passion and optimism about the future of the game in Canada and there are a series of exciting and significant initiatives taking place in the next few years that could raise the horizons and expectations of soccer in the country.”

Bate’s principal responsibility will involve the overall development and direction of the CSA’s technical programs. This will include both Player and Coaching Development, the direction and supervision of the National Training Centres and the National Youth Teams, both male and female.

In addition to working closely with all of the Provincial Technical Director’s and staff, Bate will also liaise with the National Team head coaches.

“I hope to play a successful and central role in the future of the game alongside the many others involved in the technical developmental areas and anticipate taking up my duties within the next few weeks."

The affable Englishman will get his first look at some of the future faces of Canadian soccer in mid-October when he plans on joining Dale Mitchell’s U20 National Team (1987) during its training camp in Manchester, UK.

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Bate was a coach at Mossley. The Mossley website states that Bate was criticized by the fans for his defensive style, and he eventually was sacked.

Bob Lilley also likes a defensive style, and perhaps he too will be sacked. Maybe not, because his defensive style has earned him a nomination as coach of the year.

Seriously though, Canada achieved its greatest success ever under Tony Waiters whose defensive style was successful. Will those glory days be repeated under Bate? Weren't we proud to be Canadian soccer people in those days?

Why didn't the CSA hire someone younger who can help us imrove on the attacking side of football?

Why an old English defensive style coach as Technical Director?

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An "affable Englishman" at the CSA? My, what an unexpected and refreshing change from the no nonsense German who preceded him. Let's go for a pint lads!!!!

On the other hand, he does have experience with coaching and "coaching the coaches" type work, youth level hands on experience, etc so it's a bit early to judge. He might prove to be a fine TD.

His coaching record per se with some crap lower division football club really shouldn't enter into the equation.

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This is his resume according to the CSA's site:

FIFA – Education and Development Courses Conducted

1993

AFC 5th Coaching School – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

1995

Asian Coaching School – Bahrain (AFC)

Senior Coaches Course – Iran (AFC)

1996

Senior Coaches Course Oman

Olympic Solidarity Course – Guyana South America

Olympic Solidarity Course – Zimbabwe

1997

Olympic Solidarity Course – Romania

COACHING QUALIFICATIONS

1973 - UEFA ‘A’ Licence

2002 - UEFA Professional Licence

2001 - FA Academy Directors Licence

2000 - FA Youth Coaches Award

COACHING EXPERIENCE

Education & Development

1993/94/95/96 - FIFA Course Instructor

1993/94/95/96 - AFC Course Instructor

1992-1995 - Football Association of Malaysia, Technical Director

1980-1985 - Football Association North West Regional FA, Staff Coach

TEAM COACHING EXPERIENCE

1998-2005 - Head Coach, England (U16, U17, U18, U19, U20)

2003

2nd place - Meridien Cup, Egypt

Winners - Lisbon Tournament (U18)

2002

3rd place - UEFA U17 Championships

2001

4th place - UEFA U17 Championships

2000

Winners - Victory Shield

Winners - Montaigu Tournament, France

2001

Winners - Nordic Cup

1995-1997 - Coach, Hereford United FC

1992-1995 - Technical Director, FA Malaysia

1993-1994 - U23 Team Coach, Malaysia

1988-1992 - Coach, Leeds United FC

1987 - Manager, Southend United FC

1985-1987 - Chief Coach, Notts County FC

1985 - Assistant Coach, England Youth Team

- Assistant Coach, England U16 National Team

1982-1983 - Coach, England FA XI

1978-1980 - Youth Coach, Sheffield United FC

SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE

1999 - Publication of: The Sweeper and Coaching Advanced Soccer Players

1998 onwards - Production of UEFA ‘A’ licence course for FA England

1993 - Production of Complete National Coaching Syllabus for FA Malaysia

- National Coaching Scheme – ‘C’, ‘B’, ‘A’ Licence Awards

1984 - Revision of FA England Preliminary Coaching Award

1995 - Production of AFC ‘C’ Licence Coaching Manual & ‘B’ Licence Coaching Award

1985 - Production of Research Paper for FA England: Football in Schools

1993 - Production of Report Document for FA Malaysia: The Next Football Step – Malaysia

1992 - Production of Report Document for ‘European Championships for FA Malaysia ‘European Championships 1992”

1992-1995 - Production of Coaching Magazine for Malaysian Football ‘Coach’

1993 - Formation of National Coaches Association Malaysia

1993 - Publication of Book: Coaches Handbook

1988 - Presentation of Paper at World Congress on Science & Football, Liverpool Match Analysis

1996 - Contributor to Book ‘Science & Soccer’ published February

http://canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2316

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Well now that I've seen his professional experience posted, I am less skeptical; you could even colour me impressed. We certainly need somebody in this capacity because the Regional NTC's need some direction.

I certainly hope he gets around the country to have a look the raw talent we have (it's there).

The focus has to be on improving youth development and that is this gentleman's forte apparently.

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Seems Bate has reasonable credentials....the English FAs youth development program has come along way in the last 5 years (as can be seen by the players they mention in the Article below). Although, they recently got schooled by the French in the U-16 European Championships final on home turf....but still, there is definitely a greater focus on skills and technical awareness than in the past.

CSA's new technical guru faces daunting taskBy NEIL DAVIDSON

Thursday, September 22, 2005 Posted at 3:32 PM EDT

Canadian Press

Dick Bate helped shepherd Wayne Rooney, Jermaine Jenas, Jermaine Pennant, Glen Johnson and James Milner through the English national youth team system.

Now the 59-year-old English native is turning his attentions to Canada in his new role as technical director of the Canadian Soccer Association.

It's a daunting task — fixing soccer's framework in a country whose national men's team is ranked 84th in the world and where there is no top-flight pro league.

So why leave a soccer hotbed for a country where hockey is king?

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"It's a challenge for sure," Bate said Thursday from England. "But it's a welcome challenge, a different challenge.

"You can get involved in England, you can get engrossed in what goes on in England to the detriment of not seeing other things in the world."

And Bate believes Canada can progress in the next few years.

"There are some countries that you look at, where you think 'well they've got no chance of making any progress,"' he said. "I think Canada has."

Bate notes Canada has a full complement of international youth teams, is taking part in CONCACAF and World Cup qualifying competition and is looking to enlarge its domestic club scene.

"So why not come to a country that has enough players playing the game to do reasonably well?" he asked. "When you think of countries like Norway that have lesser populations . .. and they've done well, there's no reason why Canada couldn't do it and I think that will be part of the challenge."

It's that kind of plain speaking — and a long, impressive resume — that won over CSA president Andy Sharpe. He's over the moon at snagging Bate.

The CSA narrowed its search down to six candidates —all foreigners — and then whittled the list down to two. Interviews were conducted earlier this year at the World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.

Bate will work with Canadian men's coach Frank Yallop and women's coach Even Pellerud.

Bate takes up his position next month and Sharpe says he will have free rein. Sharpe believes he should "start from scratch," with a major order of business to reorganize national training centres across the country — centres that Sharpe acknowledges are currently "hit or miss."

Bate's first love is coaching, but he is clearly an expert at teaching coaches. Earlier this year he served as director of England's Football Association's UEFA Pro Licence course at Warwick University with a host of Premiership mangers enrolled.

The Canadian job has been vacant since Holger Osieck resigned in September 2003. Osieck was both men's head coach and technical director. Yallop subsequently took over as coach.

So-called blueprints for success were issued during Osieck's tenure. More are needed, it appears.

Bate is no stranger to running the show. He was technical director of the Football Association of Malaysia from 1992 to 1995.

He has run coaching courses from Bahrain to Zimbabwe. He coached the Malaysian national and under-23 teams and served as coach or assistant coach at England's Hereford United, Leeds United and Notts County. He briefly served as manager of Southend FC in 1987, joining the likes of Booby Moore and Peter Taylor at running the team known as the Shrimpers.

Most recently, from 1998-2005, he has been head coach of England youth teams, running the gamut from under-16 to under-20.

Bate coached Rooney, first seeing him when he was coach of the under-17 team and Rooney was a member of the under-16 squad.

"He was always well-equipped in every respect," Bate said of Rooney, now a star with England and Manchester United. "Certainly physically well-equipped. he's athletic and he's got an excellent physique.

"He's come on technically very quickly in the last two or three years."

Bate says Rooney has always been a "catalyst" who "scored goals, scored important goals and made important contributions on and off the pitch."

A former defender, the six-foot-three Bates spent time as a youth player at Sheffield Wednesday and pro at York City. He then went to university but kept playing soccer at smaller clubs.

A former schoolteacher, he eventually worked his way into professional soccer as a coach and over his career has linked up several times with Howard Wilkinson, formerly a club manager, technical director of the Football Association and interim England manager.

Bate has limited experience in women's soccer but did serve as interim coach of the England's women's team for three games before the current manager was appointed.

His new title may be technical director, but he makes no bones about his love for coaching.

"I've always done both," he said. "Don't get the idea I'm a desk man . . . I'm not. I'm very much a touchline man, always have been and always will be.

"But the nature of my employment from time to time has taken me to work with coaches, which I'm more than happy to do."

Bate officially starts his new job Oct. 15, linking up with coach Dale Mitchell's under-20 side at a training camp in Manchester, England. He is slated to head to Canada on Oct. 20.

Bate's contract in Canada runs through 2009. He has yet to decide on the location of his home base over here.

Notes: Sharpe says eventually he would like to see Bate add coaching one of the national youth teams to his duties. The CSA president also dismissed rumours that Yallop may be headed back to the MLS as a head coach, saying "they're just that — rumours."

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I like others have been a little concerned about a possible UK-bias at the CSA but this appointment seems like a good one.

First of all, Canadian soccer now has a number of experienced players (30 somethings) that may be ready to move into youth coaching. Having someone with credibility and experience working with coaches is great. The fastest way to broaden the base of the sport is to expand the base of quality coaches.

Second, many of us who have been involved in youth coaching know that the greatest weakness at present is at age 16 and up. Bate has solid experience at that age level. His formal teacher's training will also help him adjust his style to suit the environment too.

Third, I am also impressed by his international experience and the fact that he raises the example of Norway rather than drawing on his UK experience alone. I feel there has been a tendency in the past to try to transport systems from places like England, Germany, Italy, and Brazil without enough consideration of the fact that all these places have massive numbers to draw from. I think using smaller and reasonably successful countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Holland as examples is probably a more realistic approach.

Also his association with Howard Wilkinson will likely mean a heavy emphasis on fitness as well and that isn't a bad thing for teenage players.

Best of luck to Richard (or Dick)

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