Endorsements — Integer

ENDORSEMENTS

Testimonials & Quotes

“Simon Clifford is quite simply the best one on one coach that I have seen at work in any sport, in any country in the world”

Sir Clive Woodward (Rugby World Cup winning manager)

“I cannot recommend the Integer Team highly enough. My son has always been talented at football but average athletically. Since commencing work with Simon and the team, he has transformed into a player I couldn’t dream of him becoming. His academy coaches now have to stop him during the bleep test as he could go forever! He has not only grown in physical stature but also mentally with the help of off-field mentoring with his living habits and diet. As a father I couldn’t be prouder of the player/man my son is growing into. Thanks to the Integer team, my son now not only has the platform to become a world class player, but also the mind set of standing as a role model for all future athletes”

Parent

“Our son has been training with Simon and the team for just over a year, during which time he has significantly improved both technically and physically, and he loves every session thanks to the incredible support of all the coaches. However, by far the greatest change has been with his self confidence and belief. Simon is so much more than a football coach, and more like a personal mentor and inspiration!"

Parent

“My 9 year old son has been with Simon and the team at Integer for the past year. During this time he has made huge improvements both on and off the football pitch. His effort during matches has increased tenfold, and this dramatically improved work ethic has resulted in some outstanding performances on the pitch. Simon works closely with each individual child and helps them to recognise their potential in all areas of life. Integer has given him the motivation he needs to excel both in and out of school. I feel this new found desire to succeed, is driving my son to reach a potential he may never have considered possible had he not joined Integer”

Parent

“I’ve been in the USA, Brazil and Europe, worked in football, I am 50 years old, but I’ve never met a person like him. Simon Clifford’s perspective and intelligence is just so interesting”

Socrates (Brazil World Cup winning captain)

“Integer provide individually focused football development training with a broad approach including mental health and diet on top of football skills. They endeavour to make the person into a well rounded positive person ‘bigger’ than a footballer.

They listen to the parents and take all comments into account as they progress coaching. It’s very professional and individually tailored”

Parent

“I cannot believe what I see with Simon’s work, it is amazing, it is something completely different and very special.”

— Carlos Alberto (Brazilian World Cup Winner)

“integer has had a great impact on my son’s footballing development. The coaches are very enthusiastic and making sure each session is fun and at a level that tests the players. Seeing my son take what he has been taught, into games is a pleasure for him and myself. I believe integer is very unique in that they don’t just work on just developing the football side of things but they also work on the mental side of the game which is a very important tool in the modern game.

All in all everything has been positive and Simon and the team are a pleasure to work with and talk with. The main thing is my son has definitely improved in many ways and the daily journals help keep him focused and positive about himself and his long term goals”

Parent

“6 months ago we found Simon and the Integer team and have never looked back. My son discovered a love of football at the age of 15. Trying to find someone to train him was like trying to find a ‘needle in a haystack’. Most coaches would say you are too late, past it. How could Ronaldo be at his peak at the age of 33 yet a 15 year old boy was past it?

Our first meeting with Simon showed that there was someone who didn’t believe this to be the case. That with the right mind set, self belief, and determination catching up would not be impossible.

My son has now been under the integer team for 6 months and he has gone from strength to strength. He might not be lucky enough to be in the 1% that make it but never say never”

Parent

“What Simon is doing is fantastic. Normally what you see in other children is just the basics of the game. He is saying that nothing is impossible. If English players can learn the qualities Simon is teaching, then it will be good for the country””

— Jay-Jay Okocha

“Since my son has been involved with Integer we’ve been really impressed with his improvement. Physically he has become much stronger and fitter. He has worked on presence on the pitch and strength in tackling and both these things have really improved.

Getting into the habit of writing a journal every day has been life changing for my son. He does his exercises without fail every morning and schedules in dead lifting and hill sprints in the week as part of his weekly plan. It has made him so much more organised in all parts of his life and allows him to reflect on things that have gone well and areas for improvement. Just to know he has a mentor who will look at his journal and give him feedback is very powerful. He has really grown in confidence.

It is this combination of physical and psychological development which makes Integer so inspiring for my son. I would recommend it to anyone who has a child who really loves football and is prepared to work hard to reap the full benefits. Integer don’t just work on technique and strength; they work to create discipline, reflection, good habits and an all round healthy individual, physically and mentally. Thanks Team!!”

Parent

Our 10 year old son has been with Integer for over 6 months now and we can already see the difference in his skills and attitude on the pitch. The coaching is excellent, he gets one to one support which helps him further his skills in key areas. The skills homework can be challenging to fit in with everything else that kids do so does require commitment and discipline from the child and input from parents to prevent it becoming a chore. The daily journals really make my son think himself about how much screen time, fluid, fruit and vegetables he has in a day and makes him want to improve the next day. I like the ethos about the club, promoting positive mental attitude, my son feels a really valued member of the team and parents are really involved.

Parent

In this month’s blog post we are going to focus on a situation I encounter with players a lot across the different age groups from academy to professional, but particularly the scholars and young professionals.

As a player, you might be working hard, feeling like you’re doing everything that you should be doing and that you're playing extremely well, but not getting picked. You may have given your life to football. It could be that you’re in a situation whereby you have gone onto a scholarship contract and then been offered a pro contract, but not really getting into the U21s or around the first team. This could go on for some time, but I say to the players that I work with who encounter this that they must remain two things: patient and positive. This is all I ask of them in these moments. Going through this can be quite confusing and a players’ emotional life can be difficult when faced with this, but in this situation you have to remain patient and positive, as things in football can and do change very quickly.

I have so many examples that I could give you even over the last couple of years where something changes from not being in the picture, not being in the side at all, not being in the managers favours or feeling like nothing's going to break for you and being quite down as a result, to everything flipping on its head and changing in a matter of days. You've got to be ready for that. So just remain patient. You don't know what's going to happen. Football changes quickly. Suddenly your team has got three suspensions or an injury, or the manager is replaced. Now what?

Particularly when we are younger, we have got to remain massively patient in the long term. This can be more difficult the younger we are as a year can feel like a lot longer then. It can be really tough, but if you've got the help around you, you've got to stay patient.

In addition to this, you've also got to be positive. Nobody ever has won a place on a team or won recognition from bad behaviour, bad body language, moaning or complaining. It is very easy when this is the default mindset to get into a negative cycle because you end up thinking “well, what's the point of any of this anyway? I'm never going there. It's never going to happen for me. He's doesn’t like me.” The point would be that maybe the manager may well start to like and notice you if you can go around the club every day with the best body language that's ever been seen. Speaking to every member of staff, walking with your chest out, shoulders back, walking tall and running the opponents and teammates into the ground each day. All of these details add up. This positivity must also be applied to matchdays too, even if we are on the bench; be the best person on the bench that's ever lived. Lead the game from the sidelines. I always used to say you see who really cares about a team if you do a freeze frame of everybody's face after the team has scored. Is your teammate really happy you've scored? Is the centre half happy that the team has scored? They should because the TEAM has scored, but sometimes people are not. You've got to be team first. You've got to be so positive it's untrue. If you only play a minute, make it the greatest minute ever - still be a positive force around the place all week; be ridiculously positive.

A bonus point to add to these main two would actually be process thinking. How hard are you working? Are you doing all that you can? Are you doing all you should be doing each day? Because if you are, nobody should be able to live and compete with you at the club.

As human beings, we have a tendency to take the path of least resistance – to do as little as possible. We've got a tendency each day to be lazy and we've got to work against that. If you're patient – and not just putting in the work for three weeks or a couple of months, but maybe for a whole season or more – eventually you can't be ignored. Your patience and positivity will win through because other people don't act like this. The people that are against you (teammates in competition with you for places) will eventually fall by the wayside because they won't have the positivity, intent and constancy that you've got. You’ll wear them down! If you’re process interested and driven whilst taking into account all the little tiny details, you cannot go far wrong. How far are you running each day? How loud are you in training? How positive? What's our body language like? Pep Guardiola says he often picks the team on body language through the week. Amorim – the new Manchester United manager – has said he takes into consideration body language again and even the player’s clothing. All these little things become big things and can make a huge difference to a players possibilities for selection.

If you are ticking off those three boxes, the 3P’s – patient, positive and process oriented – it's all in your control. In time, things are going to come good for you. And if not at your club with that coach, other people are going to notice you. People are going to talk about you in training and tell others. Teammates and staff won't understand why you're not playing. Eventually you’ll wear the manager down and if you've got competition on the pitch such as a fellow centre half, you'll wear them down too – you’ll knock anything in your way, out of the way… you will!.

I could think of great examples how I supported players the last few years at the highest levels where we've just had to go through this situation all the time and it breaks like a miracle for them suddenly. They've gone from one realm of not getting a look in at all, to the form of their life and international callups and recognition with interest from other clubs all over the place, but it wouldn't have happened if they didn't stick with those Ps: patience, positivity and process. Concentrating on the process and focussing on that and not outcome as much, what are the things we can take into our control? Are we working on our psychology and mindset each day? Are things such as our nutrition and sleep where it should be? These the things that are necessary for success that we must do. How are we socially with our teammates and management? These are all things to consider and look to get as perfect as we can. But expect nothing! Just keep working. Get it right this week. And the next. And the next. Just lead a life in this way in any case. Eventually with all that good, you cannot be ignored and you will get to where you deserve to be. Be that good you can’t be ignored, this is the way to go!

Patience. Positivity. Process.

A Happy and Holy Christmas to all,

Keep Moving Forward,

Simon Clifford

Integer Football is a bespoke individual training programme based in Harrogate and Leeds, that works to create better players from the inside out. We focus on all elements of the beautiful game to create a total footballer prepared for the game of tomorrow. To contact our team and to find out more on how you could join our programme, please see our Join page.