Academy Manager discusses new scholars
- Emyr Humphreys talks about Huddersfield Town's Under-17s
- Academy Manager discusses the benefit of a Christmas break
- Young Terriers to build on progress in the New Year
Huddersfield Town’s Academy Manager Emyr Humphreys believes that the latest cohort of Young Terriers have settled into life at Town well so far.
Having joined ahead of the 2021/22 season, Emyr spoke about how he thinks the youngsters have adjusted to life in HD2.
“Overall, the Under-17s have settled in well.
“The boys have come from different backgrounds and with different experiences, so the key for their first period at the Club is really to understand what is expected at Huddersfield Town and to lay some foundations for them to build on.
“The first six months for them is all about learning all of the different aspects of becoming a Huddersfield Town player.
“On the pitch, this has mainly been split into three key blocks of learning: emotion, playing on the pitch (in possession), and our 'Fight Zone' (out of possession).
“Alongside this there has been a real focus on creating a sense of belonging and togetherness, and about understanding the standards needed to be successful here.
“This season has been tougher than usual as the Youth Alliance league is now an Under-19 league, so the level of challenge has been very high for some of our lads playing against people two years older.
“Overall, they have coped well with this, and the majority of the boys have been really open to learning our way of playing and have stuck to the process well.”
The Under-17s’ schedule sees them finish earlier than some of their other Academy teammates, and Emyr explained why that’s beneficial for their age group.
“It’s essential for us as the boys are from all over the UK and our programme is really demanding, so the Christmas break is a great chance to go home and spend valuable time with family and friends.
“They’ve put in a huge amount of work since joining the Club, so this period really is about recharging the batteries mentally and physically.
“Therefore, from a football perspective, there will be minimal work over the break.
“It’s really about switching off and ensuring that they are refreshed and excited to come back in January.
“Some of the boys will have some specific physical aims to work on, which could be to increase muscle mass or for injury prevention.
“This is a good window to work on some of those things whilst they’re spending less time on their feet.”
Emyr also went on to discuss exactly why the break will benefit the youngsters when they return to the training ground in January.
“The second half of the season is normally when our Under-17s reap the rewards for the work they put in during the first half of the year - I’m sure this season will be similar.
“The break is a great time for them to reflect on what they’ve learnt so far, then come back to the Club refreshed and ready to put what they’ve learned into action.
“A lot of the boys are late developers, so a short break is also key to allow them some time to grow and develop physically over the coming months.”
You can follow all the latest news from the Town Academy on its dedicated Twitter account; @htafcacademy!
