Ray Power: Tanzania trip as part of Sunderland link-up for young coach

Young Irish coach Ray Power has traded a steady job in Nottingham for a new adventure in Tanzania working with Sunderland to help develop young talent. Adam Bate caught up with him to find out more about the new venture…

“The opportunity was just too good to turn down,” Ray Power tells Sky Sports. Some might describe leaving behind the job of head of football at Central College Nottingham, not to mention a wife and two daughters, for a role in a new venture in Tanzania as a gamble. But Power’s excitement at the thought of what lies ahead is infectious.

“It wasn't on my radar but it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he adds. “It’s a big challenge and it’s completely fresh.” The project is an ambitious one. Various companies have worked with the Tanzanian government and football federation to construct a sports facility in the African country – among them Premier League side Sunderland.

“The companies such as Sunderland are the ones driving it rather than the Tanzanian Football Federation, but they are backing it,” says Power, whose contract is with energy company Symbion. "There is probably not the equivalent to it in England. It’s perhaps akin to an academy manager but it’s run a bit closer to the first team than you’d get over here.”

'Unique partnership'

It’s been described as a "unique partnership between our football club and Tanzania" by Black Cats chief executive Margaret Byrne. "I think what makes us a bit different to some other English clubs is that we have a tangible presence in Africa," said Byrne, quoted in The Guardian. "And we want to give something back to the communities." That's where Power comes in.

Part of the process involves introducing coaches who can help add to the knowledge base. “They were looking for not only a coach but a qualified coach educator as well,” says the 32-year-old Irishman. “There is a heavy education element to it in terms of the local coaches working under me at the academy. So there’s a big emphasis on up-skilling the coaches."

Power might be uniquely placed to do that given his background as a qualified teacher. "It blends my passions. You can blur the lines with teaching and coaching. The principles are the same. It’s about finding the best ways to help people learn and understand. You can be a professor but if you can’t communicate the information to others then you’ll fall down."

His remit will principally involve developing individual players - and that could be where Sunderland benefit. "My job is player recruitment,” says Power. “Identifying players who can go into the centre of excellence and hopefully the better ones either end up at Sunderland or they end up in the national youth team.”

Focus on individual talent

Power, who completed his UEFA A Licence in England, believes this focus on individuals is crucial if players are to fulfil their potential. “What you see a lot around the country in England are team sessions rather than ones that meet the individual needs of players,” he adds. “So 16 lads are doing the same thing at the same time.

“I don’t think in any other industry you’d do that. In a big factory you wouldn’t have the same staff doing the same training all the time. I’m not even talking about player positions, I’m talking about technical and psychological stuff. Everything from physiology to tactics should be tailored to the individual.

“If you go into any academy anywhere in the world, when you’re being assessed at 16 it’s going to be about your performance and your development rather than how many games that the team won. The newer breed of coach will always talk about developing individuals and absorbing that into teams.”

Power talks passionately about coaching and it should come as little surprise. He’s already written three books and is part-way through his latest series – “all the theory about coaching players delivered in a practical way” – expanding on those ideas. He’s a man determined to help modernise the thinking about the game. It’s the only way, he argues.

“Maybe one of the biggest problems of coaching is when you get in the comfort zone for five years or more and don’t move on in your thinking,” he says. “Because football moves on. You see a lot of passive practices and if you put them into a game situation you can throw them away in all honesty.

“That’s why I’m looking forward to Tanzania because it’s another new experience. Maybe the nutrition is different and the culture is different. As a coach, if you want to be well rounded then you have to absorb ideas. If you can take the best bits then you constantly improve. Otherwise you just get what you practise and everything becomes very samey.”

New path

Following the same old path is not something Power could be accused of. Now he’s testing himself in Tanzania. But where will it take him? “If you show you are flexible and a little bit footloose then there is progression beyond the mainstream we see here.

“I’ve moved abroad a couple of times. You follow jobs and suddenly the map changes completely. I think I’ll learn loads. Hopefully I’ll be able to take that back to Ireland or England one day.” If that opportunity does present itself, one senses that it will be their gain. In the meantime, it’s Tanzania – and Sunderland – who’ll feel the benefit of Power’s enthusiasm.

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