John Longmire and Gareth Southgate share passionate belief in nurturing young talent

Sydney coach John Longmire and England soccer coach Gareth Southgate may have very different goals but they share a passionate belief in nurturing young talent.

Sydney Swans coach John Longmire and England’s national football coach Gareth Southgate may have very different goals but they share a passionate belief in nurturing young talent.

Southgate’s rejuvenated England side reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the coach’s willingness to give young players their chance to impress on the biggest stage earned him plenty of praise.

The Swans won’t be chasing World Cup glory when the new season kicks off in late March but Longmire will continue to give the club’s youngsters every chance to play their part in the pursuit of success.

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The Swans boss spent a chunk of the off-season in the UK with various members of the club’s staff. Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson was also part of the fact-finding mission. It was a trip that included visits to several top flight football coaches to study all aspects of running a top club and a chance to swap ideas.

As well as the England football coach, Longmire met up with Burnley coach Sean Dyche and also paid a visit to Scottish champions Celtic and their coach Brendan Rodgers.

Sydney Swans coach John Longmire. Picture: Michael Klein

England head coach Gareth Southgate.

“We spent time at various clubs, learning from different people and sharing our experiences,” Longmire told The Daily Telegraph.

“We talked everything from tactics to man management.”

And with the Swans boasting a roster packed with youth for 2019, his meeting with England boss Southgate was especially insightful.

“He obviously has a big focus on youth and had some success at the World Cup,” Longmire said.

“It gets back to what you can and can’t control. He seemed very good at the things he could control, which was preparing the players well and giving them the confidence to be able to play and having a plan in the youth coming through and he seemed very confident in that plan.”

There are still plenty of senior figures at the Swans but a glance at the list shows a healthy portion of young guns.

Tom McCartin celebrates a Sydney goal.

Sydney forward Ben Ronke. Picture: Michael Klein

Tom McCartin, who was the youngest player in the AFL last year, played 12 games while other “kids” to impress included Ben Ronke, Ryley Stoddart and Colin O’Riordan.

“We understand now 70 per cent of our list is in the 25 and under age bracket,” Longmire said.

“Half of our senior team is 22 and under so we’re fortunate we’ve got some terrific young kids playing key roles in our team and that means the off season is even more critical to make sure you get that right.

“We got seven young kids in through the national draft and the rookie draft.

“The energy the young players give around the place is fantastic and we feel we have some terrific young players that can really contribute to us winning week to week and our senior players are terrific in passing on their knowledge of the game.

“The integration processes and working with our staff is really important and getting those balances right between preparing and understanding football issues and also understanding that in many instances it’s a big change of life for these young players – such as living away from home for the first time.”