The elite coach taking school football to a new level

On a wet and windy afternoon at Repton School, technical director of football Luke Webb is putting his first team through their paces. At first glance this training session looks much the same as any other, but I soon start to spot some subtle yet significant differences in his approach.

Webb keeps his distance, there’s no shouting from the touchline, yet all his players seem to know exactly what to do. They start off with close passing drills, then move into small-sided games, and finish with an exercise designed to hone the low driven cross – a delivery all defenders dread.

Afterwards, there’s no big team talk. Instead, as the boys pack up the balls and cones, he chats to them one-on-one, quietly. It’s unobtrusive, but still waters run deep. He’s a coach and a communicator of enormous expertise, and during the past decade his methods have produced spectacular results.