Adam Ryan Dawson Gives Advice for Young Players
Dawson Credits Futsal for Improving His Football Skills
Adam Ryan Dawson is a Professional Footballer with Tranmere Rovers FC.
He also trains with the England National Futsal Team.
Adam previously played for Leicester City FC, Manchester United, Liverpool and Bury FC.
You can see some of his highlights from this season (26 games, 17 assists and 8 goals!) at http://youtu.be/Lq52Qkazc5w
Adam was kind enough to answer some questions for me.
How were you discovered?
I was just playing locally with friends from a young age and was picked up by the local scouts who attended the matches.
You play at the top level of soccer. What made you stand out from other players?
I think my skill and flair made me stand out. I’m a creative minded player, so I’m best in one v one situations and I’m good at making things happen around the oppositions’ penalty area.
How do you believe futsal has helped your game?
Futsal has played a huge part of my development from a very young age. I still play futsal and have been recently asked to train with the England National Team. I still play for Bolton futsal occasionally as I feel it keeps me sharp. It forces me to think more quickly and as a result my decision making is much quicker when on the bigger pitch with more space and time.
I certainly think the players who were brought up around futsal, the Brazillians, Argentinians and the Spanish have benefitted from it. The likes of Messi, Neymar, Coutinho, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, R9 and so on.
In my opinion this is where England lacks. I think if futsal had been introduced to young players 15-20 years ago, we would have created a lot more players who could be compared with the likes of David Silva, Coutinho, Neymar and many more. They have that incredible silk about their game.
What do you think differentiates the top players in the world from everyone else?
Hard work is something that’s a given. Nobody should have to ask you to give 110% but that’s what you need to be willing to do and it’s up to you to do it. A lot of people have made careers by dedicating themselves to improve every single day, even if they didn’t have as much ability as some others.
Ultimately, the manager will select someone who they can trust and know that they will give their all – out on the pitch. Because in my experience it’s all about earning your managers’ trust. Once you earn that it’s up to you to produce your quality play and keep your shirt in the team.
What are your plans after retirement?
I haven’t really given a great deal of thought to my plans after my football career. I think I’d like to be a technical skills coach. When I was at Liverpool, we trained with Peter Hamburg. Peter had worked with Ajax in Holland and his sessions were the best I’ve ever had. So I think I’d like to go down that route.
What advice would you give a young player who hopes to play professionally?
My advice would be to believe in yourself. Confidence is key. You won’t be at the top of your game if you don’t believe you should be out there. And don’t let ANYbody ever tell you you’re not good enough!
Football is a game that’s full of opinions. Some of the best players in the world have been told that they’re not good enough at some point in their lives. Maybe that they were too small or not strong enough … they aren’t the right player for that certain coach.
Believe me when I say this. If you want it bad enough you will get there. Just don’t ever give up. A career in football is a path full of highs and lows. You will feel on top of the world one week and the next you could feel like you hit rock bottom.
But it’s how you bounce back and how determined you are to keep driving forward to achieving your goals that matters.
Oh and play futsal from a young age. All the big clubs in England now are introducing players to futsal because of the huge benefits it has to you.
