In the first of two exclusive sessions with Coaches’ Voice, former Chelsea academy coach Ed Brand covers the hugely important topic of developing players for first-team football through the professional development phase.

In a spell of more than 20 years at Chelsea, Brand coached some of the club’s most successful youth teams. During that time, he was central to the development of players including Reece James, Marc Guéhi, Mason Mount, Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher. Here, he calls upon his experiences in a fascinating presentation that focuses specifically on working with players within the professional development phase. Areas of focus range from tactical and technical development to authentic and honest communication, and the importance of embracing the desire to win.

Brand then expands on some of his thoughts in conversation with Coaches’ Voice head of content, Tony Hodson. The second session, focusing on his later role as loan technical coach at Chelsea, is coming soon.