Football: Interview with Rovers FC assistant coach Reza Henry Udwadia |23 December 2023

Coach Udwadia with the young players of Rovers FC (Photo: Contributed)

From second division to playing World Cup qualifiers

Rovers FC assistant coach Reza Henry Udwadia knows a thing or two about nurturing talent. After a stint with the club in 2021/22, he embarked on a journey through various European and Middle Eastern academies, honing his skills and acquiring his UEFA B license.

Now back at Rovers, coach Udwadia’s passion for development is evident. As the Seychelles leagues take a breather for Christmas, we sat down with him to explore the club’s unique philosophy and what sets them apart in the local football landscape.

Six Rovers players, all very young and from a second division club, represented Seychelles against powerhouses like Ivory Coast and Kenya in the recent World Cup qualifiers.

Question: What’s behind this remarkable feat?

Reza Udwadia: I wouldn’t call it magic, but it certainly reflects the dedication and talent brewing within Rovers. While the national team selection surprised some, it’s a testament to the unique training and development environment we’ve nurtured here.

Question: Unique? Can you elaborate on what sets Rovers apart from other clubs, especially those in the top tier?

Reza Udwadia: At Rovers, we believe in nurturing potential, regardless of age, and investing heavily in local player development. Everything about our club is focused on developing and improving our players and helping them achieve their maximum. We do this by making sure they have access to qualified coaches, good training facilities, quality equipment and access to modern technologies like video and GPS trackers.

Question: We have seen this season that you have played with a very young squad. What challenges does that bring?

Reza Udwadia: At Rovers we believe that if you are good enough you are old enough. And if you are putting in the hard work and effort then you will get the chance you deserve. The average age of our first team squad in the league this season has been around 22 years old and we have 16-year-olds regularly making appearances for us. This playing time helps young players develop quicker and is definitely one of the reasons why they are attractive options for the national team selection, now and for the future. Of course we also have youth teams in every age category, so some of the youngsters are not only playing first team football but also in their appropriate age category. The more minutes they can get the better and the quicker they can gain that on-field experience to help them to mature.

Question: The use of technology seems to be behind in local football. Can you tell us more about the benefits of what you are doing with video and the GPS trackers?

Reza Udwadia: We heard recently from national team head coach Ralph Jean-Louis about their targets, for example, how many kilometres they needed to run during their international matches. This put some spotlight on the physical part of the modern game of football. I assume coach Jean-Louis was looking to bring our national team in line with averages produced by players at the highest level. The GPS trackers are vests worn by our players which can measure this in matches but also in training. Distance covered is one of the metrics but there are other important ones such as the number and distance of sprints made in the match. We have been using these vests domestically to track our players’ physical progress and help them to reach those of international players but also to be able to manage their training load and prevent injuries.

The video part is equally important as we film all of our matches be it in the league, cup, friendlies, youth level; all! These videos allow our coaches to analyse and review both the team tactically and players individually. We then use this information to help the players adjust and improve where they need to. Our players also have access to this video and will do their self-reflections on their performance after matches. Video analysis is such an important part of the modern game and can really accelerate development – both of players and coaches. On the other hand, it also gives our players a library of their matches which can be very useful for attracting potential scouts and trials internationally. Video of matches is a must for any serious international club to accept a player on a trial. Our players have the benefit of having access to that.

Question: The video camera you use seems to not require a person to operate it. How does it work?

Reza Udwadia: The camera we have is specially made for football. It is able to work autonomously and follow the ball around the pitch by itself. It also automatically measures important match data like possession, shots on goal, passes completed and corners. It also automatically makes highlights of every individual statistic so you are really able to drill down and watch what you are interested in. It’s a really powerful tool for both the coaches and the players.

Question: You mentioned preparing young players for potential international trials. Tell us more about that.

Reza Udwadia: We would love nothing more than to see players from our club make it as professional footballers overseas. We have been working hard to establish links with clubs overseas to open these doors for our players. Most importantly they ask us to provide them with match videos and physical data of the players. This is possible because of our camera and GPS trackers. No serious club or scout will entertain players without receiving these two things. We are lucky to have these technologies at Rovers and our players can benefit from them. Ultimately, the decision for who makes it and who doesn’t lies with the foreign clubs but we strive to prepare our players in the best possible way so they stand a chance. The environment and all the conditions are there at Rovers for the players to take advantage of and in the end it’s really how hard they are willing to work and how dedicated they are willing to be. We really hope to see them make it one day.

Question: We have heard concerns in the past that our local players cannot compete with their international colleagues because they are amateurs with jobs away from football which limit their footballing time. How can we counteract that?

Reza Udwadia: Ultimately we should be looking to elevate the local leagues to a higher standard which helps us to professionalise the game. That will take a huge effort from the whole football family to achieve. As for Rovers as a club, we have been trying to set a training environment which is similar to that of a professional club or academy overseas. We have introduced morning training sessions as well as gym access for all of our players. The morning sessions are set in a way to allow even those at work and school to attend. This almost doubles the training time for our players and results in them developing faster like those abroad. The gym sessions we provide let our players develop their strength and conditioning which is often neglected in our local football but no professional player can go without it. These are some of the things our club does to try and bridge the gap between us and those overseas. The environment we made at Rovers is there for those players who want to take football seriously and they just need to apply themselves to reap the benefits.

Question: There was criticism by some recently regarding too much focus on the physical aspect of the game and that more emphasis needs to be put on the technical and tactical side. What are your thoughts?

Reza Udwadia: All of these elements are very important. We should be looking to improve all three of those areas. Technical ability is something we work heavily on in our youth academy. It is the foundation which helps you to be able to achieve higher tactical output on the field. It allows you to play more complex systems and perform more complex patterns on the pitch. The physical side is equally important as the demands and speed of the game have increased so much over the years. I already mentioned what Rovers is doing with GPS vests and gym access for our players to aid with this but we also make sure to educate our players on taking care of their bodies as athletes, specifically about nutrition and supplements. It’s important they understand the importance of what their body needs before training and matches and what it needs after for recovery. Our players have access to supplement gels for all of their matches both during warm-up and at half time – just like you would see in professional leagues abroad.

Question: Thank you for sharing the time with us and we hope you have success in the second round of the season with your young and exciting team.

Reza Udwadia: Thank you. The second round will be very important for us to improve our league position and keep developing our local players to help our national team!

Contributed