Norway steer steady grassroots course to World Cup success

June 24 : Norway are riding the crest of a wave having made the knockout stage on their return to the World Cup after 28 years and for Norwegian Football Federation chief Lise Klaveness their success confirms their holistic approach to the game is paying off.

Much like the synchronised rowing celebration made famous by their fans, the Norwegians approach talent development with an emphasis on the collective working together, creating a system where young players stay with their local clubs under the guidance of volunteer coaches as long as possible.

"We don't have professionals in youth football - Erling (Haaland) was coached until he was a teenager by fully voluntary people, they don't get a dime for it, same with Martin (Odegaard, Norway captain), so then we have to pay back to them in some way," Klaveness told Reuters ahead of Norway's final Group I game against France on Friday.

The payback for those volunteers has been two World Cup games that have captivated the nation, with Haaland netting twice as Iraq were beaten 4-1, and he notched another double in the 3-2 win over Senegal that will extend their stay into the last 32 of the tournament.

"Our model in Norway, it's very much based upon the fact that grassroots and elite football are very interconnected. We don't scout and select players in their younger years ... we want them to stay in their local club as long as they can, so that we have dynamic, living, vital clubs everywhere in Norway," Klaveness explained.

During their 28-year absence from the blue riband event in men's soccer, Norway's women's team have continued to perform at a high level, and the NFF never considered deviating from the path of inclusion that underpins their overall model.

"It's not my idea - I inherited it. It's a huge consensus that, yes, we have academies, yes, we have scouting, yes, we have a national team football school et cetera, but we try to build quality clubs around the country," Klaveness said.

"This means that the grassroots clubs themselves can develop players so that they don't have to drive four or five hours to training, or move out of home early. And if you take away all the best players early, you know the club will fall away, so all our elite clubs are also grassroots clubs."

ACADEMIC APPROACH

Mark O'Sullivan, Associate Professor of Football at the School of Sports Science in Oslo, told Reuters the Norwegian approach is grounded in academic research and best practices.

"To live up to the idea of 'as many as possible, as long as possible, in as good an environment as possible', Norwegian football seeks to invest where it is really needed - out in the changing contexts, situations and limitations of the 'real world', where coaching, learning and performance take place with the aim of setting high standards without being standardised," he said.

For youngsters taking up the game, the focus is on having fun and game-based learning, rather than winning or losing matches, and since 2016 more than 500 artificial soccer pitches have been laid.

Capped 73 times by her country, Klaveness points to Norway's geography and climate as obstacles to overcome, and she is keen to stress that the broad base where everyone is welcome is where Norwegian football gets its strength.

"We want our national teams to qualify for big championships, but our model is built on solely volunteers. We have 1700 clubs, we're a small country ... it can never be in a different model, it has to be with this one. A bit slower, a bit bigger and more holistic, and we have to be very stubborn," Klaveness said.

"We want the clubs to be able to deliver top players, but also to have teams where you are welcome, even though you will never play one single professional game in your life."