Albirex Niigata targets youth football development in Singapore with ‘Ekkono’ method

SINGAPORE – Fifteen years ago, Albirex Niigata chairman Daisuke Korenaga took a trip to the headquarters of Ekkono Soccer Services Barcelona (ESSB) and was instantly captivated by the “Ekkono” method they used to drive youth development.

Vowing to bring it to Singapore, he made it a reality on Tuesday when Albirex announced a three-year partnership – worth a five-figure sum – with international football consultancy company ESSB.

Korenaga, who joined Albirex (Singapore) in 2008, said: “Even though we did not enter into a partnership at that time, I was amazed by the great theory and the practice. I felt it was a revolution in football.”

As president of Albirex Niigata (Japan) from 2019 to 2020, Korenaga oversaw the successful implementation of the Ekkono method during his time at the club.

The Japanese outfit ended a five-year stay in the second division by winning the 2022 J2 title and currently sit 13th in J1.

“I saw the group organisation change at an incredible speed at Niigata (Japan). The speed of play changed dramatically. I believe that is possible in Singapore,” he added.

“We hope to create a new generation of players who can compete at the highest level, which will lead to a more competitive and exciting Singapore football scene to produce future stars of the game.”

In operation for more than 20 years, ESSB’s unique Ekkono method – which offers resources to help football clubs build their football identity – has also been employed by major European clubs Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, as well as the national teams of Thailand and Japan.

It involves four major pillars – talkmade, smartfielder, co-learning and committees. These pillars focus on defining a football club’s culture through implementing a consistent methodology in their game model, style of play and training pedagogy.

It provides an individual performance programme focused on game understanding, encouraging players to not only understand their coach’s ideas but also to explain details of their game model or training drill to teammates.

ESSB chief executive officer Miquel Farrerons said: “Mr Korenaga and I have known each other for a while and we believe in his passion and vision about developing football in Singapore, which is why for us it’s an amazing pleasure to join this partnership.

“We will give our best to help this club and help this country to grow its football.

“Arriving to a new club, it means partnering with local people and supporting them to make this club better. It’s now time to understand what would be the best strategy to implement changes.

“But what is most important is these changes will not happen unless the local coaches are willing to make these changes.”

These changes are set to benefit Albirex’s centre of excellence youth teams, including the Under-21s, U-17s and U-15s. While Albirex have previously recruited players from Japan, they are set to include more Singaporean players in their senior team.

In the 2023 Singapore Premier League season, only five Singaporeans – Hassan Sunny, Nicky Melvin Singh, Junki Yoshimura, Shakthi Vinayagavijayan and Hilman Norhisam – have featured.

Albirex general manager Koh Mui Tee added: “One of the biggest things our current Singapore players need to improve on is tactical awareness. When our Japanese players communicate with our Singapore players, sometimes they have to teach them where and how to run and how to position themselves.

“With the Ekkono method, one of the pillars involves smart midfielders – teaching our players how to be smarter, play better and fit into the team’s tactics. This is something we need in Albirex Niigata.”