The way to Neverland

Everybody loves a fairy tale. For the past month, everybody – or at least those who switched on their TV or went online at some point – watched in amazement as Iceland sailed through the European Championships. Match after match they showed an impressive sense of pride, organisation, and spirit, knocking out England in the process, until reality struck back when they were beaten by France in the quarter-finals encounter. 

Throughout, the leitmotif for the Maltese audience has been that nagging, almost guilt-ridden but ultimately hopeful question: can we ever hope to do something similar?

We’ve all debated the question. Football fans and indifferent onlookers alike have sought to put their fingers on what makes Icelanders so successful. The oft-cited statistics are indeed extraordinary. An investment into a dozen or so ‘football houses’ – or indoor pitches – and over 110 artificial pitches scattered around the island. Practically, there is a football pitch (full-sized or smaller) in every village and in every school. All publicly funded. Read that again.

To make the best use of this infrastructure there are over 600 highly-qualified football coaches, or one for every 550 persons (in England the ratio is 1 for every 11,000). These coaches come from different backgrounds: from teachers to political scientists, mechanics and professionals (the Iceland national coach is a part-time dentist). 

Impressive as all this may be, I still think Iceland’s (over)achievement is for us and others not only a lesson in football but also a manifestation of resolve that a nation can be capable of when really willing to excel. It boils down to a mindset, a way of looking at oneself in relation to others. The big question is whether this attitude is simply innate or whether it can be nurtured. If yes, how?

Would Malta make it if it ticked all the boxes in terms of investment and long-term planning? If we were to go by Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000-Hour Rule”, the answer would be positive. The key to achieving elite level in any skill – the theory goes – is a matter of practising intensively. The nature vs nurture debate is, however, much more complex and that is why it is as old as physical competition. The quality of training is as important as the quantity, and still it might not be enough. In his book “The Sports Gene”, David Epstein acknowledges that genetics does help, along with the right amount of hard work.

In Malta, comparing similarly qualified coaches (so-called UEFA B licensed or higher), the per capita ratio would work out at around 1:2,000. If we had to include coaches in possession of the next licence tier, that would increase to a closer 1:840. We are not far off from having a football pitch in every locality (ok, perhaps not in every school). And yet, we feel we’re getting nowhere near any dizzy heights at elite levels.

On the other hand, one cannot overlook a number of success stories we have at individual level in different disciplines, not just sport. Of course, there are many, many more factors to take into consideration. 

That’s the whole point, really. Any prospect of advancing in any sphere of activity (you can here replace football with any other sport, art, or endeavour) rests on a much wider and more holistic set of attributes. So where does this leave us? Certainly, duty bound to do whatever is in our control to maximise our potential: sound long-term planning, setting specific and measurable objectives in developing and managing our game, and crucially challenging ourselves to attain levels previously deemed out of our reach. Each and every one of us, in whatever we do. We have, after all, risen to the occasion several times in the past.

It is strange how the Iceland story stole the thunder of equally amazing performers such as Wales, Northern Ireland or even Albania, in themselves sporting miracles just by making it to the Euros. I have seen far fewer analyses and features on their successes. These Championships have shown that having more teams compete in the final tournament was not a bad idea after all – the so-called minnows fared more than well.

There is great intrinsic value in the process that leads to excellence, in doing one’s best for love of the endeavour rather than expecting short-term fast results. So throw in some luck and hope would be the last to die. But fortune favours the brave. How brave and willing are we, and ultimately, will that be enough?

Angelo Chetcuti was invited by MaltaToday to comment on the European Championships. He is currently running for vice-president of the Malta Football Association