the Raumdeuter.

In 2011, Thomas Müller gave an interview on a German talk show, where he was asked by the host to describe his role on the pitch. He responded with the word ‘Raumdeuter’. While not particularly strong, fast or technically gifted compared to other players of his calibre, this newly coined description of Müller’s role characterises a type of player unable to be seen by the untrained eye. It would seem even an experienced professional would struggle to pinpoint what makes Müller great. Pundits and coaches alike seem unable to fully understand the Raumdeuter’s elusive traits and one simple question arises: do we value what we can not see?

Our mission is to search, explore and understand human development in football. We will look to connect science, theory and practice. We will navigate the winding road of development together, unpacking the myths and truths of the football world. We will bring together the experience of industry professionals and new ideas from the pioneers of youth development. We will discern both opinion and fact, successes and failures, past, present and future ideologies; all in the name of constructive discourse that will evidentially lead us to learn and improve, and create an environment where our players can thrive.

And in true, Raumdeuter style, we will look to uncover the secrets of what makes people great within the game that we all love.

the Raumdeuter is here to create a positive discourse among all coaches, players and football lovers from all over the world, we hope you enjoy and actively encourage you to challenge any ideas conflicting with your own, regardless of what level of the game you find yourself to be a part of.