{"id":1144,"date":"2019-07-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/reports\/creating-a-sense-of-identity-and-purpose-at-chelsea-and-burnley\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:12:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:12:30","slug":"emma-hayes-sean-dyche","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/emma-hayes-sean-dyche\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Sense of Identity and Purpose at Chelsea and Burnley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Jul 25, 2019 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Creating a Sense of Identity and Purpose at Chelsea and Burnley<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Coaching & Development<\/a> <\/div>\n
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Five key takeaways from Emma Hayes and Sean Dyche\u2019s session at 2017 Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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Emma Hayes\u2019 take on the coach-player dynamic in soccer\u00a0<\/span>goes some way to\u00a0<\/span>explain<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0why players must be permitted to have an input at our Sport Performance Summit, London 2017.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Get into preparation mode and join us for this year’s Sport Performance Summit at Twickenham Stadium on 12-13 November for more in-depth insight to challenge your thinking. Click here<\/a> to find out more.<\/p>\n

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By John Portch\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

The Chelsea Women\u2019s Head Coach\u00a0<\/span>broaches<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the topic in an<\/span>\u00a0all too common\u00a0<\/span>context<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for her accomplished side:<\/span>\u00a0opponents set up with a low defensive block. \u201cWe have to create and adapt to playing against terms that sit in their half the entire time and I find it incredibly challenging as a coach to do that,\u201d she t<\/span>old<\/span>\u00a0an audience at the 2017 Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The players<\/span>, those tasked with winning the match, are a\u00a0<\/span>crucial<\/span>\u00a0part of the solution<\/span>. \u201cAs I\u2019ve always said, I watch the game laterally, they watch it horizontally, so I might see spaces in between certain lines and they might see it another way.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hayes\u00a0<\/span>was<\/span>\u00a0joined onstage\u00a0<\/span>that afternoon\u00a0<\/span>by Sean Dyche<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the Manager of English Premier League Burnley<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0as the pair discussed the creation of team identities and their efforts to sustain a sense purpose.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here we<\/span>re<\/span>\u00a0five\u00a0<\/span>key\u00a0<\/span>takeaways:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. A clear purpose provides focus. And much more besides<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Dyche arrived at Burnley in 2012 he did not make bold promises. \u201cThe only thing I could guarantee was sweat on the shirt \u2013 players who will give you everything,\u201d he recalled.<\/span>\u00a0The Clarets, who are about to embark on their\u00a0fourth consecutive year in the English Premier League, are particularly noted for their defensive resilience. The hard-running style advocated by Dyche is a product of the values he espouses. \u201cThere\u2019s got to be a line that runs through your beliefs,\u201d he explains. \u201cThere has to be a base tactical position for a team in order for them to earn a result.\u201d Dyche knows his charges cannot go head to head with champions Manchester City but neither do the club nor the fans, who cherish the top-tier status Dyche continually delivers. \u201cWe know what we are and we\u2019re proud of it. My players know what it\u2019s brought them off the pitch. Money comes and goes but what about your name being written in stone at the club? I\u2019ve got players at Burnley who will be written into the annals of the club in 20 years\u2019 time. That\u2019s a powerful thing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Staff\u00a0<\/span><\/b>must drive a club\u2019s sense of purpose<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hayes is able to point to\u00a0<\/span>five major<\/span>\u00a0trophies in her\u00a0<\/span>seven<\/span>\u00a0years at the helm but it was not a winning side she inherited in\u00a0<\/span>2012<\/span>. The environment needed to\u00a0<\/span>change<\/span>\u00a0and her staff were key. \u201cThey had barely won any\u00a0<\/span>games<\/span>\u00a0so you have to create that team identity to begin with,\u201d she remembered. \u201cYou have to learn that at such a large club \u2013 and Chelsea are like a conglomerate \u2013 you have to take responsibility within your departments.\u201d It was incumbent on Hayes to educate the players who thought \u2018the club\u2019 was something larger or abstract. \u201c\u2018I\u2019m the club, you\u2019re the club\u2019,\u201d she would tell them. A change in mindset often starts with the staff and from there the team could build a sense of collective purpose.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Affect the person and you can affect the performance<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dyche<\/span>\u00a0argued that you can make your players feel valued by working to build rapport and trust with the group. \u201c<\/span>My way of working is if you can affect the person you can affect the performance<\/span>,\u201d he explained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cB<\/span>efore I worry about formation<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0I\u2019m thinking what level of rapport can I gain with the players, what\u2019s going to make them understand that it\u2019s about them not me? I\u2019ll give everything for them to improve them and help them get better. It takes a while<\/span>, however,<\/span>\u00a0to get to the environment where the culture becomes set.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Self-learners drive better learning<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Make the players feel valued by inviting constructive feedback\u00a0<\/span>and performance input\u00a0<\/span>helps to establish a shared purpose at Chelsea.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Once a week we\u2019ll put a couple of games on a remote server that they can watch on their phone<\/span>,\u201d said Hayes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>We don\u2019t tell them to watch it, we just tell them it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>there. We then put them into different groups. They\u2019ll come in on a Wednesday morning with their notepads and they might have very centred questions around five phases of the opposition\u2019s play where they\u2019re educating the room about it<\/span>. <\/span>We\u2019ve found that our players are watching more games now by giving them responsibility<\/span>\u00a0and t<\/span>hey\u2019re getting more confident<\/span>\u00a0when<\/span>\u00a0they present\u00a0<\/span>back\u00a0<\/span>to the group<\/span>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. The best clich\u00e9s often ring true<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Taking it one game at a time\u2019 is a standard mantra in English soccer but such a clear message can be impactful on the pitch.\u00a0<\/span>Dyche said: \u201cAs long as you are clear and you follow it through then it becomes a reality; I actually work on the next game, plan for the next game, after that game we sometimes debrief it sometimes we let the players have their time to bring their own conclusions and then we focus on the next step, which is the next game.\u201d He also argued that the media have a role. \u201cNow behind all of that, I\u2019ve equally said through the media that of course there\u2019s planning at board level and of the staff,\u201d he explained, \u201cbut the focus for the players is almost \u2018don\u2019t run too far\u2019. We know who we are and we know each challenge as it comes and the next one is the most important one. We\u2019ve just constantly reinforced how important that is, added the detail you need to stay focused.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Download the latest Leaders Performance Institute Special Report<\/strong><\/p>\n

Navigating the Data Maze: From Raw Numbers to Actionable Insights<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n

\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five key takeaways from Emma Hayes and Sean Dyche\u2019s session at 2017 Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1145,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categories":[22],"pathway":[],"topic":[],"sport":[],"class_list":["post-1144","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coaching-development-performance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCreating a Sense of Identity and Purpose at Chelsea and Burnley - Performance Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/emma-hayes-sean-dyche\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creating a Sense of Identity and Purpose at Chelsea and Burnley - Performance Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Five key takeaways from Emma Hayes and Sean Dyche\u2019s session at 2017 Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/emma-hayes-sean-dyche\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Performance Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-15T05:12:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1040951086.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2038\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1093\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/emma-hayes-sean-dyche\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/emma-hayes-sean-dyche\/\",\"name\":\"Creating a Sense of Identity and Purpose at Chelsea and Burnley - 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