Mitch Kavanagh empowers Gretna Elite Academy with Veo: Simplifying soccer and scoring goals
Frederik Hvillum
Southampton-born Mitch Kavanagh traveled to the United States as an 18-year-old kid to play soccer. Today, he is Director of Coaching at Nebraska’s Gretna Elite Academy, running the Girls ECNL program, and Assistant Coach at Creighton University Men’s Soccer.
For Mitch Kavanagh and Gretna Elite Academy, who’s been using Veo for the last five years, it’s important to have a clear philosophy throughout the club:
“It sounds simple, but for us, it's to score a lot of goals. And play with a purpose. There’s got to be a purpose in whatever you do. I think people can sometimes overcomplicate the game.”
Every team in Gretna Elite Academy has access to Veo. In a club with only a handful of full-time coaches, having Veo is crucial in the day-to-day work at the club.
“Being able to record every game's massive,” Mitch Kavanagh explains. “A lot of our coaches aren't in a full-time environment, and they have other jobs. So being able to have something that you know will record the game is massive. You don't have to worry about parents or volunteers. Veo does it all for you, and it's quality.”
When the club is recording every game, it’s also easier for the families – and even the coach – to watch the kids’ highlights without looking through the whole match.
“With the camera, it’s so easy to simplify the game. It's easy to find ways that you can look at things and really break it down without having to sit there and watch 90 minutes,” Mitch describes before he continues:
“I tell all our kids when I'm breaking down video, I'll watch it, speed up until I see something I find interesting. Then I clip it and send it out, and the players can look at it. It's easy enough for coaches that aren't in a full-time role.”
Video is also something that, according to Mitch Kavanagh, can give players and coaches confidence when seeing something you’ve been working on in training happen on the field.
“We might have lost this game today but look at this [the Veo recording]. Look at the chances we create. If we weren't creating chances, I would be worried, but the fact that we created ten chances, I'm fine with that. As long as we're creating chances, it's gonna come.”
Mitch Kavanagh sees more opportunities for the club, the family, and the players. It's not just about analyzing the game:
“You’ll have multiple options with the camera. For players, it’s an educational tool. Parents can post their kids on socials. It’s advertisement for the club. There are a lot of different tools in it. The advertisement aspect is huge.”
The fact that he finds the Veo camera simple and effective ties in with his earlier statement about how we sometimes overcomplicate soccer and that having a purpose is important in the game. By using the Veo camera, coaches can focus on what really matters – scoring goals and playing with a purpose. And this tool helps Mitch Kavanagh achieve those goals more effectively.
“It's really simple; it's not complicated. D’you know? It sounds stupid, but it's literally a green box that you start and stop, and it does a great job,” Mitch Kavanagh ends.
