In June 2026, Marianna participated in an Erasmus+ job-shadowing mobility hosted by Titanes Kalamatas in Greece. The mobility formed part of our Spatial Intelligence Enhancement Project in Sports Education, in the context of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
Marianna focuses on the educational and pedagogical elements of our methodologies and on how children learn and develop through sport and play. Kalamata therefore offered an ideal environment to explore a more community-based approach to grassroots football, with strong emphasis on younger children, participation and enjoyment.
The programme focused on:
- Observing training sessions with young players.
- Age-appropriate coaching and communication.
- Learning through play and player-centred activities.
- Spatial awareness, scanning and decision-making exercises.
- Group and individual player development.
- Session planning and post-training reflection with academy coaches.
A particularly valuable aspect was seeing how a grassroots academy can create a positive development environment through simple, well-structured activities, committed coaches and a clear philosophy, without depending on the resources available in larger professional clubs.
Marianna's reflection:
“This experience reminded me how important it is for children to enjoy football while they are learning. Good coaching is not only about the exercise itself, but about how we communicate, engage the child and create an environment where they feel confident to explore and make decisions. I returned with practical ideas that can strengthen the educational and playful elements of our own methodologies.”
The mobility gave Marianna new perspectives on combining play, education and football development and on adapting spatial-awareness principles to younger ages. These insights will contribute directly to the continued development of our grassroots methodologies.
We sincerely thank Titanes Kalamatas and their coaching team for their hospitality and openness, and the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union for supporting meaningful knowledge exchange in grassroots sport.