Why Premier League Players Are Using Private Individual Coaches — And Why You Should Too
- Ian McClurg - MSc Performance Coaching
- Oct 21
- 3 min read
In the modern game, the smallest margins separate good players from great ones. Across the Premier League, more and more professional footballers are investing in private individual coaches to improve their personal performance levels.
These players already train daily with elite clubs — yet they know that the extra 1-2% they gain from focused, one-on-one coaching can be the difference between keeping their place in the team and losing it.
If the best players in the world are doing it, shouldn’t you?
The Rise of Individual Coaching in the Professional Game
Top-flight footballers are now taking responsibility for their own development like never before. They work individually with specialist coaches — technical, tactical, physical, and even cognitive — to refine every aspect of their game.
Why? Because team training alone can’t meet every individual need. In a squad of 25 players, it’s impossible for club coaches to tailor every drill to each player’s unique strengths, weaknesses, and learning style. Private training fills that gap.
It allows professionals to:
Focus on specific weaknesses (e.g. weaker foot, acceleration, decision-making).
Reinforce strengths (e.g. first touch, positional play, or passing range).
Maintain sharpness during off-days, injury recovery, or international breaks.
Gain more detailed feedback and faster technical correction.
As one performance article put it:
“Elite players are now taking control of their own careers, investing in private coaching to find those extra margins that make the difference on match day.”
The Science of Marginal Gains
At the highest level, everyone trains hard. The difference lies in details: the speed of the first touch, the timing of a scan, the ability to execute under pressure.
Private one-on-one coaching delivers marginal gains — those 1-2% improvements that add up to major differences over time. A player who receives focused feedback, personalised drills, and measurable progress tracking week after week inevitably develops faster than those relying solely on team sessions.
That’s why Premier League footballers now hire private coaches for:
Technical refinement – precise, repetition-based drills for sharp ball control.
Position-specific work – role-based movements that match real-game patterns.
Cognitive training – improving scanning, decision-speed, and awareness.
Physical conditioning – building acceleration, agility, and durability.
It’s not about replacing club training — it’s about complementing it with personalized focus.
Why work with Ian McClurg Learn Perform Coaching
At Ian McClurg Learn Perform Coaching, we bring that same high-performance, data-driven model of player development to ambitious players in Canada and beyond. During the last 12 moths I have started working with players in the UK, USA and Australia, on an individual basis, to help prepare them for training and formal trials opportunities in the UK and Europe.
Our 1-on-1 Private Soccer Training Program gives players the opportunity to train like professionals — with a structured process used by elite academies across Europe.
Here’s what makes our approach different:
Individualized Player Analysis
Every player, after an initial training session, begins with a detailed performance review to identify technical, tactical, physical, and mental strengths and areas for improvement.
Personalized Learning Plan
We create a bespoke Individual Learning Plan (ILP) — tailored to a player's position, playing style, and long-term goals.
Professional-Level Coaching
You’ll work directly with a UEFA A Licensed Coach who has guided players to professional academies and clubs throughout the UK and Europe.
Measurable Results
We track progress using data — ensuring every session moves you closer to your performance goals.
Proven Pathway
Our players have trained, trialed, and signed with professional clubs overseas. The process works — if you put in the work.
Why Now Is the Right Time
Whether you’re aged 10 or 18+, the reality is clear: the game is evolving faster than ever. Players who rely only on team practices fall behind.
Private individual coaching gives you:
More contact hours with the ball.
Targeted development in areas your team can’t cover.
A structured path toward academy and professional standards.
And most importantly — it gives you the mindset of a professional.
If you want to separate yourself from the competition, it’s time to invest in your own development.