How Tom Byer’s philosophy — and NCE Soccer’s player-centered approach — prove that talent isn’t born, it’s built.
Natural ability in football is often mistaken for early development. Drawing on Tom Byer’s Football Starts at Home and NCE Soccer’s player-centered philosophy, John Curtis explains how early play builds the foundation for true, lasting talent.
Introduction
We love to talk about “natural talent,” but what if talent isn’t something we’re born with? What if it’s something built — long before structured training even begins? Drawing on Tom Byer’s Football Starts at Home and our work at NCE Soccer, I’ve come to see how early play — not early selection — shapes the athletes of tomorrow.
Natural ability in football is often mistaken for early development. Drawing on Tom Byer’s Football Starts at Home and NCE Soccer’s player-centered philosophy, John Curtis explains how early play builds the foundation for true, lasting talent.
Football Starts at Home: Why Early Play Beats “Natural Ability”
For years, I believed that talent was something you were born with. I thought ability was hard-wired — a gift you either had or didn’t. But over time, through experience, reflection, and books like Bounce by Matthew Syed and Football Starts at Home by Tom Byer, my perspective completely changed.
I realized that what we call “natural ability” is really just early development.
Children who grow up surrounded by sport — who are encouraged to play, to explore, and to move — develop the core physical and technical competencies that later get mistaken for talent. These foundations don’t start at the training ground or in structured coaching environments. They start at home.
The Power of Early Play
Before a child can even walk, they’re learning balance and coordination. Those instincts are shaped through play — being rolled a ball, crawling after it, wrestling with dad, running, climbing, falling, and getting back up again. These moments develop agility, coordination, and the physical literacy that every future athlete depends on.
Tom Byer’s Football Starts at Home captures this perfectly. His research and experience show that the foundation for football excellence isn’t built at the academy — it’s built in the living room, the garden, and the hallway. Parents, not coaches, play the most critical role in the earliest years.
At NCE Soccer, we’ve seen the same principles come to life on the field. The players who thrive aren’t necessarily the strongest or fastest — they’re the ones who grew up playing, experimenting, and learning through repetition and joy. That love of the ball — not fear of mistakes — is what separates those who continue to develop from those who plateau.
Parents as the First Coaches
When I think back to my own childhood, it all makes sense. I grew up in a sport-mad family. Footballs, cricket balls, golf balls — they were everywhere. My parents were active, and my sister — herself an England field hockey player — and I were always outside, kicking, throwing, racing, or inventing games. That constant exposure made movement natural and built a coordination advantage long before any formal training began.
Byer’s work reinforces this idea — that parents don’t need to be experts. They just need to create an environment where a child wants to play. A ball rolling around the kitchen floor, a parent joining in rather than observing — that’s where football really starts.
This philosophy sits at the heart of everything we do at NCE Soccer. Whether it’s a weekly training session or one of our winter tournaments, our environment is built to let players express themselves — to make decisions, take risks, and learn without fear of failure. It’s structured, but it feels like play. Because real development happens when players are engaged, free, and enjoying the game.
Changing the Conversation
If we truly want to develop the next generation of players, we have to move beyond the myth of natural ability. We need to focus on giving children rich, playful, movement-filled childhoods. The earlier we do this, the better prepared they are — not just to play football, but to develop the physical literacy and confidence that underpin all sport.
The best academies in the world can’t replace what happens in those first few years at home. Byer’s philosophy — that football starts with parents, not coaches — should be a cornerstone of how we think about player development.
I’ve seen this play out firsthand — not just in my own playing career, but as a parent. My oldest son, Tom Curtis, is now a professional rugby player with Sale Sharks. His journey didn’t begin on a rugby pitch. It began at home — in the garden, on the driveway, kicking and throwing any ball he could get his hands on. Before he ever learned the technicalities of rugby, he’d already developed balance, coordination, and a love of movement through play.
That’s the real message behind Football Starts at Home.
It’s not just about football. It’s about setting the foundation for whatever sport — or passion — a child may choose. Because talent isn’t born. It’s built.
And it starts with play.
