EX Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell is hoping to change the football landscape forever with Elite Skills Arena.
Property developer Mitchell, who was chairman of the Cherries from 2009 to 2013, set up the technology company in 2014 and he’s been influencing the way top clubs train with his products.
Barcelona, Arsenal and Liverpool are just some of giants of the game that have embraced Mitchell’s vision.
While footballers including Cristiano Ronaldo, Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana have all championed his ideas.
Based in Poole, Dorset, Elite Skills Arena have a number of football training aids that are designed to improve player performance.
Their flagship product is the ICON, which puts you at the centre of a 32-foot diameter circle with panels featuring LED lighting.
The idea is to pass the ball and hit as many flashing objects within a set time-limit.
As well as the ICON, ESA have also created the Precision Wall -a product that aids the development of attacking attributes.
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SunSport sat down with Mitchell, an engaging pioneer who wants to improve the quality of football around the world with his inventions.
First, he told us how the idea came about.
“I don’t know if it was something that came subconsciously, but I remember drawing a sketch around five years ago of the ICON,” he told us.
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“I used to watch the Bournemouth team train from my office.
“Before the manager would come out, you could see the players on the pitch in a circle.
“They would be having a bit of fun with the ball, until the boss started the session.
“I could see that there were players that wanted to train and weren’t just going through the motions.
“It became apparent to me that those who want to practice their skills will do it correctly and they also deserve to train on their own.
“The ICON covers a huge percentage of the game. It allows you to pass and receive, open up your body, as well as improve your vision.
“More importantly, it’s something that you can use to practice on your own.”
Another impressive product Mitchell is proud of is their Precision Wall.
Designed for a number of shooting drills, the more accurate you are, the more points you score.
“The favourite thing the Precision Wall is used for is penalty taking,” Mitchell explained.
“In our showroom, we have a full-size goal set-up with a penalty spot in front of it, just like on a real pitch.
“We’ve got an electric beam across the penalty spot.
“You’ve got a certain amount of time before the lights go to one side.
“That’s to simulate where the goalkeeper has dived.
“And if you move the further ball forward from the penalty spot, it cuts down the time you need to think before you shoot.
“For me, it’s a better system than if you’re practising with a goalie.
“Because the movement, that split time you’ve got, is different to doing it with a lightbeam.
“You have to think faster and you can measure who can see the quickest with the points system.”
From his office, Mitchell can see where his ICONs are on a big screen.
Currently, he said, he has them placed with the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, Southampton, Ipswich and Hamburg.
“Barcelona have got the biggest one that we make, they’ve had it for 18-months and use it regularly,” he proudly revealed.
“Arsenal, Southampton, Ipswich have all got one too. There’s one in Hamburg being trialled at the moment.
“We’ve got two with Adidas, (Yannick) Bolasie’s got one in his garden, several in China and quite a few in America.”
But it’s the innovative thinking Barca who have taken things further.
“Barcelona have been trialling panels that they actually created themselves,” Mitchell revealed.
“They were so impressed by ICON they asked us to make certain things for them.
“We made a wireless panel and a wireless pass-through panel.
“So, there’s a panel with a hole in it that the ball gets through.
“That has a beam going across it that sets off other panels when you pass the ball through it.
“It has press panels, so if you make a mistake you have to leave the ball, run and press the light out.
“They’ve also got pass-over panels, (Lionel) Messi likes this, you chip the ball over the panel…
“We’ve got beams that, when the player chips the ball accurately over the panel, it sets off the light on another panel.
“It’s based out over a 40 meters (131 feet) space, which is the maximum we can go to, but it’s wireless.
“When we first took it, it had wires going around the perimeter. But they didn’t want those, so we had to create something different.”
When footballers are recuperating from injuries, they’re often isolated and have to work on their own.
The likes of Wilshere, Lallana and Yannick Bolasie have all had to battle back from long-term injury.
The Arsenal midfield player is a huge advocate for the ICON and believes it helps player rehabilitation.
“One of the things of coming back from injury is getting used to playing again,” Wilshere said in a testimonial for the brand.
“Getting used to the ball, getting your awareness back, the speed of the ball and the game… this can really help.”
Lallana was equally as generous with his praise for the ICON.
“The ICON is brilliant, especially for young players, for working on your technique,” he said.
“Nowadays, football is becoming more demanding technically.
“You can practice your receiving skills, which is one of the best assets you can improve on there.
“The way you take the ball off both sides, the way you let it run across your body, I feel that’s a big part of your game you can work on.”
Mitchell agrees with Wilshere’s assessment that the ICON is ideal for players returning from a long lay-off.
“I think it’s a great tool that could measure player fitness,” he said.
“When a player is match-fit and performing well, he’d be able to log in his scores and readings.
“And when they’re coming back from injury, they can see how match-fit they are and if they can match their previous scores.
“It’s a good monitor to see if you’re match-fit and sharp.”
Always thinking of ways to improve player’s training sessions, Mitchell has a number of clever concepts ESA have created.
“We’ve made a sport and training method that we’ve called Liftball, it’s like a cross between football and squash,” he told SunSport.
“There’s a Liftball beam, which goes around the arena, and you have to kick the ball above that line and only allow it to bounce once.
“If it hits the lights below the line, then you lose a point. It’s hugely beneficial for opening up the body.
“We’re in the process of designing a gantry for training sessions, so managers can see from above the action.
“We’ve also got a module being made in which a player can wear a watch and a wireless earpiece.
“The manager has eleven buttons on a box.
“During practice, rather than stopping the game and pointing out what is wrong, the manager can communicate with the players.
“For example, if the defensive line is too far back, he can press the buttons to the players and communicate to them through the earpiece.”
Mitchell thinks it won’t be long before clubs dedicate space on their training grounds for ICON specific areas.
And with prices ranging from £6,000 to £120,000, it’s open to clubs on both sides of the spectrum – from the elite down to grassroots.
With that said, Mitchell hopes that his inventions will improve the technique of stars in lower-league football around the country.
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“My ultimate aim here is to make a difference in football,” he said.
“I want to bridge the gap between grassroots and the top level, which means bringing the standard of lower football up.
“In turn, I hope that will create interest in lower level football.
“If you’re dedicated, and want to go through grassroots to the top, you will work as hard as you can to get there.
“My aim is to make a difference with ESA’s products and make that pathway easier.”
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