Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

06.28.16 Icelandic Lessons: Reflections on the Youth System that Produced a Triumph

Even before Iceland took the Euros by storm, miraculously qualifying from group F (above Portugal and Austria), and then stunning England yesterday in the round of 16, they were the story of the tournament. With a population of 330,000 or roughly that of Bakersfield, California, their qualification was considered a minor miracle. This caused journalist Jonathan…