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Ajax takes IPSO Scouting and Analysis Courses

IPSO were pleased to deliver their very first one on one course to aspiring Ajax Cape Town scout Duan Baker who flew 8,500 miles all the way from Cape Town South Africa to England.

Duan is an aspiring scout and head of media at Ajax Cape Town, one of the biggest clubs in South Africa. When Duan was asked why he flew all the way to England, he stated he chose IPSO because he had “been monitoring IPSO from a far through social media for the last couple of years and as I work in the media side of things as well as scouting I know when something is professional and appealing. I chose IPSO because of all these qualities as they stand out from the rest for me. Was I pleased with my choice and decision, yes I couldn’t be more happy with the outcome and what I have learned in the last 3 days, to sum it up, amazing’’

This one on one course that IPSO delivered was a first and hopefully will be the first of many. Duan contacted us as his time was precious and he couldn’t make any of the course date’s that were on offer. He asked if we did a one on one course to which we said no but if we could help we would. We then decided to do a one on one course to see if it could work for all concerned. Worried that Duan may miss out on not making contacts from the course (as we deem this a big part of our courses) and certain activities that wouldn’t work without a group of students, Duan wasn’t fazed and explained “what I may miss in those areas I am 100% sure I’ve made up in other areas, how often do you get the chance to get the tutors (A Premier League Scout) undivided attention and special individual approach? I may have lost in one way with contacts but it’s all about what I personally need at this moment in time in my career and this is exactly what I needed. I wanted to improve in scouting, in observation, tactics, player profiling and many other areas that IPSO teach on their courses, they delivered in abundance.’’

This course requires an individual like Duan who is determined and passionate about scouting. While we challenged him with difficult questions and scenarios he too asked insightful questions and we all gained from this individualized course. Duan could be classified as a new generation scout as he asked very insightful questions based on statistics and the blend of old school scouting. As he comes from South Africa it poses its own set of challenges for scouts as the infrastructure is different from European standards. This course challenged both student and tutor adding an extra layer to the IPSO courses.

As this was the first course of its kind and with the large amount of individual attention we are now going to call it a ‘’FAST TRACK’’. We delivered the TID course and the Level 1 course together one after the other. The two courses would normally take 4 days but when it’s on a one on one basis it turns out to be shorter and can be delivered in 3 days. We believe this may become popular to people who can’t make the courses at weekends or at certain times and would like the courses in their time, mid-week instead of weekend, their date their time. They say when they would like it and we provide the tutor. Every individual customer wanting the FAST TRACK course would have to contact us and discuss the course depending on what they want and where they would like it delivered, it is all in the customers hands IPSO will deliver.

Duan continued with his comments on IPSO ‘’I was so impressed with everything about the company. I am now planning on bringing them back to South Africa as the knowledge they share would be valuable and add a new dynamic to South African scouting. When I say share I mean share IPSO, the tutor left no stone unturned and delivered the courses in a very strong and passionate way that you couldn’t help but admire, showing that they are willing to give you everything they know.’’

Duan Baker, Ajax Cape Town