Jonathan Harding is a freelance sports journalist who specialises in German football. He writes predominantly for Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, but has also contributed to the likes of FourFourTwo, Rabona Magazine and 11 Freunde.

Germany has a reputation for being the place where young footballers get the chance to develop, but what about coaches? Speaking to different coaches and members of staff across the country, Jonathan's book 'Mensch - Beyond the cones' outlines the attributes that make the German coach development system special.

In this conversation we explore many of the insights contained within the book including:

- How coaching in Germany goes beyond the stereotypical view of German culture towards a holistic human centred philosophy.
- How coaches are innovating and using technology to identify 'talent that whispers'.
- The way the German football system is embracing a game based philosophy at the grass roots using ideas devised from the world of field hockey.

Hope you enjoy

A link to Jonathan's book is here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mensch-Beyond-Cones-Jonathan-Harding/dp/1910906182