Petar Karachorov is the director of DYUSh in Pirin. Occupies the post from the beginning of 2022 year. He is finishing his football career in Pirin, after that 10 has been a coach in children's and youth football for years. from 2019 holds a UEFA A license and holds a master's degree from the NSA – "Sport for excellence" – specialty Football.
Here are his answers about the work in DYUR in Pirin:
– Mr. Karachorov, until recently you were a coach, you are now the head of the Pirin school. What are the specifics of both positions?
– There are many things in common and at the same time very different. Almost 10 I was a coach of teenagers for years and at that time I went through all ages. I started with the little ones – from Football 5 and I got to the senior coach. In all these years the most important credo, what I got is, that I have to constantly demand from the players and from myself. In my current position, I come to the same conclusion again, that I have to demand a lot from the coaches and from myself. I believe, that everyone, who wants to develop in a field, you need to set high goals and constantly improve. The difference between the coaching profession and my current position is, that the responsibility is much greater. Purely organizational and administrative, I have many more tasks, which I have to decide.
– What were your goals when you took office half a year ago??
– I set very high goals, which I am trying to accomplish. One of the most important things was to introduce a unified method of work, in which there is consistency. Each coach is given guidelines and ways of working, which are united in our common philosophy for the development of young footballers. Coaches have the freedom to impose their ideas and views, but everything falls within the general framework of our methodology, as well as that of the first team.
Another important goal is to improve the work of coaches organizationally, as well as to acquire more coaching staff, to be able to work in more detail with children. We have increased the number of fitness coaches and goalkeeping coaches, hoping to have the opportunity from the new season to have assistants in some garnishes.
The main goal, which I set out to do is to prepare players for the first team. Coaches need to train them that way, that when they get a chance, to be able to use it. Youth and men's football is very different and our players must be very well prepared physically, which has always been a major obstacle to this transition.
– What are the interactions and communication between the first team and the school?
– More than excellent! I am very pleased, that the head coach of the first team Radoslav Mitrevski is constantly interested in and monitors teenagers from the school. It is becoming more and more common to accustom our talents to men. It is commendable for the coach, that gave a few guys a chance 17-18 years even to debut in the First League. He is the man, who decides whom to vote of confidence and I hope to stay in office for a long time, because we have the patience to develop and impose our staff.
I am very impressed by the newly appointed president - Stanislav Manolev and sports director - Svetoslav Dyakov. As soon as they took office, they took an interest in the current situation and problems at the school and committed themselves in every way to interact and help us.. This makes me very happy, because first they are examples of the successful path of a teenager in Pirin. Besides, I'm convinced, that the future is in the hands of young and ambitious people, as they undoubtedly are.
– What are the problems, which you encountered when you came to the school in Pirin?
– The main problem during the winter is the lack of artificial terrain. I encountered this from the very beginning of my work, when there was snowfall, both coaches and children had difficulty with the normal conduct of the training process. This pressing issue is being discussed and I am sure, that it will be resolved in the near future.
Another thing, which makes an unpleasant impression on me, that the emphasis is much more on the negative, than on the positive. In case of losses, the teams are seriously criticized, coaches, the guide, while with positive performances and individual development of certain players, The "benefactors" remain silent.
– How challenging it is to be the head of a school with such a glorious history?
– I accept it as a great responsibility and commitment. Knowing how many footballers came from the Pirin school, I set a goal, although quite ambitious, to return to those times. Our young footballers have to make their way to the children's school, to establish themselves in the first team and only then to seek greater development in their careers. There is a lot of evidence for that with the current football players of Pirin - Nikolay Bodurov, Petar Zanev, Stanislav Kostov, as well as the recent ones - Stanislav Manolev and Svetoslav Dyakov, who started from our school, broke into the first team, they made excellent careers and reached the national team. Pirin has given them the way to develop as footballers and personalities, and they are now rewarded as they end their careers at the club. Of course, I hope Slavi Kostov will play for a few more years at a high level, because he is a few years younger than the others listed.
– What would you like the talents from the Pirin school to know about the realization of their big dream - to become professional footballers?
– The main things, what you need to focus on is a lot of work and dedication to the idea. Team training, which they conduct are extremely insufficient. Responsible footballers know, that they can and need to train further, to stay after a workout, to work individually, to eat properly and follow a regimen. We talk all the time, that Bulgarian adolescents are drastically falling behind physically, compared to foreign ones, therefore all leaders, coaches and players need to pay serious attention to this aspect and significantly improve all physical indicators. This does not mean, that children and adolescents must be "terrorized" through outdated ways of working with murderous escapes to failure. There are already modern methods, with which power can be improved, speed-power and other physical qualities.
The key is complete dedication to the work of footballers, coaches and parental support.
– At what level are the training bases of DYUSh in Pirin?
– I can safely say, that in the period March / October the school of Pirin has bases, which are in the top 3 To Bulgaria. The current state of the grasslands in Rilci, Rila and Padesh, is very good to excellent. Here is the opportunity for coaches and children to work hard and develop with each other. Knowing, that many of the top schools in Bulgaria in this period train on artificial terrain, I am convinced, that our children are privileged to use the good conditions of natural grass. Of course, that in the winter months we are in difficulty, when the terrain is not in such good condition, but we all know what will solve our problems. As all school coaches are convinced, I am of the same opinion, that an artificial terrain of standard dimensions is needed. We have the assurance of the governing factors, that we are working hard in this direction and I hope, that there will soon be a solution to our problem. Did that happen?, nor I, nor will the coaches have any justification for achieving our goals, namely the building of quality footballers.
– What are the goals from now on at the head of DYUS in Pirin?
– To begin with, I set myself shorter and more achievable goals. I want the children and their parents to be safe, that Pirin is the right place for them. We have to convince them with work, that the turnover of talented footballers, must stop. I hope that all the most talented children in the region are also convinced, that we have the right place for their career development. I have known about many children in recent years, who skip Pirin and go to much lower ranked schools than ours. I hope the time comes, in which again the children from our region will be honored and privileged to wear the T-shirt of Pirin.