The Concept of Strategic Intent in Amateur Football
The term ‘strategy’ itself refers to more than just a plan, it’s a way of perceiving and considering the future with our aims and goals. It’s also way of dealing with a constantly changing sporting environment.
The term ‘strategic intent’ refers to the ‘big picture’ that strategy aims to advance, this intent compels us to think about the future: club premierships, financial security, increased membership and sponsorship etc.
The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu whose words feature in this blog offers well known examples of strategic theory.
Sun Tzu’s brilliance lay in his recognition of the fluid nature of reality and the fact that any practitioner of strategy must constantly adapt to it.
‘As water retains no constant shape, so in war there are no constant conditions. One who can modify his tactics in accordance with the enemy’s situation and succeed in gaining victory may be called a leader’. Sun Tzu – The estimate of the situation.
In the 19th century French General Antoine de Jomini in his Summary of the Art of War stated strategic thinking begins with identification of interior lines of communication and the notion of concentration of force.
Carl von Clausewitz a Prussian military officer disagreed with Jomini’s line of thought by reasoning uncertainty, chance, and probability as three fourths of conflict which he called ‘friction’. To overcome friction Clausewitz offered the notion of coup de’ oeil, a French expression for a stroke of intuition and genius, the concept of rapid and accurate decision making.
Sir Basil Liddell Hart one of the most influ
ential strategists of the 20th century offered the ‘indirect approach’, a form of misdirection. His idea was we should never expend energy on frontal assaults on entrenched enemies instead seek alternative routes to achieve objectives.
A classic example of this strategy was the German surprise attack during W.W. II through the Ardennes to avoid the impregnable French Maginot Line. On the 10th of May 1940 the German Army Group A consisting of 45 divisions struck crossing the Meuse river on the 13th and on the evening of the 20th had reached the Atlantic coast, cutting the Allied forces in two and more than 50 Allied divisions in Belgium faced total annihilation.
'The highest form of victory is to conquer by strategy’. ‘The worst form of general-ship is to conquer the enemy by besieging walled cities. Those most skilled in warfare are those who conquer the enemy without fighting battles, who capture cities without laying siege to them, and who annex states without prolonged warfare’. Sun Tzu – The five essential components of victory.
Strategy and the use of Tactics
Strategy is a part of a higher realm of planning, while tactics are the execution of those tactics for example if your strategy is to become a doctor or a lawyer, the courses that you take are part of that strategy. The way you study and prepare for your degree are the tactics you use to earn your qualification.
Clausewitz defined the difference between the two by stating ‘Just as tactics is the employment of military forces in battle, so strategy is the employment of military forces to achieve successful outcomes in war’.
Strategy encompasses well executed tactics and cannot be divorced from tactics. Many great strategic plans faltered because of this crucial point.
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