When Robert de Pauw arrived at Aston Villa, he explained his philosophy to his new players in five words: ‘I am because we are’.
This approach is known as the Ubuntu philosophy which has its origins in southern Africa and became one of the guiding principles of end of the Apartheid era.
Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu both spoke of its value in promoting the collective over the individual and it was major influence on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that formed part of the transition out of Apartheid in South Africa.
While it is a universal outlook, there are obvious parallels to the sporting world, and it was used most famously by the Boston Celtics in the NBA a decade and a half ago.
Now, new Aston Villa manager De Pauw is bringing Ubuntu to the West Midlands, employing the philosophy which has proved successful in previous stops at FC Twente and Bayer Leverkusen, to guide his team.
They kick off their Barclays FA Women’s Super League campaign against defending champions Chelsea on Friday, and De Pauw has been impressed at the way his team have bought into the Ubuntu concept.
He explained: “We’ve worked a lot on the team dynamic. We have a philosophy, the Ubuntu philosophy. It’s a South African philosophy around people working together and getting the best out of each other.
“We presented the philosophy: ‘I am because we are’, that’s the Ubuntu philosophy. They have to understand that if you want to progress as a team, you have to get the best out of each other. It’s a team game, it’s not an individual game so the only way to get forward is by the use of each other.
“I used it at Twente, we won the championship that year, it was big on ESPN, at Leverkusen we did the same. It’s entwined in my philosophy. It binds people together.
“Doc Rivers (the former Boston Celtics coach) did it. I picked it up with a team psychologist that I had with FC Twente. We were looking at the dynamics in the team and thought it could be better. We found this way to get in order with the team. It worked and led to the Championship and the League Cup win. It’s not because of the win, but with the way the team interacted, we saw a positive effect on the team.”
De Pauw arrives from Germany in place of Carla Ward, who stepped down at the end of last season, when Villa finished seventh.
That was a drop of two places from the previous season, with the Dutchman setting the target of a top-six finish this time around, an ambitious if realistic target in his view.
Villa will go into their opening game facing a big challenge against defending champions Chelsea, who are kicking off the post-Emma Hayes era under new Sonia Bompastor.
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But going into games where they are not favourites is another aspect that De Pauw has worked hard on in pre-season, during which Villa went unbeaten including a win over Manchester City.
He said: “They players had to read a book about functional and dysfunctional teams. So I made them understand that these are building blocks that you have to have in a team. Trust, dealing with conflict in the right way, commitment, holding each other accountable and being goal-orientated. If you have these blocks in order, the chance of success is bigger. It’s not guaranteed but it’s bigger.
“We also showed them if you look at teams from the past, the Dutch national team in the women’s game, or the English national team in the women’s game, when they won the European Championships, they were not the favourites at that time. So there must be something going on beyond the quality that they have, inside the group that makes them strong.
“We also mentioned men’s teams, like Leverkusen where I came from. Nobody expected them to win the league, but there was something besides the genius of (manager) Xabi Alonso and the way of his play, there was also a very strong team culture. We took them along on that journey in the summer and from what I can see, they bought into it. Now, it’s up to us to make sure on the pitch that everyone can see it.”
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵 🆚 the shot 😂📸 pic.twitter.com/KW3YiOxDou
— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) September 19, 2024
On the pitch, De Pauw has promised a dynamic, entertaining team, with Villa’s offseason recruitment focused on bringing down the average age of the squad.
Off it, the main focus has been about bringing individuals together for the team cause. If they can be half as successful as Doc Rivers’ Boston Celtics – who were NBA champions in 2008 – then the philosophy will have been a resounding success.
