Project Progressão combines academics, observations and top-level coaching knowledge to explain why we as humans have previously misunderstood football.
Progressão is a reflective, thought-provoking and humane project that includes printed books, global podcast and a tailored lectures to take our audiences to a life-long journey where they will learn to see skill as a fundamentally holistic part of the beautiful but complex game.With a strong football background and versatile coaching expertise Progressão offers a unique perspective on the planet’s biggest sport mixing science, research, psychology, anthropology, popular culture, philosophy and personal anecdotes into a unique storytelling.We bring conceptual depth into football discourse which too often has been fragmented, outdated or overly simplistic. Our goal is show that skill in football is never isolated but always adaptive, completely relational and fully embedded in the environment.
The word “progressão” is Portuguese and means “progression and development”.
BOOK
Probably the most ambitious football literature ever written
“Progressão – How We Have Misunderstood Football” is the perfect book for anyone who loves the game and wishes to understand its essence in a deeper, wiser and more sophisticated way.We challenge some of the most persistent assumptions in global football: That skill is an individual possession, that technique can be separated from context, and that learning follows linear and mechanical progressions. It does not.We see that the modern football is now experiencing a conceptual turning point. As the game becomes faster, more complex, and more studied, the traditional language of terms like “technique”, “IQ” and “decision- making” no longer explain what happens on the pitch. That’s why frameworks like ecological dynamics matter.We know that federations, league organizations and football clubs around the world are currently re-evaluating how players learn, how teams coordinate, and how performance emerges in real environments. At this exact moment, a scientifically rooted, coach-friendly, human-centered reframing of football skill is not only relevant. It is required.We feel that Project Progressão gives the international football community conceptual tools to understand skill as it truly is: Dynamic, relational and information based.The book – targeted for coaches, players, fans and officials alike – takes our readers across four continents and multiple eras from junior tournaments to the international elite game of modern football offering new perspectives shaped by science yet written with emotion and clarity.“Progressão – How We Have Misunderstood Football” is not just exceptionally ambitious book about football but also about the life itself.
“Progressão – How We Have Misunderstood Football” was published in Estonian in 2024 and in Finnish 2025. The new updated English edition will be available globally soon.
ORDER YOUR BOOK:
”If you're looking for a book that challenges your thinking about football and life — this one is for you.”Tuukka Kotimäki, Urheilulehti"The authors' passion, deep interest and genuine commitment to the topics shine through on every page."Erkko Meri, Apu360
PODCAST
Our weekly spoken word on everything that is happening on and off the pitch
New episode every Tuesday, regularly featuring wide range of interesting guests from the global football community and sports academics, covering everything from ecological dynamics, defensive tactics, offensive set pieces, balanced formations, latest coaching trends, experimental training methods, historical incidents, future megatrends, correct player positions and, of course, the importance of understanding what skill in football actually means and why.
Latest episode:
CONVERSATION
OUR TAILORED LECTURE SERIES ON LOCAL AND GLOBAL PROJECT PROGRESSÃO THEMES
From Portugal to the Nordics and beyond, Progressão is a frequent educator, debater, lecturer, mentor, listener, commentator and a speaker in various football and other sports related events all around the world. Since 2019 we have collaborated with universities, federations, associations, leagues, clubs and other similar organizations offering out unique views on ecological dynamics and skill in football.
PERSPECTIVE
The Finnish ANGLE to the global game that we observe without any bias
The Project Progressão origins from Finland, a nation with a fragile football tradition, and therefore we have no rigid dogma to protect. We have worked across four to five continents and within elite club and national team environments and spent years between worlds: Inside high-performance football, yet outside the heavy traditions that define it. We believe that the distance has become our advantage. It has allowed us to question assumptions others rarely see, and to combine science, practice, and philosophy in a way that feels both grounded and refreshing. We operate not from the center of world football, but from its edges, observing and questioning, working along a path shaped by curiosity, independence and practice. We are confident that as Finns we can indeed better argue why we as humans have previously misunderstood football.
“Progressão – How We Have Misunderstood Football” was published in Estonian in 2024 and in Finnish 2025. The new updated English edition will be available globally soon.
ORDER YOUR BOOK:
"Progressão — A book that gives you a whole new picture of football.”Madis Kalvet, Delfi"Nothing like it has been written in Finland before — and likely won't be for some time."Tuukka Kotimäki, Urheilulehti
AUTHORS
THE TWO CORE MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT PROGRESSÃO TEAM ARE
Football coach, researcher, and former player whose career has taken him across four continents, working with elite clubs and national teams. Originally from Northern Finland, he holds a PhD from the University of Lisbon, where his research focused on football skill, coaching, and Ecological dynamics. Jani’s work sits at the intersection of science, coaching practice, and human development, exploring how players and teams achieve high performance through their ongoing engagement with the environments around them. His journey in football is also a path into understanding life, learning, and what it means to become skillful.
A Finnish-born and US-educated Independent Creative Director and Global Brand Consultant who has led Project Progressão’s tone of voice, branding and storytelling from day one. Also a former youth national team player, whose career ended due injuries before it had even begun, who still understands tactics, skills and nuances but is more interested in football as a cultural, societal, environmental, sociological and anthropological study that is helping making sense out of human nature, learning and behavior. For Antti J. Progressão means, off the pitch, eternal observing of everything.
CULTURE
THESE PROGRESSÃO STICKERS CAN BE FOUND ALL AROUND THE WORLD
©PROGRESSÃO 2026.