Knowing loads about football is fine, but that's only part of it. If a coach doesn't meet these three standards, they don't last. Footballers First Team Attitude Footballers First means the players are our most important consideration. Our aim is to...

Our opinion on this has changed over the years and context obviously matters. For us, it comes down to the small things that parents don't always see from the sideline. Here's a few examples: The great coaches connect before they correct. Before the...

Coaching children isn’t just about football knowledge. Understanding the game is important, but it’s only part of it. How a coach behaves, how they communicate and how they create the environment matters just as much.  Talking less can give chi...

If you watch one of our sessions, you might notice something... The coaches aren’t constantly shouting instructions. That’s deliberate and part of how we train our players. Football is a fast, unpredictable game. Players don’t have time to wait for ...

What people often think is “good coaching”…isn’t always what helps children improve most. Take a few common examples: Cone dribbling vs 1v1 Dribbling around cones can look really sharp. But without pressure, children don’t have to think or decide an...

Most people assume progress means things like fewer mistakes and more goals. Sometimes it does. But very often, real improvement in kids football looks like: More mistakesTrying new thingsInconsistencyFrustration That isn’t regression. It’s learning...

I read an interview recently with a senior academy director working with some of the best young players in the country. He's at Liverpool FC and what stood out wasn’t talk of talent, results or performance. It was his concern that football is becomi...

Parents often think kids burn out because they’re doing too much football. Too many sessions. Too many matches. Too much running around. But the truth is, it’s rarely the amount of football that’s the problem… It’s what’s happening inside those sess...

What’s Happening? A growing number of kids are being scouted, selected and labelled as “elite” — as young as age 4. This is part of something called the Standard Model of Talent Development (SMTD). Sounds impressive. But is it doing more harm than g...

Your players/child knows the WHAT to do…so why do they keep making the wrong decision on the pitch?  Knowing when to pass isn’t the same as knowing how to make that pass. Here’s why saying the right thing doesn’t mean your child is learning the...

In no particular order…  Kids will grow up more prepared for life if we allow them to be exposed to discomfort. The trick is to overload this gradually and not be tempted to fight every little battle for them.  Getting good WITH a football...

“Let the game teach the game” isn’t just a catchy quote. It’s not about doing less football coaching. It’s about designing sessions and activities that maximise learning. Football isn’t: PassingDribblingShooting In isolation. It’s all of those thing...

Why don’t kids burn out playing FIFA? (Or FC as it is now known – it’ll always be FIFA to us!). Because they control the challenge. They play on beginner then step it up when they feel ready. And if it gets too hard? They drop back down, enjoy some ...

Telling kids to focus on their foot, not the ball. Turns out, that actually slows learning down. Here’s what to do instead... Focus Matters. A LOT. Science-backed fact: When kids focus externally (on the target, not the body), they learn skills fast...

The Traditional Starting Point Most kids start the same way: Cones lined up, neat dribbling, no pressure. It looks tidy and it feels controlled. But is it football? The First Defender Then comes the moment a defender gets in the way. Suddenly it’s n...