The coaching blog

Notes from the touchline

Short, practical pieces for anyone coaching kids: what to do on Tuesday, what to say on Saturday and what to stop worrying about entirely.

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DevelopmentYour best player might just be born in January
Development3 August 20263 min

Your best player might just be born in January

In youth squads across Europe, players born in the first three months of the selection year are wildly over-represented. What that means for how you judge an eleven-year-old.

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DevelopmentThe four game moments, without confusing an eleven-year-old
Development24 July 20263 min

The four game moments, without confusing an eleven-year-old

In possession, out of possession and the two transitions. A useful map of football - as long as you never say those words out loud to a child.

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DevelopmentWhen an academy comes calling: excitement, small print and plan B
Development13 May 20262 min

When an academy comes calling: excitement, small print and plan B

A scout liked your winger and suddenly there are trial letters and big feelings. What academy interest really means, the questions parents forget to ask, and how to protect the kid...

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DevelopmentLet them play other sports: the case against early specialisation
Development1 April 20262 min

Let them play other sports: the case against early specialisation

The ten-year-old who plays football, basketball and swims is not falling behind. What early specialisation actually costs, and why the multi-sport kids so often win in the end.

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DevelopmentThe weaker foot: how to actually build one
Development11 February 20262 min

The weaker foot: how to actually build one

Every coach says use your other foot. Almost nobody structures a way for a child to build one. It takes about eight weeks and it happens away from the pitch.

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DevelopmentHeading at youth level: what the guidance says and what to do instead
Development4 February 20262 min

Heading at youth level: what the guidance says and what to do instead

Heading rules for children have changed for good reasons. What current guidance actually allows at each age, and how to build brave, well-timed jumpers without a ball touching a head.

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DevelopmentThe biggest kid in the team is not the best player
Development28 January 20262 min

The biggest kid in the team is not the best player

Physical maturity at twelve is borrowed, not earned. What happens to the early developer at fifteen, and why the small one deserves your patience.

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DevelopmentScanning: the habit nobody trains and everybody wants
Development14 January 20262 min

Scanning: the habit nobody trains and everybody wants

The difference between a player who always seems to have time and one who never does is not speed. It is how often they look before the ball arrives.

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DevelopmentWhen to start teaching positions
Development31 December 20252 min

When to start teaching positions

A seven-year-old told to stay at right back will stand at right back, obediently, for forty minutes, and learn nothing. So when does position actually start to matter?

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