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.

All posts 60 Club life 4 Coaching 10 Development 12 Goalkeeping 4 Match day 10 Parents 7 Sessions 13
CoachingThe assistant coach: how to use the other adult properly
Coaching22 April 20262 min

The assistant coach: how to use the other adult properly

Most assistant coaches spend the season collecting balls and holding the bibs. That is a waste of the single most valuable resource you have.

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ParentsThe touchline shouter: handling the parent who coaches from the side
Parents15 April 20262 min

The touchline shouter: handling the parent who coaches from the side

Shoot! Get rid! Pass it! Three adults yelling three instructions at one eight-year-old. Why sideline coaching hurts even when it is right, and how to fix it without a war.

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Match dayWarming up for a match without exhausting them
Match day8 April 20262 min

Warming up for a match without exhausting them

Twenty minutes of sprints and shooting practice, then a kick-off with eleven tired children. The match warm-up has one job and it is not fitness.

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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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Match daySubstitutions: when to change it and when to leave it alone
Match day25 March 20262 min

Substitutions: when to change it and when to leave it alone

Half of all youth substitutions are made because the coach needs to feel useful. A short guide to the ones that are actually worth making.

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ParentsThe car ride home: the most important twenty minutes in youth football
Parents18 March 20262 min

The car ride home: the most important twenty minutes in youth football

More children are lost to football in the car after the match than on any pitch. What the research and the pros keep saying, and the six words that change the journey.

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Match dayWhat to do about the referee
Match day11 March 20262 min

What to do about the referee

He is fifteen years old, he is being paid twelve euros, and he has just given a decision that was clearly wrong. Everything your team learns about respect happens in the next four seconds.

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CoachingRebuilding a child's confidence after a rough spell
Coaching4 March 20262 min

Rebuilding a child's confidence after a rough spell

A nutmeg that got laughed at, an own goal, three bad games in a row - and suddenly a brave player goes hiding. How confidence actually breaks, and the slow honest way back.

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Match daySix games in one day: surviving a tournament
Match day25 February 20262 min

Six games in one day: surviving a tournament

Tournaments are the best day of the season and the easiest to get wrong. A plan for the whole day, from the car park at eight to the medals at four.

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