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
Match dayThe pre-match talk: ninety seconds, one idea, then let them play
Match day15 October 20252 min

The pre-match talk: ninety seconds, one idea, then let them play

Kids remember almost nothing said to them in the ten minutes before kick-off. What to cut from your team talk, what survives the nerves, and what to say instead.

Read →
Club lifeHanding the team over at the end of the season
Club life8 October 20252 min

Handing the team over at the end of the season

Most teams are handed over with a shrug and a squad list. Two hours of work in June saves the next coach - and the children - an entire autumn.

Read →
SessionsFinishing practice without the queue: everyone shoots, nobody waits
Sessions1 October 20252 min

Finishing practice without the queue: everyone shoots, nobody waits

The classic shooting drill gives each child one shot a minute and a lot of standing around. Four set-ups that multiply touches on goal without needing four coaches.

Read →
GoalkeepingEverybody goes in goal, including your best player
Goalkeeping24 September 20252 min

Everybody goes in goal, including your best player

The keeper is usually the child who volunteered once and has been stuck there ever since. Rotating the shirt is better for every player in the squad, and here is what it teaches.

Read →
CoachingCoaching your own child without ruining football for both of you
Coaching17 September 20252 min

Coaching your own child without ruining football for both of you

Half of all volunteer coaches are there because their own kid is on the team. Here is how to stop that child getting the worst of you - or the softest of you - every Tuesday.

Read →
GoalkeepingFive minutes a week that change a goalkeeper's season
Goalkeeping10 September 20253 min

Five minutes a week that change a goalkeeper's season

You do not need a specialist coach or a single piece of equipment. You need five minutes, four ideas, and to stop firing shots at them from six metres.

Read →
← Newer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Everything here, in a tool

625 drills, 50 printable templates and a free coach app that keeps your squad, sessions, line-ups and playing time in one place.

Create your free account