Reader,
Recently, my oldest son (who is only 5 years old) has suddenly shown a real interest in football and has decided he wants to sign up for a team.
I have never been in a rush to get him into an organised sport, as I am keen for him to sample a variety of sports, experience different types of movement, and just have fun being a kid.
But given that I may now add an U6 team to my coaching experience this year, it’s got me thinking about the golden age of skill development and laying the foundations with kids in football.
Professional academies refer to their U9-U12-year-old programmes as the ‘foundation phase’ because it is a critical time in player development. Evidence suggests that 5-12 is a key time in skill acquisition where creating a connection with the game and a love for being on the ball, or mastering the ball is important.
Three Things to Consider
- If you’re working with children aged 5-12 (and our audience surveys suggest most people who coach are!) then you need to think about the environment they are walking into at practice or on game day. Ensure it’s filled with joy, laughter, fun, challenge and connection.
- Learning is messy. Kids will all develop at different paces and many influences might see a player succeed or struggle early. Providing mixed experiences is critical to supporting kids’ development.
- Keep the ball rolling! 1v1, 2v2 and small-sided games for very young children allow them to be exposed to all the moments of the game, teamwork, fun and challenge. You don’t need to over-coach to be effective, the game can be a great teacher.
Some ideas for you to try this week
If you’re working with players in the 5-8 or 9-12 age groups, mix up your approach.
As opposed to a traditional session which might just involve a warm-up, ball mastery, passing practice or a game, think about how you can develop players socially.
Can you utilise mixed age groups, perhaps a group of U8-U10 players play street football on different types of pitches?
Or, try some player-led initiatives at training.
Get the kids to make up games, choose teams or set leadership challenges for individuals. Look beyond the technical/tactical and focus on the social, this can lend itself to some awesome outcomes.
One Critical Resource on the Topic
Check out our PDP Guide on Developing 8-12 year old players which features practical advice and a video discussion with the PDP team.
