Articles by Coach Frank
Reader, We have officially reached halftime. If you view your season like a match, the holiday period is that critical 15-minute break in the dressing room. Usually, coaches spend this time of year worrying. We worry about the games we lost in November, we worry about whether the players will come back fit, and we worry about all the administration waiting for us in January. But the best halftime talks aren’t about panic; they are about clarity and adjustment. This week, instead of just…
Reader, Small-sided games (SSGs) are a fundamental tool for creating engaging and effective training sessions. I often ask coaches: Does the practice look like the game? If we want players to get better at football, they need to play football. SSGs provide high ball-rolling time, ensuring players are active, making decisions, and solving problems rather than standing in lines. Beyond the technical benefits, SSGs are highly motivating because they involve the key ingredients of the sport:…
Reader, I’ve been reflecting lately on the constant rush that seems to plague both players and coaches in youth development. It seems more common than ever in our fast-paced, status-driven culture for parents and players to want to make the next team, the next step, the next trial quicker than before – sometimes without the work. Similarly, coaches I meet are often in a rush to move straight to senior football after only a couple of years of experience. Ambition is a great attribute, but we…
Reader, Recently, a colleague asked me the question, “What are the problems with formal coach education?” It’s a thought-provoking question, and one that every coach may have a different perspective on, based on their own experiences. I took my first coaching course in 2002, a level one course focused on working with junior players. There are still lessons I remember from those early courses, so in a sense, this is a success. I was also very fortunate to have a great deal of in-situ support…
Reader, Recently, a colleague asked me the question, “What are the problems with formal coach education?” It’s a thought-provoking question, and one that every coach may have a different perspective on, based on their own experiences. I took my first coaching course in 2002, a level one course focused on working with junior players. There are still lessons I remember from those early courses, so in a sense, this is a success. I was also very fortunate to have a great deal of in-situ support…
Reader, This week at the club where I lead a youth programme for U13-U23 players, we kicked off a five-week trial block for 2026 teams. Trials can be a challenging process with significant player numbers, often very little context on who some players are, what their attributes are, and the environment can be one that puts pressure on players. Beyond selection, the event provided a huge challenge for coaching staff as they juggle the logistics of dozens more players than normal, whilst also…
In this video, we examine five critical topics that coaches should understand to ensure their players have a positive experience and are given every chance to maximise their potential.
Reader, Coaches love control. But what can we truly control when the game starts? When we move players around on a tactics board, on a screen using various session planning tools, or in video analysis, football often looks perfect. It is often viewed from a perspective (above the pitch, or from the sideline) that is very different to the one the players experience. The reality of the game is that every decision or action is determined by the actions of the opposition, a player’s teammates, or…
Reader, Increasingly, it feels like both coaches and players are in a hurry, rushing through their own development in an effort to reach the senior level as quickly as possible. I see this in coaches who seem in a hurry to obtain qualifications quickly, looking to advance their CV before they are potentially ready, maybe looking to get the coaching badge to get a specific job, without doing the hours on the grass. For players (and parents), I see a rush to get into the next age group quicker,…
Reader, One of the more interesting current conversations in the world of football seems to be that the game is so over-analysed, coach-led or tactically detailed, it’s become less creative, fluid or exciting. Manchester United legend, Roy Keane recently stated: “Too often young players are pushed into a regimented system at academies that can stifle creativity and passion. When I was a kid we spent hours playing in the streets, honing our skills. That’s where real football is born.” Perhaps…
Reader, Many will argue that in order to be highly skilled and creative in football, you have to be able to find solutions, adapting to your environment quicker than others. Skill is contextual, and if we’re to develop better players, we need to find ways to challenge them to solve problems in the environment. Often in coaching, we see reductionist approaches to practice design, breaking the game down into its parts in order to reduce complexity. Without a doubt, task design is a spectrum…
Reader, Perhaps I’m getting a bit more philosophical with age, but lately I have been reflecting a great deal about the stories that football can write in the lives of the players and staff. As a coach, we have an opportunity to lead, inspire, facilitate, teach and set cultures and environments which create standards, strive for excellence and most importantly, are joyful places to be. This week I was fortunate to host an event with two top-level athletes. Many of the questions were directed…