How to coach youth soccer

Solving soccer problems with free form games

When a practice has to ” reload ” to a specific starting point it can slow down the activity. This can be good if that time is used to digest what is being learned. But, it can effect the players enjoyment and concentration as the game may not build to a truly competitive level. The constant start and stop might become boring. There are also moments that cannot be effectively coached from a static start. The nature of the soccer problem is dynamic and unpredictable. Some of these moments and their solutions are presented below.

Soccer Problem: The team as a whole fails to build up properly after they win possession. Too many players attempt to “win the game” with the first pass or try to beat the opponents with a dribble when they gain possession. The moment, winning possession, is the event that triggers the soccer problem. One method to deal with this would be to construct a game with a rule that would encourage composed play. Before a team can score a goal they must make three passes without the opponents touching the ball. Now, when they win the ball their first thought must be to get the passes in. The value is on composed build up.

Soccer Problem: Several players are content with kicking the ball out of play. They are unwilling or incapable of attempting to build up play. Try a rule that each time a team gives away a corner or a throw-in the other team gets an “out.” When a team gets three “outs” they get a goal. This puts a high value on keeping the ball in play and a consequence on choosing the easy alternative.

Soccer Problem: The midfielders don’t get back for their basic defensive responsibilities. The sweeper is left alone to handle a numbers down situation on too many occasions. To tell a player to always stay back shackles the players with a “coaches” solution. It is a players problem and requires a players solution.

In this game there are three zones. If a team scores and there is only one defender in his back zone, closest to his own goal, the scoring team gets three points for the goal. If there are two defenders in the back zone the goal gets one point. In this example the blue number 7 has a 1v1 against the orange number 3. The orange numbers 6 & 8 must communicate to solve this problem. The solution is up to the players.

Soccer Problem: Several players take too long to reach a decision when on the ball. They either kill the game through slow, indecisive play or hold the ball too long and go off on exploratory runs. Build a game with 2 touch ball can’t stop as a rule. Here, the players can use one or two touches but they cannot let the ball come to a rest. They have as much time to make a decision and play as a rolling ball will allow.

Soccer patterns

While you can’t predict the twists and turns that every football (soccer) game brings, the team can and should practice game-like patterns to simulate live playing conditions. Essentially, it’s like setting up a dress rehearsal—except that instead of wearing the team uniforms, you wear the mentality and the effort you hope to create during the actual game.

For example, have a defender, who is positioned on the right side, play a forty yard ball towards the top of the box. There, a forward is checking back to receive the ball. This run back by the forward can be just a five to ten yard run, first dragging the defender towards the goal and away from where he wants to receive the ball, and as a result creating the space he wants to check into. The forward then lays the ball back to a centre midfielder, who plays the ball down the line to the defender who has made an overlapping run, and then crosses the ball into the box. The midfielder and forward make near and far post runs, and the defender picks one of them out with a cross.

Have each of these players rotate into the next position. The forward becomes the defender, the midfielder becomes the forward, and the defender becomes the midfielder.

Next, develop and create your own patterns. For instance, a defender plays the ball into the midfielder, who plays it back to him and then serves the ball into the forward. The forward lays the ball back to the midfielder, who then plays the defender down the line. Then the defender crosses the ball (picking out a player with the cross). Vary the passes, make all the passes in the air, keep all passes one touch, add in a cross-over exchange (where a player dribbles at a teammate and then exchanges the ball), and/or make it so all passes are played with your weak foot. Make the passes sharp and play them away from where the defender would be. Add more players and increase the number of passes that are made before a cross or a shot is taken on goal. Have a player overlap the defender and serve the ball in for a cross; have the midfield begin the play with a pass to the defender who then plays it to the forward and back to the midfielder. Have the ball played down the line to the defender, who swings in the cross.

Always try to finish with a shot on goal after running through a few patterns. Also, make sure every player or position gets a touch on the ball before a shot or cross is taken.

Make the patterns game-like by playing the ball with pace and making all of your touches sharp, as if you are under pressure. Start out walking through these patterns and then build up speed as your team becomes accustomed to the runs (patterns). When you are beginning to run through the patterns at a faster pace, make sure the angles of the passes are sharp and the runs are at a game-like pace.

All the players should try to check back to the ball as if they have a defender on them and make angled runs back to the ball. These runs don’t have to be long – even just two or three yards (quick cuts). Again, the overall idea is to concentrate and make these patterns game-like, turning them almost into exact set plays, to the point where your team could run through them in their sleep.

Some drills, patterns, and tips you can use in your practice:

Full Field (11 players):

Have the keeper throw or punt the ball to the forward, who controls the ball and plays back to a defender. Developing a passing pattern, where each player on the field gets a touch on the ball and a series of a wall passes, dribble exchanges, overlaps, and a long switch, are included in the routine.

Half Field (6-9 players):

The left defender plays the ball to the centre midfielder, who then plays it to the right back (switching the field). Right back plays the ball to the right midfielder who plays again to the right back. From there, the ball is served into the forward who is checking back. The forward lays the ball back to the centre midfielder – who plays the ball to the right or left back, with both overlapping on the outside. The forward and centre midfielder make near and far post runs and the midfielders crash the box for a ball that might pop back to them.

Small Space (top of the box; 3 players):

Begin the drill on the far corner of the top of the box. Right midfielder does a dribble exchange with the center midfielder, who takes the ball down the line and whips in a cross to the forward and right midfielder. Incorporate the wall pass and overlap into this pattern. Vary the passes. Play the ball short so the player has to come back to the ball. Play the ball sharply so they have to play one touch, and then when playing the ball to the player for the cross, play the ball hard to their feet and down the line so they have to run on to the ball.

Elements to focus on:

Communicate. Say man on or turn, dictating how the pattern will evolve. If someone says ‘turn,’ then the ball or pattern will need to go forward. If someone says ‘man on,’ then the ball will come back again before it goes forward.
Move in your position’s sphere. Make short, angled runs back to receive the ball or cuts into space.
Every player should get a touch before a cross or shot is taken.
Add in a few defenders as the drill progresses.
Vary the passes: all in the air, on the ground, or chipped (lofted passes). All passes with right or left foot.
Play driven balls.
Require the players to score with their heads.
Insert one long switch before you can go to goal (switch must be in the air).

More Drills and Exercises

1) This is a good warm-up and also good to do once a week: In pairs about five yards away from one another, one player tosses the ball in the air to his or her teammate’s right and left inside of the foot, top of the foot, thigh, chest, and head. Go through the cycle about ten times each – ten times on the left inside of the foot and instep and so on. Keep your ankle locked and hit sharp passes back to your teammate.

2) Keep away in a tight square, starting out without restrictions, and then go to two touch, and then one touch. Towards the end, make it a competition where the team who completes ten passes first wins.

3) Follow your pass (groups of three). This is a good warm-up drill as well as good for improving and maintaining your technique. Remember to always play crisp and sharp passes. You can set this up at various distances to work on both short and long passes.

Start out ten to twenty yards apart and simply pass the ball to your teammate who then passes the ball to the next player in a rotation; you get a good warm-up by following your pass. Start this drill using only two touches and then move on to one touch. Have the player who is making the initial pass close down the player who is receiving the pass, acting like a defender – force the player to go one direction. Make them control the ball to one side or the other with just two touches, one for control and the other to make the pass. Make one clean touch to the side and then make the pass.

Next you can spread out to thirty or forty yards away and play the ball in the air, trying to maintain the rotation and sharpness of the drill with two touch play and driving the ball into your teammates. A lofted pass is easy for the defence to intercept and gives them time to close your teammate down. You can practice all types of passes – chips, bending the ball, half-volleys, and low driven balls.

4) It’s a good idea to finish a day of practice with some crossing and finishing. Have your defenders and midfielders serve the ball into the forwards who make near and far post runs.

When doing a crossing drill or any drill, try not to hit a ball that is still. Have a teammate play the ball into the players who are crossing the ball – either a crisp pass into their feet or play a ball ahead of them. It is not a game-like situation if the ball is dead and not moving. The next player in line plays the ball to the person who is crossing the ball. Use a crisp pass to start the play. Forwards line up at the top of the box – making near and far post runs, midfielders and defenders out wide.

Soccer coaching philosophy and a code of conduct for parents

Our coaching philosophy

The coaching staff and officials of [your club name] understand that children participate in football (or soccer) to have fun. If children don’t have fun playing football, they’ll soon pack it in.

We never forget that the game of football is just that – a game. It’s not about how many wins and losses are accumulated. And, it is surely not about how many trophies are collected. It’s not about how many goals we score or concede. It’s all about enjoying the game and, at the same time, learning and developing football and life skills.

Proper football development requires that children play age appropriate activities so they are able to experience, comprehend, and execute the game as it relates to where they are at their own stage of physical and mental development.

It is about playing in different positions so the player learns all the skills necessary to develop in the game.

It’s about receiving equal playing time, so the players are all given equal opportunity to learn.

It’s about learning the techniques of the game through a variety of fun games where players have as much contact with a ball as possible and learn at their own rates.

Code of conduct for parents/carers

Be your child’s best fan and support her unconditionally.
When you take your child home after a match or training session, please be supportive and always focus on the positive aspects of her game.
Develop a responsibility in your child to pack her own kit, clean her boots and take a drinks bottle (full of water or squash only) to practice and games.
Respect the facilities at our opponents’ grounds.
Do not criticise your child’s coach to your child or other parents. If you are not happy with the coach you should raise the issue with the coach.
Encourage your child to speak with the coach. If your child is having difficulties in training or games, or can’t attend training etc. encourage her to speak directly to the coaches. This “responsibility taking” is a big part of becoming a mature person. By handling off the field tasks, your child is claiming ownership of all aspects of the game.
Help your child to focus on the performance and not the result. Remember – winning is not as important as the performance.
Support all the players in your child’s squad. Do not criticise anyone. Remember – children don’t mean to make mistakes.
Do not criticise the opponents, their parents or their officials.
Never audibly dispute a referee’s decision. They will make mistakes occasionally. We all do. If you abuse or shout at the referee you are breaking the rules of the game and risk generating a fine for the club. In extreme circumstances we could even be expelled from the League, be forced to play all our games away or play without any spectators present.
Parents/carers must not coach from the touchline during matches or training. Leave this to the manager/coach or you may cause confusion and erode your child’s confidence.
Parents/carers must not enter the field of play.
Please remember – the game is for the children. It is not for the glory of the coach, manager or parents.

Soccer coaching objectives at U8 and U9

U-8 soccer coaching objectives (7 Year Olds)

Tell me and I will forget
Show me and I will remember
Involve me and I will understand

1. Developing a general understanding of the basic rules of the game

• Goal-Kick

• Corner-Kick

• Kick-Off

• Throw-In

• Ball In and Out of Play – throw-in, “goal” and no goal”, corner kick, etc.

2. Teach the correct method of the throw-in; but don’t over do it, encourage players to shoot the ball with both right/left feet; how to dribble the ball; how to stop the ball. Show players that passing is another option to dribbling.

3. Encourage the players to cooperate – examples through passing; helping in defense by running back towards goal.

4. Do not expect the keeper/sweeper (supportive player) to grasp the concept of moving out on attack and defense right away.

5. Do encourage the keeper/sweeper (supportive player) to come off the goal line when play is at the other end of the field to support the attack. The back player can also serve to reduce the amount of space between the goal and an opponent attempting to shoot. This provides a smaller view of the goal for the shooter. The sweeper/keeper player also serves as support on defense, which provides coverage for the teammates in front of goal.

6. Do emphasize and encourage the idea of a team triangle when attacking and defending.

(A) Understanding of the basic principles of team play :

1. Appreciation of space – Width, Length and Depth. Understanding the team triangle

• Support in attack – The Big Triangle

• Support in defense – Smaller Triangle

2. Develop the role of the goalkeeper (Keeper-Sweeper)

• How to use hands to defend the goal

• Coming out to narrow the angle on shots (Makes view of goal smaller)

• Moving out to clear long kicks with feet when necessary

• Moving out to edge of goalkeeper zone and beyond, encourage goalkeeper to join in attack

3. Greater Cooperation by the field players

• Collective attacking and defending

• Rotation of all players to play in all roles

4. Further appreciation of space in team play by:

• Attacking shape on goal-kicks and throw-ins

• Use of width on the field.

5. When in possession of the ball, stretching the opposition by the most advanced player pushing deep toward opposition goal

6. Development of attacking opportunities from corner kicks & throw ins.

Overriding Consideration

The game is for all players – everyone should be encouraged to participate, particularly the “non-assertive” player(s). Always encourage in practices & games the use of skill, creativity & decision-making. Don’t expect youngsters to play a “passing game”, don’t get caught up in tactics & formations or positions.

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Systems of play at young ages will only lead to “Agriculture Soccer” since they dictate that players be “planted” rather than “playing”. Also never stifle the creative, gifted dribbler. Eventually all players will learn to pass as they get older. This is the time for players of all abilities to experiment & learn from trial and error. Encourage talking in practices & on the field, let them know this is their game and that they own it. If you believe that the difference between kicking and passing is thinking, and the difference between drills and activities is thinking, then you should understand the premise that “Soccer Is A Player’s Game” and your sessions should give players as many opportunities to both play, think & communicate as possible!

Remember the 3 evils: Lines, Laps & Lectures!

U-9 soccer coaching objectives (8 Year Olds)

Tell me and I will forget
Show me and I will remember
Involve me and I will understand

1. Further development of U-8s objectives

2. Development of the appreciation of space through the fourth player in what is called “third man play’ (see “Coaching 9, 10, and 11 Year Olds”)

• Diamond Shape at goal-kicks and throw-ins must be continually emphasized

• Continued encouragement to use the “width” – both sides of field

• Encourage the most advanced player to stretch the opposition by pushing toward opposition goal – when own team is in possession

3. Encouragement in practices (and games) of the importance of team support-particularly in 3 v 3 and 4 v 4 games and practices, e.g., Micro Soccer, Zone Game & Change Soccer

4. Encourage all players to be ‘two-way players.’ Suggest all players should recover to help defend after losing possession; all players should look to contribute to every at- tacking play (even where their “role” is as the “covering” rearmost defender).

5. Development of the role of the goalkeeper

• Basic catching techniques

• Coming out to narrow angle on shots

• Distribution by throwing

• Moving out to edge of goal area and beyond to support attack and using the feet (4 v 4)

6. Continued development of basic techniques such as dribbling (to keep possession and to beat opponents), accurate passing and ball control Introduction or reinforcement of longer passing

Summary

• Appreciation of space – through the diamond shape – Use of width; stretching opposition from end to end (length)

• Continued development of basic skills

• Encouragement of ‘two-way play”

• Awareness of “Third Man” when on attack

Soccer coaching objectives at U10, U11 and U12

It is vital that you have a clear idea of what you want your players to learn before you step on to the training field. If you don’t, you will waste valuable training time, bore your players as you struggle to make the transition from one unrelated activity to the next and, just as importantly, you simply won’t enjoy your ‘career’ as a soccer coach.

You should also have an idea of where you want your team to be in terms of soccer skills at the end of the season.

Before you can prepare for a training session or set out the framework for your season, you have to know what children should be able to do at different ages. If you don’t, you may set unrealistic goals for your players. This results in frustration for you (“why don’t they get it?!!”) and for your players (“what is he talking about?!”).

U10 soccer coaching objectives (9 Year Olds)

Tell me and I will forget
Show me and I will remember
Involve me and I will understand

1. Further development of U-8 and U-9 objectives

2. Cooperative attacking – all players involved but with an awareness of cover (by the goalkeeper and at least one covering field player). Develop an understanding of the roles that players have in supporting the attack: player with ball, players providing immediate support of ball and other players who create length and unbalance the defense. All this needs to be shown in an environment with greater numbers of teammates and opponents on a larger playing field.

3. Cooperative defending-all players participating, even the most advanced players getting “goal side” of opposing players. Continue to develop show the principles of defense so all players gain the understanding of all the roles when defending. The role of the players that delay and put pressure on the ball; the players that provide support (cover) and the players that provide balance (width).

4. Triangles and diamonds are still the dominating team shapes but more complex because of the larger team numbers.

5. Continued development of the basic skills: passing, dribbling, shooting, ball control, and goalkeeping. The introduction of light heading.

6. Developing an understanding of team shape when attacking, and balance when defending.

Summary

• Continued emphasis on the concept of triangular supporting play

• Continued emphasis on combining with teammates (third man running)

• Cooperative attacking (all players)

• Cooperative defending (all players)

• Continued development of the basic skills

Overriding Consideration

Encourage all players to provide good support whether attacking or defending. The game is for all players – everyone should be encouraged to participate, particularly the “non-assertive” player(s). Always encourage in practices & games the use of skill, creativity & decision-making. You can now introduce concepts of “team play”, youngsters are now more receptive to playing a “passing game”, but do not fill their heads about tactics & formations. KEEP IT SIMPLE! Also never stifle the creative, gifted dribbler. This is the time for players of all abilities to experiment & learn from trial and error. Encourage talking in practices & on the field, let them know this is their game and that they own it. Teach players to use “soccer terms” such as “man on” etc. If you believe that the difference between kicking and passing is thinking, and the difference between drills and activities is thinking, then you should understand the premise that “Soccer Is A Player’s Game” and your sessions should give players as many opportunities to both play, think & communicate as possible!

Remember the 3 evils: Lines, Laps & Lectures!

U-11 soccer coaching objectives (10 Year Olds)

1. Preparation for moving into 11-a-side play

2. Developing a basic understanding of the concept and rule of off-side or modified offside.

3. Continued concentration at this age on the more important developments of:

The Triangle in team play

The Diamond in team play

“Third Man running”

Appreciation of the team principles of play and their roles when the team is attacking or defending
High concentration on basic skills in cooperative play, i.e., passing, control, shooting and introduction to heading; goalkeeper techniques and role

4. Continued development of the techniques (basic skills) with limited pressure but in a challenging environment

5. Continued emphasis on the principles of play; and the roles of players when attacking and defending introduced at U-10. Players will need to understand their particular role on the team in supporting the attack and regaining possession of the ball when defending. The players will need guidance in the performance of these roles due to the greater number of players on the field and the increased size of the field. The players should have a basic understanding of how to interchange roles during the course of play.

Summary

• Readying players for 11 v 11

• Basic understanding of the offside rule and for tactical play

• Triangles, diamonds plus further development of basic skills

Overriding Consideration

Avoid over-coaching at this transitional time as players get ready to move into 11-a-side.

U-12 soccer coaching objectives (11 Year Olds)

1. Introduction to 11-a-side play.

2. Reinforce basic understanding rule of off-side.

3. Continued concentration at this age on the more important developments at this age of:

o Application of age-appropriate activities
o Emphasis on individual possession
o Emphasis on individual defending
o introduction of basic combination play (Wall pass and takeovers)
o High concentration on basic skills in cooperative play, i.e., passing, control, shooting and heading
o Individuals start to emerge and will begin to focus on role of goalkeeper (Develop foundation of basis techniques.)

4. Continued development of the techniques (basic skills) with greater pressure in a challenging, motivating environment and involve transition.

5. Continued emphasis on the principles of play; and the roles of players when attacking and defending introduced at U-10 and U-11. Players will need to understand their particular role on the team in supporting the attack and regaining possession of the ball when defending. The players will need guidance in the performance of these roles due to the greater number of players on the field and the increased size of the field. The players should have a basic understanding of how to interchange roles during the course of play.

Summary

• Introduction to 11 v 11

• Stress importance of individual possession and de- fending

• Further development of basic skills

Overriding Considerations

Implementation of developmentally appropriate activities. Stress the need for development of the individual player versus the success of the team. Avoid overloading this age player with too many tournaments.

courtesy of the Abbotsford Soccer Association

Soccer coaching and the very young child

1. Overview

Coaching children under six years of age presents some additional challenges due to their immaturity, short attention span, and less developed muscles. You will also need to deal with a great variation between personalities, physical size, and abilities. Your objective should be for all of the kids to have fun, make friends, and learn some soccer skills that will help them should they decide to continue to the next level. You should not expect to win all of your games or expect everyone to listen to long lectures. Your goal is to introduce them to basic concepts like dribbling and kicking and make it enough fun that they want to keep playing as their bodies and minds mature. Go down to their level of thinking. Don’t try to bring them up to yours. What was fun when you were four years old? The kid who is watching seagulls will tell you were the greatest coach in the world if he had fun. He will have fun when he kicks the ball or at least when he makes an attempt and gets praise instead of criticism.

Here are some good principles to follow:

Keep practices and matches fun. Play “games” that cause kids to learn skills, not “drills.” If practice is fun, the kids will want to attend. If it is not fun, their parents will sometimes have to force them to attend and a potential star may drop out.
Maximize touches on the ball per player in practice. Avoid lines – the kids won’t behave well while waiting for their turn to play the ball.
Minimize lecturing – they have very short attention spans. You have maybe ten seconds to make your point.
Play lots of small-sided games. 3v3 is ideal for this age. Why doesn’t 7v7 or 11v11 work at this age? Imagine putting 14 or 22 six-year-olds on the field to share one toy. When Billie finally gets the ball, will he pass it? No, because he knows he won’t get it back! And shy Freddie may play a whole game and get only two touches on the ball.
Concentrate on improving individual skills, i.e., dribbling, trapping, shielding the ball, shooting, getting around an opponent, etc. You will develop more skilful players this way and win more games in the process. Some passing will develop naturally if you play small-sided games, but you will get frustrated if you try to force it. Do not let anyone on your sideline yell, “Pass the ball!” during games.
Don’t keep standings or statistics. The kids will be having fun playing something else an hour after the game, win or lose. Only the parents and coaches will still be replaying the goals and mistakes in their minds the next day!

2. Organization (items of particular interest to the U6 coach)

It’s important to make sure parents understand what you are trying to accomplish and how you will be going about it. So, explain the objectives to the parents at the beginning of the season and get agreement. Some of the parents will be new to soccer, so (In addition to following the guidelines on the pre-season meeting) give the parents a written summary containing the following:

Safety rules (e.g. spikes and shinguards required at games and practices),
The names of all children on the roster (this will help the kids get to know each other),
The coach’s rules or the additional guidelines that you ask the parents to commit to.

Some that are appropriate for very young children are:

Bring water,
Need to make sure kids go to the bathroom just before leaving the house,

You should have one ball for each child plus one for yourself. You should ask the kids to bring their own balls as most associations only give out a ball for every two kids At this age group, it is more important than ever to get a couple or more parents to help with the practice. Believe me, you will need extra help to chase balls, tie shoes, and wipe noses to allow you to move among the kids to ensure they are practicing what you instructed. Ideally, you will have at most two or three kids per parent/coach.

3. Practices

Keep things moving quickly. Participate in all of the warm-ups and drills -in fact; exaggerate your motions to illustrate the proper procedure. Do the actions at the same time as you are explaining a stretch or a drill (not after).

Do the same warm-ups and stretches each practice. It is less important to do a lot of stretches with U7s. A warm-up regime may consist of 5 each of inside right, inside left, outside right, outside left passes and 5 gentle chest traps.

Encourage 15 min of practice at home on the days we do not practice. You may encourage the parents to participate in the warm-up exercises with their own child. This allows the coach to teach the proper technique to the parents, too, so that if they work with their child, they will reinforce proper technique. The coach my give the parents others suggestions for at home practice, i.e. dribbling and passing (working on leading your partner).

Have the kids hold a ball for the stretches where it is appropriate. This increases the fun and familiarizes them with the ball so they won’t be alarmed when the balls comes their way on game day.

Avoid drills with line-ups. Try to incorporate skill development into soccer related games. They each should have the ball at their feet almost all of the time. Success is related to the attempt not the outcome. As a coach you must get excited about the attempt, not the outcome (if the attempt is genuine the outcomes will continually get better). This is difficult, because we as coaches (and parents) are conditioned to see the end results. Emphasize technique rather than speed.

At this age, there is less emphasis on progression than with older groups because they are too young to put several moves together successfully and they will get bored if there is not much variation between drills. For example, you may progress a drill to do it with the other foot, or complete a drill and then take a shot on goal, but much more than this will bore them. However, a new drill or soccer related game can work on the same type of skill. An example might be:

Dribble across the field.

Dribble through some cones.

Play “Pirate”, all the kids dribble the ball in a marked area and the coach tries to kick a ball out.

Skills should be broken down into smaller components. For example, passing may be learned by one child rolling the ball to another, who tries to pass it back. Then have the children slowly push the balls with the inside of their feet and finally have them pass it back and forth at regular speed.

4. Soccer drills for small children

Drills for small children must be tailored to their abilities and promote the development of individual skills rather than team skills, which will come later. We’ve included a short collection of good soccer-related drills for children under 6.

5. Soccer-Related Games

Soccer-related games put the fun in learning soccer skills and teamwork so we’ve put together a collection of good soccer-related games for children under 6. Dennis Mueller has also allowed us to use some suggestions for games and activities.

6. Game Day Tips

Ensure you are familiar with your association rules for matches.

Some of the kids may lose their concentration as soon as the game starts. The short attention span of children this age is why kindergarten programs are generally for a half day. Kids lose focus is if they do not get to handle the ball enough. Smaller rosters and smaller sides help solve this problem. If your association rules call for a large number of players, say 7 or more, per side, try to get agreement from the other coach to play fewer players to allow all players more opportunity to handle to ball. To accomplish this, you will need some help from other coaches and parents. An ideal set-up for U5 is 4 vs 4 with no goalkeepers.

Put any difficult children in at the start of the game. That way, as they start to lose focus they can come off and you can put in more mature children who will be focused for the duration of the game. There should be unlimited substitutions at this age. Have the parents help with substitutions so you can concentrate on the game.

Depending on your local club rules, at this age both coaches may be on the field for games. Note this is an exception to normal guideline of no coaches on the field. For the first couple of games you will have to give some direction (“the goal is the other way, Johnny”) but you should reduce this as soon as possible to allow the kids to find their own. At the beginning, to get them to actively participate you may only need to point at the ball or tell them to “go get it”.

However remember that it is not your game! Avoid active coaching on the field as it only encourages the kind of shouting that continues on into older age groups. If the coach does the thinking for them, they will never learn to do it for themselves. Same principle applies for doing the talking for them.

As the adults on the field, both coaches should assist kids on both teams. Each coach should cover one half of the field. Try to rotate throw-ins and free kicks among all of the kids, and give the ball to a nearby kid to reduce the time wasted. It serves no purpose at this level to call most fouls as they would be called at higher levels. Allowing the play to continue keeps the kids interested and provides a much better learning experience than for the players whistling down every foul and lining up for free kicks. At this level, the idea of “keep it safe, keep it fair, keep it moving” generally applies.

Don’t spend too much time setting up formations at the beginning of the game or set plays. A simple “spread out” or “give five big steps for the free kick” is enough. At this age there is a universal tendency for the kids to bunch-up around the ball. You will see a swarm of kids move around with the ball popping out occasionally. This is normal and there is nothing you can do to prevent it, so don’t worry about it or try to correct it. You may assign some kids to defensive duties but they are likely to make a run for the ball like the rest when they see it.

Under 5 (3 or 4 years old) is generally too young to expect any teamwork. Even Under 6 is pushing it! If you see a pass, it is more likely than not an errant shot on goal. The USYSA mandates no keepers for up through U8. Where goalies are used, the selection of a goalkeeper may create some competition among the kids. In general, let every kid have a chance in practice. For games, putting a kid who is not capable in goal may hurt their confidence and cause resentment from the other players. Tell the players that goalie is an important position and you will watch them playing and select the kid who you believe is trying the hardest. If you chance the goalie, tell him or her they did well in net and now you want them to help the team by scoring some goals.

Remember the objective: HAVE FUN!

Six things parents should say

A lot of soccer parents with good intentions give a 30 minute lecture, covering all the players supposed deficiencies and giving playing advice, in the car on the way to each match. The kids arrive far off their optimal mental state, and dreading the critique they are likely to hear, whether they want it or not, on the way home. Kids who are massaged in this way tend not to play badly, they just tend to not play, possibly to avoid making mistakes.

The easiest way to detect this problem is just to ask the player if it is a problem. Kids are more than willing to share this grief. The easiest way to correct this problem is to speak to the parents, as a group, about your expectations, and to cover this as a routine problem. Many of the parents will recognize themselves if you can present this problem with humour and illustrate the importance of the kids having fun and arriving in a good state of mind.

For best results, parents should memorize and use the following:

Before the match

I love you
Good luck
Have fun

After the match

I love you
It was great to see you play
What would you like to eat?

A players’ code of conduct

the U9 version – by Chris White

Players should:

Play according to the rules and never argue with the referee or your coach. They are there to help and they can make mistakes, just like you.
Always train and play to the best of your ability, and encourage others to do the same.
Don’t lose your temper or get upset. Rudeness, bad temper and sulking spoils everyone’s fun. If you have a problem, tell your coach.
Respect the opposition. Treat other teams as new friends, you’ll be playing them again one day!
Look and act like a footballer. That means turning up for training and games on time, looking smart and in the right gear.
Don’t forget your water bottle!
Wear the right sort of shoes – trainers on hard surfaces, studded boots on grass.
Always wear your shinguards.
Clean your own boots and trainers!
Enjoy every game whether you win or lose!