Football: fun football

Hello, I am currently coaching an u9's boys team and a majority of them are well behaved and want to play football, but the odd 1or2 tend to mess around at training which distracts the others. I have sat them out in training and spoken to the parents but still this goes on. Do I decide to kick them out of the team altogether or does anyone know the miracle cure to stop this happening?

Hi all, I've just started coaching a soccer team of 4 and 5 year olds and would like to discuss with my fellow coaches any drills which you have found to be safe, fun and valuable to the younger age group. I have my level 1 course under my belt and have difficulty in applying what I've learnt to the small kids. They get bored very quickly and are only interested in playing a match at the end of the session. They have no interest in passing the ball or shooting at goal whilst doing drills. Running with the ball is no problem as they are keeping active and all have a ball at their feet. As soon as they line up or have to share a ball, there are problems. I have a variety of drills which I run through with them, traffic lights, robin hood, alamo, sharks and fishes to name a few with variations of each but I crave more as everywhere I search caters for U6 upwards. I coach an U8 side midweek and have no problem with these lads as they are that bit older and have a greater level of concentration. (not by much mind). So I'm asking for advice from anyone who has coached 4 and 5 YOs and would like to know what has worked for you. PM replies welcome.  Marc

Hello All,I will be coaching my daughter's U16 Div 2 team this year, I just wanted to ask fellow coaches and mangers what to expect. I'm not new to the game, in fact I currently play in the state league myself, but there is a difference between playing the game and actually managing the team. I guess my questions lie around team management techniques and what should I look out for or what should I be aware of? The season starts in a month and training commences next week, so what is the best way to get the kids in shape fast? Thank you.

I took over a under 8s team 2 years ago unfortunately soccer is not my game and I did as there was no other option other than to fold. Im a good coach in terms of developing a good team (discipline, teamwork , sportsmanship fun etc) but I think my lack of knowledge about the game is holding the team back . I have a 12 players who are about to move up to the under 10s level , they skill level ranges from timid to very skilled, I try to give each player equal time and the lower skilled players are improving (just not at the same pace as the opposition). Unfortunately the opposition we face seem to be light years ahead in terms of playing a scheme and we are often found out during games (i have used a basic zone defense to try and stop the team becoming ball magnets). I think its a mixture of me insisting all players get equal playing time and the fact I dont know enough about the game to be able to coach an effective scheme and to react to opposition schemes. They are good kids and I want to give them a taste of success (you can only say it was bad luck so many times) but cant seem to get our club to take it to the next level. The drills on sportsplan are helpful but a lot of drills are too complicated for the kids age or can simply go wrong very quickly in reality. We dont get thrashed in games but we cant seem to eke out a draws or wins (I know its not all about winning but try explaining that to the kids when they lose on a regular basis)Any suggestions

What are the easiest but most effective Soccer drills to teach to 4- 6 year olds?

I am taking over a team next season who will be under 10's and I am wanting to bring in a few new players but don't know what will be the best way to trail them and how long I would trail them for. There are many tournaments pre season would that be a good idea. Also what is the best approach with the lads who are not good enough, how do you break it to them

Please could someone help me out here by providing a few bullet points in order for a session you'd run for under 9's for agility. The lads are of good ability.

hi to allmy club has signed up to a Queensland miniroo's program to introduce children to football it is to be both fun and show discipline. This is from age's 4 to 11 it runs for 6 weeks, there will then be the chance for the children to join the club after this or as a club we can continue to run for the 2016 session , fitness isn't the main objective,just skills and enjoyment.Would you like to give some advise on the kind of drills that you would run in this kind of environment remembering that its only a introduction. I have detailed drills that we currently run for are established players.Thank you karl

Hi, I am going to be running a summer camp soccer programme for 8 weeks. I will have kids ranging in ages fro 8-16 of all ability levels and experience. Where do I start. Does anyone have any universal type football games that are fun and engaging and competitive for kids of all ages and abilities?. i just would like some ideas on activities and fun games that will engage and be competitive of a lot of kids at one time. I have only really coached at the college level so any advice or tips would be very much appreciated. Gareth

how do i make my player to came in my traing eagerly

Hi, I am a long time player, first time coach. I am going to be coaching 13-15YO girls who are very enthusiastic and most of the team have good skills already. We are about to start our 2 months of pre-season training and we are still looking for more players to join the team. There will be a small number of beginners in the group. During the open training session we held, I found they got bored very easily. How can I structure our first few sessions to ensure;1. They want to come back 2. They have fun and get to know each other 3. They feel like I am going to be a good coach that will help them develop their skills. I want to make sure they believe in me as a coach while I get the hang of actually coaching. Very overwhelmed at the moment.

Do you have any session ideas for 4 year olds

Hi there, I am going to be running a soccer (football) program at a preschool this Friday for 3-5 year olds. I would like to start teaching them drills. Whick drills are most appropriate for this age group? I also want to make it a lot of fun! Thanks! Victoria %3A)

Hi has anyone got a good fun football session for a large group of 30 kids. Mixed gender and mixed abilities. Session for about 45 minutes including a warm-up, skill, an finishing with games.

Hello all! My kids aged 9 and 7 are very slow when compared to their peers of the same age. They don't seem to fight for the ball and get and watch others play their game. They seem to lack the urgency (heart) needed for the game. (They LOVE football). How can make them move around and react faster. Any help you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks O

Heya guys, I am a new coach, for my local town, we are a new side, in a really tough league, the other managers of the teams, think it is silly, we have made a team for that league, I was told on a match day, that we would not even win one game, or even get a point all year, because the teams are so strong, we have 4 points on the boared at the mo, and are slowly getting there, I was Just wondering, how to bring players out of there shell, and try to increase goal percent -). Josh

I have always coached players between the age of 17-21 , but now I coach a set of U-12s and it hasn't taken much time to realize that it is altogether a different ball game . I have noticed motive related fun activity during warm-up looks good on paper but I don't see my kids having fun , which is most primary part during warm ups for kids . if anyone could suggest me with a few fun related warm ups it would be of great help .

Morning, I have just started coaching a local U10s team made up of kids (boys and girls) with varying skills and ability. We are viewed as one of the weaker teams in our region and lose much more than we win. I watched last season but wanted to help out this year. I am very new to coaching and would really appreciate some guidance on good drills to help players play with their heads up, looking for a pass, movement and positioning. They are good kids and I just want them to win a few games which will help them enjoy the game more.

I usually plan my session the Friday night before Saturday training . I anticipated 12 players but then this sequence of events happened. Friday 8.36pm, parent texts amp; says child can't come as he is doing 11+ mocks (did he only just realise this?). Saturday 8.57am, another parent texts amp; says as they went to a wedding the night before, child is in no fit state to train (again, was this something that only just occured to them may happen?). Saturday 9.26am, parent phones amp; says child is throwing up (fair enough, I guess). Saturday 9.57am, parent texts, another puking child (a bug perhaps doing the rounds? Bit late notice though as we start training in 18 mins). Saturday 9.58am, another text from another child's parent to say child is throwing up (Hmmm, another one. Late notice again?). Saturday 10.15am, training starts but another child is missing. I give it 5 mins then phone. Parent says they are off to theme park amp; he sent me a text. I said that I never received text amp; asked if I sent an acknowledgement to aforementioned text to which he said no which I said meant his text wasn't receieved. I went from 12 players training @ 8.36pm Friday to 6 by start of training in under 10 hours. My session plan went in the bin. I realise the sickness is one of those things but think the last 2 were rather late in notifying me. As for the other 3, I feel these to be lame excuses. What can I implement to try to stop or reduce these issues? Fines? Suspensions? Nothing? #frustrated

I am coaching 11 7 to 8 year olds what is the best way to teach them about positioning