Coaching guides for busy coaches
The questions grassroots coaches ask us most, answered in a minute, each with a free tool to put it into practice tonight.
Getting started
First-time grassroots football coach: a guide for week one
Just volunteered to coach your child's team? What to do in your first week, your first session and your first match, with free tools that do the admin for you.
Read →Football coaching badges in the UK: England and Scotland explained
Which coaching courses to do first, what they cost and what comes next, for grassroots coaches in England (EE Playmaker, Introduction to Coaching Football, UEFA C) and Scotland.
Read →Future Fit 2026/27: formats, pitch, goal and ball sizes
Read →Match day and game time
Equal playing time in youth football: the rules and how to do it
What the FA says about equal game time in mini-soccer and youth football, why it matters, and how to plan fair subs in seconds with a free calculator.
Read →Moving from 9v9 to 11v11: what changes and how to prepare
What changes when youth teams step up to 11-a-side, the best first 11v11 formations, and how to prepare your squad in the season before.
Read →Where to play weaker players in youth football
How to pick positions fairly in grassroots football, why hiding players doesn't help them, and a simple way to rotate positions and still compete.
Read →Coaching problems, solved
How to plan a football training session (with a free template)
A simple four-part structure for youth football training sessions, how long each part should take, and a free planner that builds the session for your numbers.
Read →How to stop kids bunching in football
Why young players bunch around the ball, when it's normal, and the games and simple cues that teach spreading out without turning players into statues.
Read →How to teach kids to defend in football (1v1 and beyond)
The four coaching points that make young defenders better at 1v1 defending, the practices to use, and how to progress to defending as a pair and a unit.
Read →Pressing for youth teams: triggers and drills that work
How to teach pressing to 9v9 and 11v11 youth teams: the triggers, the roles, and the practices, without wearing players out.
Read →Playing out from the back with youth teams
How to teach playing out from the back to grassroots teams, including the retreat line, keeper and centre-back positions, and what to do when the opposition presses.
Read →How to teach dribbling to kids (and stop them just kicking it away)
Why some children kick the ball away under pressure, how to build dribbling confidence with a ball each, and the games that teach when to dribble and when to pass.
Read →Mixed ability and odd numbers: training that works for everyone
How to adapt football practices for mixed ability groups and changing turnouts, from 5 players to 14, so nobody is standing around.
Read →Players, parents and confidence
Parents' code of conduct for grassroots football (free template)
A free, editable parents' charter for your team, how to introduce it, and what to do when a parent crosses the line on the touchline.
Read →How to build confidence and motivation in young footballers
Practical ways grassroots coaches build confidence: praise that works, handling heavy defeats, quiet players, and simple goals children can see themselves hitting.
Read →Coaching young goalkeepers: confidence, technique and fair rotation
How grassroots coaches can help young keepers: dealing with fear of the ball, the ready position and catching shapes, simple drills, and rotating the keeper fairly.
Read →