How to get players aged 5-12 ready for the new season

Pete Sturgess, FA national coach for the Foundation Phase, outlines ten top tips to help get young players ready for a new season.

The tips below are based on guidance from the England DNA Foundation Phase project; they're designed for coaches who are working with players aged 5-12 in the six weeks before the season starts.

1. Remember you're coaching children, not adultsGetting young children ready for the new season is not the same as the preparation an adult player might be involved in. Pre-season for adults has long been associated with running laps and doing 'doggies' until exhaustion. If you're coaching children, all sessions should be enjoyable, exciting and active. This is the aim at any stage of the season – not just through the summer.

2. Include fun movement activitiesWarm-ups for our young players should be engaging, enjoyable and active. Look to include a wide range of movements and activities that are fun to be involved in – such as running, chasing, dodging, jumping, twisting and turning. Get the children laughing and out of breath. Include throwing and catching where you can. Games like tag rugby or dodgeball are great warm-ups.

3. Prioritise the ball All players attend training so they can play football and have lots of touches of the ball. Make sure you use the ball in your sessions as much as possible.

4. Play a variety of gamesPlay lots of small-sided games that use different numbers of players and pitches of different sizes. Getting your team playing matches is a great thing to include early on (in both an individual session and the six-week programme). Try and play the format of football you play on matchday- this might be 6v6 or 7v7.

5. Play as one big group – in a big areaDuring the first couple of weeks, find time to involve all the players as one big group (or two smaller groups) working in larger areas. This lowers the intensity at the start of pre-season and eases the players back into action.

6. Make things harder as the weeks go onSmaller groups in smaller areas can be introduced as the weeks progress. 4v4 would be perfect after week three (particularly if for the previous two weeks you have played 6v6 or even 7v7). For each session think about how you can make it slightly harder for the players by increasing the time spent on the task.

7. Create individual challengesRespect each child as an individual and adapt the session or challenge for them. Over the six weeks (and throughout the season) try to pair or group players together for different outcomes so that their individual needs are met more often.

8. Add varietyIf you train more than once a week, try to vary the kind of things you work on during sessions. For example, change the session theme so that the players are not always undertaking the same repetitive actions.

9. Communicate concisely and provide the chance to practise

With all the activities and games you use try to give small amounts of clear and simple help and advice followed by lots of opportunities for the players to practise. Always add lots of encouragement.

10. Make sure your players want to come backIt is very important that your summer sessions involve play, enjoyment and football. Playing games in training is vital so get the group into small-sided games as much as possible. Create something so special that the players cannot wait for the next session.