Getting your players ready to play

Every coach, parent and volunteer involved with the development of young players wants to do the best they can.
You may have had a summer of trips and tournaments with your team, but as the new season approaches, thoughts will turn to the preparation of your players.
The preparation in the Foundation Phase must not be the same as the preparation an adult player might be involved in, so as you read the guidelines and advice below, you should always remember the following:

• You’re coaching children so allow it to be enjoyable, exciting and very active (this is perfect preparation for any stage of the season).
• Get the children running, chasing, dodging, jumping, twisting and turning. Make sure you check out our physical corner sessions included in the resources at the bottom of this article.
• Play lots of small-sided games with different numbers of players, on pitches of different sizes. This is really important for any age but for the older players in the Foundation Phase (9-12) it’s vital. Carefully conditioning the game rules, the numbers on each side and the size of the area will give you every chance to build technique, game understanding and appropriate levels of fitness.
• Create something so special that the players cannot wait for the next session.