Approach to playing philosophy:

Teams should initially be encouraged to play the football out through the thirds.
Goalkeepers encouraged to roll/throw/place the ball on the floor and pass the ball out.
Players to be encouraged to use the goalkeeper as an additional outfield player when looking to pass out of trouble.
Equal game time up until the age of u10’s.
Players to be encouraged to be positive about other player’s performances.
Players to employ a team work ethic when attempting to win the ball back.
All players to attempt to be involved in both the attacking & defending process when possible, for example not one specific defender / forward remaining in isolation for the whole game.
Young players praised by manager for good defensive work & assisting goals just as much as scoring.
Team to celebrate success together.

Creating the correct learning environment:

For children to develop into young footballers it is important for our club coaches to foster a correct coaching environment for the children to work in. The club actively encourages our coaches to:

Create a fun, positive learning environment for the children to develop within.
Appreciate that all players are different and unique in both how they perform and how they learn new skills.
Communicate simply to the children, remembering that they are not adult footballers, and need more simplistic commands, often provided with a practical example of what is expected.
Encourage the young footballers to take considered risks with their decision making during both training and competitive games.
Create an environment in which all children can experience success.
Explain the relevance of what is applied in training to benefiting the children during a game scenario. The way in which we ask our coaches to do this is via ‘game like practices’ rather than ‘drills’.
Occasionally, in competitive matches set targets for the children to use the skills that have been practised in previous training sessions.
More importantly, the environment should be centred on individual player skill development rather than position specific coaching.
Discourage parents against providing incentives for goals scored as this contradicts what the coach is trying to achieve.
Highlight to parents and supporters that the club’s philosophy at the u6-u10 age groups is concentrated on PLAYER development rather than team wins, and that individual talent should be praised on match days.

Approach to coaching:

As a charter standard community club our minimum expectation is that all our Team Managers currently hold an FA level 1 coaching certificate. In doing so, we can guarantee that our coaches hold a basic level of football coaching. As our junior team’s progress through the youth section and into the older age groups we encourage our coaches to begin to undertake further development work(s) (e.g. FA Level 2 in Coaching Football). As a club, we actively encourage our coaches to join the FA’s Coaches Club to ensure each coach receives regular updates to their coaching knowledge.

In order to maintain a high standard of coaching across the U6 to U10 age groups we expect our coaches to:

Coach via game situations rather than isolated drills, allowing players to be active for longer e.g. 1v1, 2v2, 3v3.
Plan their sessions beforehand, as part of this process coaches should understand their KEY coaching points and should know how to communicate these effectively to their players.
Work with a ball as often as possible.
Use uneven sides to challenge stronger players.
Encourage and praise player individuality, creativity and work rate.
Avoid highlighting errors in a negative way; instead take these mistakes as coaching points rather than criticisms.
Question players e.g. ‘what could I do in this situation?’ ‘How could you do that differently?’

Approach to match days:

For children to develop into young footballers it is important for our club coaches to provide a positive playing environment for all children and teams involved on match days. The club actively encourages coaches to:

Provide a sensible/adequate amount of playing time for all youth players.
Appreciate that all players are different and unique in both how they perform and how they learn new skills.
To avoid ‘commentating’ or talking children through each minute of the game, our coaches should let the children play and make their own decisions, discussing those decisions at a suitable moment.
Encourage the young footballers to take considered risks with their decision making during competitive games.
Establish a respect barrier, behind which parents can stand and do not infringe.
Stand on the opposite side to supporters, to make it easier for the children to follow instructions.
Set measurable targets for players in games related to their development, i.e. 5 left footed passes.
Ensure that parents adhere to the club’s policy regarding supporter conduct, thus creating a positive, friendly and supportive environment for our young players.
Ensure that fair play and respect are shown by our clubs’ players and supporters towards our opposition.

Ashbourne Aztecs JFC

The Grassroots Code For Youth Football

The Grassroots Code For Adults in Youth Football