The safety of the children is our number one priority. All Coaches who train each age group are Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checked, they hold a minimum of the Level 1 F.A. Coaching Qualification, they have attended the F.A.’s Child Protection Course and hold the F.A.’s Emergency First Aid Certificate.
Our next priority is to ensure the children enjoy the training sessions and mini-matches we play. We do this by creating an environment where they are allowed to play at their pace, at their skill level and to their enjoyment levels. This is achieved by having a “no-coaching” rule for all parents and spectators when watching their children train and play. Moderate encouragement is accepted but we would prefer you to say nothing. Our philosophy is to allow them to play as children, not young adults being told when to pass, not to hold onto the ball, and all other useless gems of wisdom. There is plenty of time for this type of coaching when they are much older.
No touchline coaching
One of the biggest problems in junior football today is over competitive Coaches and parents. What should be an enjoyable game of football quickly deteriorates into a group of youngsters being shouted at from all sides with all sorts of conflicting instructions from adults who genuinely feel they are trying to help. However, they are not helping. This atmosphere creates a fear of losing that results in skillful players kicking the ball away as soon as they get it rather than dribble it for fear of being shouted at. This is not the way we do things at Malmesbury Youth F.C. in the Under 6’s, Under 7’s and Under 8’s.
Skill Development
We aim to create an environment where the children feel free to express their skills without fear of being told they were wrong for dribbling with the ball for too long, or for missing an open goal. Our training sessions are based on giving them as many touches of the ball as possible, in fact they usually average more touches of the ball in our warm up sessions than the average Premiership player does in a match!
We then move onto technique training where they practice passing, shooting, dribbling and other techniques. Our final sessions are usually small sided games so that everyone has a chance to actually kick the ball in a match.
Passion for The Game
It's important that we all embrace this philosophy as we only get one chance at getting it right and I hope we are. Our objective is to instill into the children a love and passion for football that matches our own. We know that some children’s interest in football will diminish and they may take up other sports, which is great. The main thing is that they have been allowed to play and enjoy football in a safe and un-pressurised environment. This will give them the best possible chance to enjoy football and any other future sporting endeavours.
You can make this possible by not coaching, by not shouting but instead by encouraging them to express their football skills in anyway they feel able. Together we can create the best environment possible for our children to learn to love our national sport. Thank you for your help.
Dave Buckley (on behalf of all Malmesbury Youth FC coaching staff)
Malmesbury Youth Football Club is a FA chartered standard 'Development' club, only the second Youth Football Club in Wiltshire being awarded the 'Development' standard status.
The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports’ charity and directs £40m every year into grass roots sport.