5 things to include in every session

When I was coaching in the US in the fall of 2021, there was an U10 girls’ team where half of the players trained with me and the other half trained with another team.

I couldn’t understand why. How can you expect the team to play together when they don’t train together?

I said that it wasn’t fair on them and that I would take the team in the following spring. As a result, we had the most amazing season and grew together as one.

But this wasn’t simply from throwing the two teams together. We had to build relationships, understanding and develop a positive environment.

This was achieved by ensuring we incorporated the following five points in every session:

 

01 Positive greetings

Every time players arrived at a training session or a match, I made sure to welcome them individually with a fist bump or high-five – and the same again when the players departed.

Not only is this good practise and polite but it also gives you the chance of a quick catch-up when players arrive and give any personal feedback as they leave.

 

02 Encourage respect

We had a rule that, when someone else is talking, everyone else listens.

This is an important life skill to learn and it is also polite. We want everyone to realise that they will be heard when they have something to say.

 

03 Foster creativity

No idea is a bad idea. We gave the team the chance to have an input into sessions and would try any idea they came up with. 

The players understood that if it didn’t work, we would move on - but we would always try it first.

 

04 Put fun at the heart

Throughout every session, fun must be the foundation. We wanted the girls to enjoy what they do on the field so that they looked forward to coming back each week.

That is what the game should be about, especially at a young age.

 

05 Teamwork makes the dream work

We had a motto that we repeated at sessions and matches: “We win as a team and we lose as a team”.

This was introduced to instil a no-blame culture within the team - if someone made a mistake, we lifted them up and encouraged them. We didn’t put them down and blame them.

 

By keeping to these five key principles, I believe I was able to teach the girls not just football skills but life skills, too. I think football is a great tool for this.

Throughout the season, I taught the girls, but I learned from them, too. We kept open and honest communication and I always made sure they felt comfortable in coming to me, no matter what the subject.