Winter engagement

I don’t know about you but I’m not a big fan of this time of year.

It’s not quite Christmas yet and the weather - certainly here in the UK - is cold, wet and grey. I find myself pining for the warm summer sun to come back.

Winter can also be a notoriously difficult time to keep women and girls engaged in sport, especially with an outdoor activity like soccer, when the prospect of running around in the mud and rain isn’t appealing for everyone

So if you are starting to see your numbers drop as the cold weather hits, what can you do to keep your players engaged? Here are my top tips:

01 Look at some indoor options

Can you adapt your sessions to be played indoors? Perhaps you could do a bit of futsal in the winter? Maybe you could mix things up and play a different sport or some other fun games?

Something like an assault course could be a great way to build team spirit. Admittedly, this might not be an option depending on what’s available where you are, but try to be creative and look at ways to adapt.

02 Arrange some social activities

Yes, we all have busier social calendars in the lead-up to Christmas and the New Year period, but it is also a great time to bring your players together to socialise outside of sport and explore their other interests.

A Christmas party or meal, wreath-making workshop, a quiz night...there are loads of ways to keep your players engaged by showing the social side of your club.

03 Show the value in giving

This time of year is great for showing players the value in giving. Players and staff could volunteer at a local supermarket to do some bag packing or hold a collection for the local food bank. 

This could be a great way to raise some money for the club or for a good cause and also bring some Christmas cheer to those in need.

Activities such as these, away from the soccer field, could also help boost players’ confidence in other areas or encourage some of the quieter members of the group to organise, lead or get out of their comfort zones.

04 Keep them warm

If you do manage to raise some funds, or have some leftover from an earlier fundraiser, why not invest it in keeping your players warm?

Money can be tight for people at the moment so a gift of some gloves, a hat, or a snood to help keep them warm during training and matches is likely to be very well received.

Perhaps you could even have a flask of hot chocolate ready for after the session?

05 Keep them moving 

Make sure that you plan your sessions to keep players moving around most of the time.

Don’t include anything that involves too much standing around – that can wait until the hot summer sessions. Avoid ‘line drills’ or games where you have bounce players standing around the edge of the pitch. 

Smaller-sided games will keep everyone active. Get the goalkeepers involved, too. No-one wants to be standing still in the cold for too long.