Coach / Guides / Your first session

Your first session

You said yes. Here is what to sort out first, an hour that works with any group of under-7s to under-11s, and how to keep it fun.

Before you start

Your club's welfare officer will help with most of this. Ask them first.

  • DBS checkAn FA-accepted Enhanced DBS check with a Children's Barred List check, issued in the last three years. Your club arranges it. Safeguarding has the detail.
  • Safeguarding courseThe FA's Safeguarding Children course. Most leagues require it before you coach a youth team.
  • First aidA kit at every session, and someone who knows how to use it. Many counties run an introductory course for football.
  • Contacts and medical notesA parent or carer's phone number for every child, and anything you need to know, such as asthma or allergies. Keep it safe, and only what you need.
  • A second adultNever run a session on your own. Two adults means one can deal with a problem while the other looks after the group.
  • Coaching badgeNot needed for your first session. England Football's free online Playmaker course is the place to start, and leads on to its Introduction to Coaching Football.

A 60-minute plan

Arrive early, set up everything before the children come, and keep the talking to 30 seconds at a time. They learn by playing.

  1. 0–10 min · Arrival

    Traffic lights

    Starts the moment the first child arrives. A ball each, no queues. Everyone dribbles in a box. The coach calls colours: green to go, amber to slow down with the sole, red to stop the ball dead. An easy, active start for the youngest.

  2. 10–25 min · Practice

    Dribble and steal

    One idea, lots of touches, a bit of competition. Everyone dribbles in a square. Two stealers try to win a ball. A busy start where everyone is on the ball from the first minute.

  3. 25–35 min · Practice

    1v1 to the line

    The same idea, closer to a real game. One attacks, one defends. Score by stopping the ball on the end line. Swap after every go.

  4. 35–60 min · The game

    The game

    What they came for. Small teams, everyone involved. Finish every session with a real game, in the format your players play on match days.

Next time, let the session planner build one for your age group, numbers and theme.

How to talk to them

Children remember how a session made them feel long after they forget what you said.

Learn every name
On the first night. Use it when you praise someone.
Short and simple
Kneel down to their height, one idea at a time, then let them play. If they are standing still for more than a minute, you are talking too much.
Ask, don't tell
"Where could you dribble?" teaches more than "Dribble there". Let them work it out.
Praise the effort
"Great try at going past him" is better than "Well done" for a goal. It tells them what to do again.
Mistakes are fine
Say so, and mean it. A child who is scared of getting it wrong stops trying things.
End on a high
Finish with the game, then one thing each child did well. Tell their parent too.