"Building strong foundations for young players through age-appropriate training and development."
Term 1: Foundation Skills
Focus: Confidence with the ball and
building love for the game.
Key Areas:
- Ball mastery (dribbling, first touch, turning moves)
- Passing & receiving (short passes, wall passes, first touch control)
- Shooting basics (inside foot finish, laces shooting)
- 1v1 attacking/defending (shield, simple feints, body position)
- Small-sided games (3v3/4v4 free play)
- Physical literacy (agility, balance, coordination)
Goal: Every player becomes comfortable on the ball in small spaces.
Term 2: Skill Development
Focus: Confidence with the ball and
building love for the game.
Key Areas:
- Ball mastery (dribbling, first touch, turning moves)
- Passing & receiving (short passes, wall passes, first touch control))
- Shooting basics (inside foot finish, laces shooting))
- 1v1 attacking/defending (shield, simple feints, body position))
- Small-sided games (3v3/4v4 free play))
- Physical literacy (agility, balance, coordination))
Goal: Players can link skills together and make simple choices in games.
Term 3: Game Understanding
Focus: Team play and awareness..
Key Areas:
- Attacking principles (width, depth, support).
.
- Defending principles (pressure, cover, balance).
- Positional basics (roles of defenders, midfielders, attackers).
.
- Creating & exploiting space (movement off the ball, switching play).
- Bigger small-sided games (5v5/7v7 with team shapes like triangle, diamond).
- Basic set plays (simple corners, throw-ins, free kicks).
Goal: Players start to understand how to play as a team, not just individuals..
Term 4: Consolidation & Fun
Focus: Review, confidence, and applying all skills..
Key Areas:
- Mixed theme sessions (review of dribbling, passing, shooting, defending)
- Tournament play (round-robin, mini-league within academy)
- Match play (friendlies against other grassroots teams)
- Player challenges (crossbar challenge, juggling contest, skill moves)
- Reflection & feedback (short player reports with strengths and growth areas)
Goal: End the year with high motivation and readiness for the next cycle..