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Basic soccer coaching ethos of a good soccer coach -
what should the attitude of the coach undertaking football coaching for children be like - well here is what we at TSC UK think - the children are the important thing, not the game and not the coach. Soccer coaches should not think they are the next Alec Ferguson and should not shout and scream. They should be a good role model - they should not swear, smoke or shout at the players. They should be punctual, prepared and well presented. They should treat defeat and victory in the same way and consider the performance of players (i.e. have they done their best?) rather than the score line. Read our top soccer coaching survival tips by clicking here.
Ideally in the UK, soccer coaches will have at least taken the FA Level 1 'badge' which incorporates having a CRB check, a first aid briefing and a child protection seminar. In other countries football governing bodies provice similar courses, so please get qualified!
Soccer coaches' prime focus should be the enjoyment of the game by the children and the safety of the children, not the size of the coaches ego. After all who will remember the fact that Little Smoley u8s won the Something and Nothing Cup - nobody, but they will all remember their fantastic coach. Keeping the children safe is important - make sure they have shin pads, proper boots that are tied up and that they are neither chewing gum, nor have hard objects in pockets (keys or mobile phones for example) Check the playing area for bricks, broken glass other debris such as dog excrement before you start, not after somebody lands in it. Also you should have an appropriate first aid kit on hand and somebody present who is emergency first aid qualified.
Don't bite off more than you can chew - younger players need more attention - I would suggest 1 coach to 10 players maximum up to age of 10, increasing to 1 to 20 by the time they get to 16.
After all that you will probably need a decent supply of footballs, marker cones and bibs. Remember, some warm ups and games will ideally need players to have a ball each to maximise their contact time. Also remember that the size of ball used increases with age groups - so before you splash out on 20 balls, check what size is appropriate to the age group!
Finally keep an eye out for any cliques forming within the group of players and encourage mixing and team building, discourage sarcasm and negativity and don't allow players to cuss and swear - if you start out on day 1 in this way, the players will not fall into any bad habits.
Remember its your job as a football coach is to make sure they enjoy themselves and come back for more next week!
Good Luck! TSC UK |