PART 1
COTTAGE FARM RANGERS FC
COACHING GUIDE
ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT AND ITS
CONTENT THEN PLEASE ASK. IN THE MEANTIME I HOPE YOU FIND
SOME, IF NOT ALL OF IT, USEFUL. THANKS CHARLIE
PRE READ
Folks, over the years I have gathered lots of
information, some of which is included in this
document, all of which has helped me in my
delivery of hopefully better and more
challenging coaching sessions, relevant to the
game of football. However, if I was to pick one
area I have found really beneficial, then that is
around the observation and reflection of play on
match days and the subsequent delivery of
coaching sessions relevant to areas of
improvement from that game i.e. passing out
from the back, short passing and receiving – it
also helps to plan your session as well to cover
all your coaching points. Hopefully you don’t
mind me sharing this information with you!
INDEX
1. CLUB PHILOSOPHY/FA COACHING
PHILOSOPHY
2. LONG TERM PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
(LTPD)
3. GOLDEN AGE OF LEARNING
4. THE FA’s FUTURE GAME (GRASSROOTS)
5. MISCELLEOUS COACHING SESSIONS
6. TRAINING SCHEDULES (TEMPLATES),
MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES
7. OTHER AREAS TO LOOK AT – FUTSAL,
COEVER COACHING (TO FOLLOW)
1 - PHILOSPHY
PHILOSOPHY (draft)
Cottage Farm Rangers FC –working to develop the next generation of
footballing talent
CLUB PHILOSOPHY
Cottage Farm Rangers FC is a grassroots football Club working with both girls
and boys, to develop the next generation of footballing talent from across the
local area of Tamworth and surrounding areas. The Club runs a Football
Development Centre for players 5yrs to 7yrs and teams from the ages of 7 to
Open Age and competes throughout the season against other Clubs both in the
Tamworth Junior league, plus other teams further a field in different affiliated
Leagues .As a Charter Standard Development Club, it looks to adopt a
professional approach to the development and recruitment of players, coaches
and volunteers, whilst fostering a philosophy that football is for everyone and in
doing aims to provide a safe environment for everyone to enjoy the game of
football and develop to their true potential.
PLAYING PHILOSOPHY
Coupled with the above philosophy, the Club also buys into The FA Future Game
playing philosophy which outlines an overarching vision for the English game.
That Future Game playing philosophy is broken down into the following
principles:
In possession:

A possession-based approach played through the three-thirds of the pitch

Quality passing and intelligent movement and support off the ball

Penetrative, incisive and varied attacking play, allied to good finishing

Counter-attacking whenever opportunities arise
Out of possession:

A tactical approach to defending, in which all players contribute

A controlled, calculated and assertive approach when and where
necessary
Additionally, the playing philosophy actively encourages the individualistic
player. Players with varied and unique dribbling skills and the dexterity to go
past defenders, particularly in the final-third, are fundamental to success in the
future game.
Approaches to the game continue to evolve and The Future Game, as the title
suggests, looks to the future, predicting the changes and developments in the
game. How these changes should inform the development of the next generation
of players contributes much of the content of both guides.
The Future Game playing philosophy reflects many of the styles and approaches
demonstrated by high-performing teams at European and world level. It is
important to note, however, that The Future Game philosophy isn’t a replica of
any particular country’s philosophy, and is underpinned with England’s own DNA
in which desire, work-rate and competitiveness are continually encouraged.
Applying The Future Game playing philosophy to grassroots football with the
ball
To develop players capable of playing the game outlined in The Future Game
playing philosophy, young grassroots players should be encouraged, when
possible, to play out from the back and through midfield, progressing play to
create chances with clever and creative play.
Goalkeepers should be comfortable in possession, distributing the ball to
defenders who are confident to receive the ball and pass, or run with the ball,
into midfield.
Players in all areas of the pitch should be encouraged to retain possession by
building play through the three-thirds of the pitch. Put simply: this begins by
encouraging players to refrain from kicking the ball hopefully from one end of
the pitch to the other.
Young players should develop their passing skills focusing on accuracy, variety
and incisiveness. Incisive passes see the ball being played through, around, or
over, the opposition to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Possession work should be supported with an emphasis on intelligent movement
with players encouraged to interchange position to receive the ball. As the game
evolves it appears there will be less reliance on traditional positions and young
players should be given the opportunity to play in lots of different areas of the
pitch and not be restricted by out-dated tactics and formations.
Recognizing counter-attacking opportunities is also fundamental. Young players
should be given opportunities to learn how to play the game at different speeds,
developing an understanding of which approach – patient build-up play or incisive
counter-attacking - is most appropriate depending on the state of the game and
the organization of the opposition.
This style of play encourages all players, at different times, to join in with
attacking play with an emphasis on variety and creativity. Individual dribbling
skills and the ability to go past players using a skill or trick, particularly in the
final-third, are to be encouraged. Players demonstrating such individual abilities
should be encouraged to develop these unique skills wherever possible.
Without the ball
Coaching defending is sometimes neglected at grassroots level. An important
part of The Future Game vision is for players at all levels to develop their
understanding and application of defending skills.
Players should be encouraged to regain the ball skilfully and intelligently, rather
than simply chasing after the ball; this includes all players on the pitch and not
just those in more defensive minded positions.
Players should be encouraged to develop their understanding of when to
attempt to regain the ball early (when the opposition do not have controlled
possession) and, alternatively, when to recover, drop-off, and work together to
prevent the opposition from executing attacks (when the opposition have good
possession).
Young players should also be given the opportunity to learn how to function in
man-marking and zonal defensive structures.
Club Coaching Strategies
The Club has subdivided its coaching strategies into 3 phases of development;
the Foundation Phase for ages 5-11, the Youth Development Phase for ages 1216 and the Adult Development Phase for ages 17-21, based on the FA Future
Game for grassroots football.
Foundation Phase 5-11 (including Mini Soccer and the 9 v 9 game)
The Foundation Phase is the starting point for all young players within the Club
and strives to provide each player with quality support by targeting the
development of the player as a whole, providing a comprehensive framework for
the young footballer to progress through the Club.
The Foundation Programme supports and progresses the physical and technical
development of its young footballers, specifically, key fundamental movement
and object control skills. A syllabus – The FA Future Game, is in place that
provides a thorough framework for age-group coaches to work from; ensuring all
contact time incorporates meaningful practice and the repetition and
development of key skills. Involvement in the syllabus has a number of benefits
for the player including:
1. Improved agility, balance and coordination.
2. Improved object control capabilities involving sending, receiving and
travelling.
Foundation Phase principles of play are taught through conditioned small sided
games focusing on invasion principles, overload and possession. We ensure all
players are given the time to play and develop key intellectual properties and
the opportunity to link key object control and movement skills with game
application. This has several benefits for the player including:
1. Enhanced decision making capabilities.
2. Enhanced game understanding.
3. Enhanced problem solving skills.
4. Exploration of basic skills, actions and ideas.
5. Understanding the process of selecting and applying skills in sequence and
combination.
6. Evaluating and improving performance through intrinsic/extrinsic feedback.
We take a pedagogical approach that places players in a game situation where
tactics, decision-making and problem solving are critical. We support the young
player while they progresses through the phases of understanding.
Should you have any queries regarding the Foundation Phase at the Club please
speak with Coach and Coordinator for this group?
Youth Development Phase 12-16
The Youth Development Phase is the second phase of advancement for our
players and strives to build on the technical, physical and decision making gains
of the Foundation Phase with the objective of consolidating an understanding of
the 11v11 game whilst learning to compete. A syllabus- the FA Future Game, is in
place that provides a thorough framework for age-group coaches to work from;
ensuring all contact time incorporates meaningful practice, repetition and
maintenance of key skills and specific fitness developments. Involvement in the
syllabus has a number of benefits for the player including:
1. Improved fitness components including strength, power, speed and
muscular/cardiovascular endurance.
2. Awareness of diet, health and lifestyle requirements.
3. Enhanced decision making capabilities relating to the 11v11 game.
4. Enhanced game understanding relating to the 11v11 game.
5. Enhanced problem solving skills relating to the 11v11 game.
Should you have any queries regarding the Youth Development Phase at the Club
please speak with Coach and Coordinator?
Adult Development Phase – 17 to 21
Recruitment
Our player recruitment structure covers the area of Tamworth, plus
surrounding towns and villages and is across the u5 –Open Age categories for
boys and girls interested in playing football and then support the long-term
development of the player. The Club has also strived during its existence to
build a network and continued working relationships with local clubs which
always allow for transparency where recruitment of players might be an issue,
recognizing that the best interests of the player are always paramount and to
that end we endeavour to establish and maintain a reputation for
professionalism and approachability at all times.
2- Long Term Player Development
DEVELOPING YOUR COACHING METHODS
(Apologies for the reading matter, but there’s a lot of information to
convey)
Folks
In conjunction with the Club’s re-accreditation as a Charter Standard Club, I
thought it might be appropriate if we as Coaches looked at some of the latest
ideas around what might be considered ‘Best Practice’ within that role and how
that might contribute to the development of better players. With this in mind,
I have decided to put together a working document that can hopefully be used
by everyone involved in the area of football coaching.
The source for what might be considered ‘Best Practice’ is the Football
Associations (hereafter referred to as The FA) recent introduction to coach
training, namely The FA Youth Award which consists of three Modules – Module
1 is Developing the Environment (For players 5yrs to 11yrs), Module 2 is
Developing the Practice (For players 12yrs to 16yrs) and Module 3 is Developing
the Player (For players 17yrs +). Currently I have completed Modules 1
(November 2008) and 2 (February 2010), both of which were practical based
courses and each was completed over two full weekends. A lot of what I learnt
in Module 1, I have already introduced at the Club’s Football Development
Centre and as a consequence that has also been cascaded down to those Coaches
with our current Under 8’s and 9’s teams.
However, from the start, I am not going to say that you have to follow or even
take on board what I am passing on, although it is important that you know what
messages are currently coming from The FA at present – appreciate we all have
our views about The FA, in particular the message about Coach Development, in
as much as you are now being encouraged to take full responsibility for your
personal development as a football Coach and should be taking advantage of any
continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities offered by Club,
League or The FA. Hence the introduction of The FA Youth Award, which is
taking some initial steps to look at and improve the quality of coaching at
grassroots level and yes before you say it, there will be no great changes
overnight, but the ‘goalposts’ have been moved slightly for the better I hope!
So before moving on, what I believe The FA now recognise, is the fact that as a
nation we are not producing the number of quality footballers compared to
other countries, hence the development of The FA Youth Award over the last
few years and its subsequent introduction, as a way of encouraging Coaches at
grassroots level to understand how the player develops or put in more simple
terms it is all about ‘Developing the Player’ to his or her full potential.
Therefore to understand the above, you need to understand about Long Term
Player Development (LTPD) – check it out on the internet, which ultimately
means we as Coaches must now begin to recognise the massive part we have in a
player’s development, particularly in their formative years and if we get it
wrong, then they will probably walk away from the game of football forever – do
we won’t that responsibility? Also as part of LTPD, it is also recognised that for
sports people, like footballers, it takes 10,000hrs or 10 tens of practice to
reach their full potential. Food for thought, which I will return to later in this
document.
So following that brief introduction, I will continue in this and further up dates
to show how The FA Youth Award has looked at ‘Developing the Player’ and in
doing so, introduce the philosophy behind the coaching methods as it was shown
to me. So I will be starting with Module 1 – Developing the Environment, which
I did in November 2008 and in all honesty I am still learning from now, so I
make no apologies about the fact that to affect change within us as Coaches, we
need to be open minded about the new philosophy on offer and the focus when
introducing young people to our national game should be about ‘Developing them
as Players’. If the focus is something else, then in my opinion we will have failed
as a Coach to do our job. You will note that I have only mentioned the word
Coach and not referred to Managers, simply because Coaches ‘develop’ and
Managers ‘manage’.
DEVELOPING THE ENVIRONMENT
At the route of this subject matter is what is known as the FA’s LTPD Four
Corner Model:


THE SOCIAL CORNER
Learning Outcomes
Explain the roles that
football can provide in
enhancing the social
development of young players
Identify appropriate coaching
behaviour that will compliment
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CORNER
Learning Outcomes
 Explain the importance of an
appropriate environment in
the process of developing
young children

the wider social development
of children
Identify what is needed to
create a safe and enjoyable
football environment
THE PHYSICAL CORNER
Learning Outcomes
 Explain where the
Fundamental stage fits into
the process of Long Term
Player Development
 Demonstrate activities that
will help to develop agility,
balance and coordination

Demonstrate good practice in
delivery mechanisms to
accommodate different styles
THE TECHNICAL CORNER
Learning Outcomes
 Explain how correct practice
structure can enhance young
player development
 Demonstrate the ability to
manage difference within
coaching sessions
and it is around the above Four Corner Model that we as Coaches should be
getting to know our players better – take a few minutes at every training
session talk to your players, you will be surprised the difference it can make. A
consequence of which, you can give every young player you coach the opportunity
to develop to their full potential, whether that is at a professional level, semi
professional level, amateur level or for probably the majority, who I will call
‘weekend footballers’. In some ways it is the latter category, which will be the
key to the continued success of our national game as without these future
footballers the whole game might collapse around us.
So whilst the core aims of Module 1 are primarily for those Coaches involved
with young footballers in the 5 – 11 year age group and gives them an
opportunity to improve their knowledge and coaching in that age group, please
do not ignore if you have older players as a lot of the coaching techniques are
transferable to the older player.
The Module 1 also looks to a number of Learning Outcomes (knowledge learnt
and put into action):
 Identify the components of LTPD and their relevance to young players
 Develop an awareness of the importance of the Social Corner and its
impact on the development of a young player
 Identify the different ways a young player may use to process
information and how to incorporate these into your coaching methodology
 Develop a greater awareness of the Physical Corner and its impact on the
development of a young player







Define Fundamental movement skills incorporating Agility, Balance, Coordination and Speed and their relevance to the game
Develop an awareness of the Technical Corner and its impact on the
development of a player
Explain and demonstrate how practices can be modified to improve an
appropriate challenge to each individual player
Develop an awareness of the Psychological Corner and its impact on the
development of a player
Describe the importance of self esteem and motivation in the process of
player development
Identify the major components of session planning to incorporate the
Four Corners
Signpost where you can go next on your coaching pathway
Following on from the above, it might be worth looking at one of the first
sessions introduced to me on the Module 1 Course, under the heading of
Fundamentals and the Developing Player, called the ‘The Great Escape’ and
whilst it is primarily about how to incorporate Fundamental movements into your
coaching session i.e. Agility, Balance, Co-ordination and Speed, the session can
be adapted to cover most age bands outside its intended 5yrs to 11yrs *, so give
it a go.
* 5yrs to 11yrs is recognised as the early phase of a child’s development or
Fundamental stage. It is this period that builds a foundation on which more
complex movement abilities can be developed later. Agility, balance, coordination and speed (ABC’s) are the key areas to be developed, together with
basic aspects of running, throwing and jumping. As a general rule, the young
child should play (or at least try) as many different sporting activities as
possible. At this stage the most important aspects are participation and above
all, fun and enjoyment.
For young children at this stage it is important to match the activities that they
do to their level of majority and physical development. Virtually all the
Fundamental movements that they need to acquire at this stage can be
reproduced through play. If the Coach adopts this approach, with carefully
crafted chasing and tag games as part of the session, then the Children’s
interest and motivation will remain high and movement patterns will be ‘grooved’
in almost inadvertently – will return to the science later.
THE FOUR CORNERS OF DEVELOPMENT
EXAMPLES OF SUBJECT MATTER COVERED IN EACH CORNER
3 – GOLDEN AGE OF LEARNING
CONDITIONING FOR LIFE – THE GOLDEN AGE OF LEARNING (5 to
12yrs)
It's a wrap: how insulation produces "naturally gifted" players
I'm sure you've often heard expressions like: "She's a natural striker" or "he's
a great defender, just like his dad. It must be in his genes".
I'm not going to delve too deeply into the old and rather tired "nature v
nurture" debate here, (if you want to check it out, a Google search will reveal
hundreds of articles on the subject), I'm just going to say that children are
NOT born with the ability to play football, any more than they are born with the
ability to play the violin or run 100m in less than 10 seconds.
Genes can give a child red hair or blue eyes but to suggest children can be born
with a "triple stepover" gene is a little silly, to say the least. But while genetics
are not the deciding factor in whether a child excels at football (or anything
else) it is a fact that some boys and girls are born with certain advantages.
Children who are genetically predisposed to have a strong body, powerful lungs,
etc., and have parents prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to regularly
take their children to football practice have a head start in the race to be a
football star. And you will see plenty of them at coaching sessions for preschoolers and kindergarten kids.
But genetic advantages and parenting style is not the end of the story. Far from
it.
While good genes can help two and three year olds keep a step ahead of their
peers, genetics plays a very minor role in producing talented young football
players.
Instead, football talent requires three key ingredients – ignition, meaningful
practice and excellent coaching. [1]
Ignition
Ignition is the spark that makes a child want to excel at football. It could be a
film (such as Bend It Like Beckham), the desire to please a parent, an internal
drive to be the best or the realisation that becoming good at football might
lead to a desirable lifestyle. It could also be the influence of a role
model. Someone like you, perhaps.
Meaningful practice
Understanding the importance of practice for young players requires an
understanding of how children learn motor skills.
All motor skills – from walking to heading the ball into the back of the net – are
generated by electrical impulses that originate in the neural pathways in the
brain.
Over time, and with lots of meaningful practice, a substance called myelin
insulates these pathways, stopping the electrical impulses from leaking and
thereby allowing a young football player to perform the relevant skill or
technique more quickly and accurately.[2]
Put simply, a child with myelin-wrapped football pathways plays the game
"instinctively" and well. She's got broadband. On the other hand, a child without
myelin-wrapped football pathways is still struggling to get by on dial up.
Myelin can be produced at any age but the prime age for myelin formation is
between four and 12, an age range that can be properly be called The Golden
Age for children who are learning to play football. Technical skills learned
during this period can be quickly and firmly embedded, i.e. wrapped with myelin.
The relevance of this to youth football coaching is clear: time spent teaching
tactics to young players is not being spent wisely. At the youngest ages, all a
coach's energy should be focused on proper technical training, or myelin
building. [3]
Coaches should also note that it's much easier to wrap a football-specific
pathway in myelin than unwrap it. That's why bad habits are so difficult to
break and why you should teach correct technique from day one.
But it is not sufficient to simply put in lots of hours practising skills and
techniques. Even 10,000 hours of practice is not enough.[4]
Rapid myelin growth occurs when children practise their football skills in a
challenging – even uncomfortable – environment.
This is best achieved by playing a variety of small-sided games (SSGs) instead
of using drills. Football-like games hone technique, expose faults and force
children to find solutions to problems.
Futsal, 4v4 and five-a-side move young players outside their comfort zone,
encourage risk taking, experimentation and are thus much better for skill
acquisition than traditional drills or playing eleven-a-side on vast, uninspiring
pitches.
Excellent coaching
The final – and most important prerequisite for producing talented young
football players – is excellent coaching. The good news is that excellent coaches
are not necessarily the most qualified.
They don't even have to be particularly knowledgeable. Most talented players
didn't have coaches with outstanding win/loss ratios or coaching degrees when
they were five, six or even 12 years old. But their coaches did possess a set of
recognisable characteristics:

Excellent coaches are a source of ignition. They inspire their players, not
just because they are kind and patient but also because they have high
standards. One of the best youth coaches I ever met insisted his players
turn up 10 minutes early for practice, always wore spotless boots [cleats]
and they maintained eye contact with him when he was speaking. His
players loved him.

Excellent coaches facilitate meaningful practice. They don't routinely
give their players the answers, their players play a lot of SSGs and they
know how to think for themselves.
Excellent coaches show their players how to perform a skill but they will
leave it up to them to find out how to actually use it. And you will never,
ever hear an excellent coach shouting "SHOOT!" or "PASS!" or anything
like that during a match. They are more likely to be reading a newspaper.
Excellent coaches don't over-praise success. They know that doing that
discourages young players from taking risks – in case they fail – and
children who don't take risks learn very slowly, if at all.


Finally, excellent coaches understand why William Butler Yeats – an Irish poet
and Nobel prize winner – said:
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
---------------------References
[1] [3] D Coyle, The Talent Code, Random House, 2009
[2] Z Jonker, Cracking the Code, q.v. CMYSA, April 15, 2011
[4] Malcolm Gladwell devotes a section of his book Outliers to the notion that to
become world class at anything requires 10,000 hours of practice.