With quite a few changes in pitch, goal and ball size in recent years, it can be a little confusing for football coaches as their teams move up the age groups. Our football goal, pitch and ball size infographic brings you up to date with the current FA recommendations. The infographic make it clear at a glance what each age...

Nobody today needs to be told about how important it is that children maintain a healthy weight. One in three 11-year-olds are overweight or obese, but there’s evidence that the problem with childhood obesity starts at a much younger age as 22% of four and five-year-olds are also considered overweight or obese. The medical problems that can develop later in...

A training session without the use of football bibs can teach your team a lot. When children are playing football in the school playground they will naturally play without any team colours. In fact more often than not they are all wearing the same colour tops as their uniform dictates. The teams are chosen amongst themselves and they remember who...

Football fundraising ideas How can you raise money for a football team? Teams need training equipment, kits and footballs. The amount of money needed to run a grassroots team soon amounts up and you can find yourself spending hundreds of pounds even before a ball has been kicked. How you tackle your fundraising will decide upon whether your team will...

Serious football injuries are 10 times more likely to happen during match play than during training sessions. The most common injury in football is a knee injury and this can also be the most complicated with the likelihood of a long layoff or surgery. If you do not have a physiotherapist involved within your football team aim to have a...

Look at the top flight players during the winter months and you will see a lot of them are wearing base layers. Gareth Bale, Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie all wear them. They are not just wearing them for show, there is proven performance improvements associated with wearing football base layers. Wearing a tight fitting base layer will reduce muscle osculation...

A charity that is dear to our hearts here at The Soccer Store is Prostate Cancer UK. We always try to support this charity donating prizes for football events. In the UK about 1 in 8 men will get Prostate Cancer at some point in their lives. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in Men in the UK. Please...

  5 Training Drills You Can do at Home The modern game has evolved so much in recent years that players are trying all kinds of skills and tricks to help them get that all-important edge over their opponents. Whether you’re a six-year old playing in the school playground or a 25-year old winger playing for your club, you’re always...

In grassroots football the goalkeeper is generally the forgotten man.  Simply the training they receive is in group format or via a shooting drill.  Obviously at grass roots level resources are limited but to find someone to do a little work is better than forgetting about one of the most important people on the pitch.  Below I will share a...