New for this season is the Diamond coaches session planner and match day note nook.
The Session Planner is ideal for football training sessions. The A4 ring bound booklet contains 40 pages, each blank on one side with a pitch layout on the other. The booklet features a waterproof cover and tear out pages.
The Match Day Note Book is A5 size and ideal for making notes on match days. As with the session planner the ring bound booklet contains 40 pages blank on one side with a pitch layout on the other.
Both are available at The Soccer Store priced at £6.95 and £4.95 respectively.

Terry Venables has confirmed that he is talks with troubled Newcastle United Football Club.
Venables 65, who has previously managed Crystal Palace, QPR, Barcelona, Spurs, England, Middlesbrough and Leeds held talks on Wednesday and is the latest person to be linked with the club since Kevin Keegan left and Mike Ashley put the club up for sale. His last job was as assistant to former England boss Steve McClaren.
Newcastle’s departure from the Carling Cup at the hands of Tottenham was their fourth successive defeat played in front of a sparse crowd of 20,577.

I cannot stress enough the importance of choosing the correct ball size for youth football.
This is one area of football equipment you need to get right. How many times do you see small children trying to kick a size 5 ball around, nearly tripping over it because it is too large?
Mitre recommend the following:
Size 3 football Age 6 - 9
Size 4 football, Age 9 - 14
Size 5 football Age 14/15+
Local football leagues set out these sizes in their rules, so if you are not sure which size to use for league games contact them to find out.
You can see a range of footballs available in the recommended sizes and weights at The Soccer Store.�

From the start of the 2007/2008 season referees have had the right to cancel a game where they may consider goal posts to be unsafe. The term unsafe covers several different aspects, as follows:
Goal Posts without the appropriate British Standard (those made before 1996)
Home made football goals.
Goal Posts with metal hooks, to attach the net.
Goals with square posts
Damaged football goals or goals deemed unsafe.
Goals in a general state of disrepair.
This applies to Mini Soccer Goals, Junior and Adult Goals.

The Soccer Store sells a range of Steel and Aluminium goals, as well as a full range of Samba Goals which all comply to the relevant British Standards.

The premier football league is looking at the possibility of introducing a rule next season whereby 2 of the now 7 substitutes are to be home reared U21 year old academy players. The plan is being introduced to give players graduating from academies a chance of getting a foothold in the premier league against foreign imported players.
The rule would need the backing of 14 of the 20 teams in the premier league.
The main problem is that clubs would just name academy player as substitutes and leave them unused. Leaving the player with no first team football or academy football!

The Garden Football Goal is now back in stock.
This recreational football goal will make either a 12 x 6 goal or a 8 x 6 goal and comes supplied with goal frame, 2 nets, net clips, ground anchors and carry bag.
It is simple and quick to erect and priced at only £65 from The Soccer Store including delivery a rear bargain.
This will make the perfect present for your young aspiring footballer wishing to hone their skills in the garden.

England face their toughest test in tonight’s football against Croatia in Zagreb’s Maksimir stadium where Croatia are yet to lose a game. Capello has stated that his men prefer the away games where there is less pressure on his players.
The new Wembley stadium sometimes lacks atmosphere but surely this is partly down to the football being played. Fans certainly shell out a lot of money these days to watch a football match. Their expectations from today’s game are a lot higher. They want to see skills, goals, blood, sweat and tears and who can blame them.
The England players must wear the shirt and the badge with pride and play their football with passion. I am sure that if this happens the fans will return the compliment with vociferous support.

The new Samba 9-a-side 16ft x 7ft match goal is the FA recommended size for 9 v 9 soccer. It complies to all of the current relevent FA standards and is suitable for league use.
The New features include extended top and bottom runback to make the goal more stable and marked out anchoring points. It is fully portable, fits in the average size family car and comes complete with a carry bag.
The Goals retail at £150 each and are available for immediate despatch from approved Samba supplier The Soccer Store.
The Samba Match football goal comes with a year’s guarantee with spares and technical backup available.

Diamond Football has just introduced a football bib carry bag.
What a great idea, why has no one thought of it before? This mesh fabric carry bag will hold up to 20 bibs. Because the bag is made of mesh it allows your football bibs to dry out and breathe meaning that you won’t turn up at the next training session with a plastic bag full of smelly bibs.
What’s more the bag can be thrown in the washing machine with the football bibs inside. What I hear you say, arrive at the training session with clean bibs!
It retails at just £3.95 and is available from The Soccer Store.

Introducing some items of equipment to your junior football training sessions will add a bit of spice and keep everyone interested.
Every coach has the obvious items such as marker cones, but so much more can be done with just a few extra pieces of kit. It doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Fifty pounds will buy you slalom poles and some speed hurdles from The Soccer Store. This will get you going and take your coaching sessions to the next level. Circuits can be set up using your new equipment to get your players warmed up and training routines can be set around the new kit. All this will result in a more enjoyable football training session.