Football Coaching

Football in China is still in its infancy, but it has already made waves around the World. Chinese multi-billionaires are funding a huge expansion in the game, bringing stars like Carlos Tevez and Oscar to the Chinese Super League. But while the high-profile transfers make the headlines, it is the work going on at the grassroots level that is most...

It’s finally July again. The barren month of June is often hard for amateur footballers. There’s no football on the telly, and even less in the community. For committed and enthusiastic players, the summer is torture. Anyone who regularly plays the game at a reasonable level will know how exciting the first day of pre-season training is. However, excitement usually...

As a proud, football-loving parent, it is only natural that you’d want to instil your love of the beautiful game in your children. But being too pushy too early can sometimes have the opposite effect. Any fan or player’s love of the game starts with the element of fun, and if it’s missing, falling in love with football is a...

When Gareth Bale led an heroic Euro 2016 campaign that led to the semi-final, a proud nation watched on — including a group of Big Issue sellers from Wales. Inspired what they witnessed, they decided to group together to form a team of their own. Big Issue Cymru was born, featuring homeless and socially excluded football fans from Cardiff. Street...

Whether you’re starting a new football team or trying to bolster the ranks of an existing one, an effective player recruitment strategy is essential. But for many clubs in British grassroots football, simply finding people who are interested in playing can be a huge challenge. It doesn’t matter whether your team is flying high and winning trophies or languishing at...

It is now estimated that around one in five people in England live with a disability or a chronic illness. For the vast majority of these people, the need to exercise and socialise is just as important as it is for able-bodied people. Fortunately, opportunities to get involved in disability football are numerous, and they’re growing all the time. Since...

Most adult Sunday league players — and probably more professional players than you realise — have been forced to take to a football field whilst feeling the effects of alcohol. Right up until the 1980s, the best football players in the land could be seen propping up bars until the early hours on the eve of a big match. How...

An increasing number of grassroots football teams are having their fixtures and training schedules decimated because of inclement weather. The shocking state of municipal pitches in the UK results in postponed matches and training sessions when it rains. But if your team has access to indoor facilities, there are some very effective training drills that will keep everyone sharp until...

Whether you’re a young footballer with dreams of making it as a professional or the parent of an ambitious youngster, it’s important to know exactly what a professional scout is looking for. Every professional club in England — along with many semi-professional clubs — employ full-time scouts to scour youth and local leagues for talent. If you or your child...

Cast your mind back to the 1970s and 1980s; a time when English defenders in the professional game were fearsome and fearless in equal measure. For fans of a certain age, visions of Stuart Pearce’s crunching tackles live long in the memory. The iconic sight of Terry Butcher covered in blood after guiding England to the 1990 World Cup Finals...