If you think back to your first memories of playing football, the chances are that it was not with a size-five football on a full-size pitch with seven-metre-wide goalposts.

For me, my first Wembley stadium was my Mum and Dad’s front room. The pitch was a light grey carpet with a blue pattern, the goal was the coffee table handcrafted in my Grandad’s shed and the official match ball was a balloon from the latest classmates’ party I had been to. As I grew (and after the balloon had smashed one of my Mum’s favourite ornaments on the mantlepiece), I progressed to the arena of the driveway. I will never forget the delight waking up on my sixth birthday to the biggest present I had ever seen. Lying at the end of the bed was a samba goalpost, which I put in front of the garage door. My weekly £1 pocket money was spent on replenishing footballs (in Yorkshire, we called them ‘fly-a-ways’), which were often never returned from the next-door neighbour’s garden. Once I was old enough, I transitioned to a ‘real’ leather football and my dad would spend hours with me on the school field opposite our house as I tried to recreate David Platt’s volley in Italia 90 or Gazza’s goal against Scotland at Euro 96.  

My early football journey may sound like yours, or it may be quite different. The point is, we all have unique needs at different ages and stages when experiencing the sport. This is particularly important during the play phase between the ages of four and six. It is therefore vital we adapt the games we play to ensure that they are engaging for all the children, and everyone has lots of fun and looks forward to coming back.  

Utilising the STEP principle (Youth Sports Trust, 2020) is an extremely effective way of doing this. Changing the SPACE could involve incorporating a safe zone or a bigger area to move in and explore (such as my graduation from the living room to the driveway). A choice of TASK can help support and challenge children at the stage they are currently at. For example, moving with a ball may look quite different for two 5-year-olds. One may already be comfortable dribbling with their feet, while for the other, carrying or bouncing the ball may be more appropriate. Offering different EQUIPMENT also provides children with suitable levels of challenge – I certainly found doing keep-ups harder as I transitioned from a balloon to my ‘fly-a-way’ then to a leather ball. Lastly, effectively utilising the PEOPLE in your session can help to engage each player. A 3v1 may be an appropriate challenge for some, whereas 2v2 may work better for others. Similarly, a game with one ‘tagger’ will provide different attacking and defending outcomes than one with five ‘taggers.  

We must adapt our sessions in the play phase to meet the needs of all our children. This will help them to help them fall in love with playing, moving and being in the company of others. If we are successful, then hopefully, they will look back at the start of their football journey with many happy memories, just like I do.  

If you have any questions about ideas for using the STEP principle (Youth Sports Trust, 2020) in your sessions or you want to share your ideas, please comment below.  

Also, for more info, check out these resources.

Also, keep an eye out for more play phase blogs on this page.