In this blog, our early years specialist, Pete Sturgess discusses why players fall in love with football and what coaches should do to capture their enthusiasm. 

Our youngest players will try football for a whole variety of reasons. One main reason being that they have seen it on TV or social media or one of the many different channels that are so readily available.  Their subsequent expectations about the game will therefore be fuelled by; TV coverage, highlights, live matches with mum and dad or chaotic games played in the streets and playgrounds. If this is what attracts them to the game, then their first experiences will be judged against this. Any mismatch may impact upon their continued enjoyment, engagement and participation. 
 
Coaches who work with the youngest players should take this into account as they prepare the experiences and opportunities the young players will get. Live game and highlights will show the exciting action, the skills, the goals, the near misses and the great saves. This is the diet that many young players have been brought up on and may expect when they come to your coaching session. So, how will your session match up to this expectation? 
 
In the street or playground, it is THEIR game! The adults are in the background or absent completely. The players sort out any disagreements, they have the capacity to change the rules, they are free to make their own decisions and decide what the game looks like. Do you include these kinds of opportunities as you plan your weekly sessions? Is there a week of free play experiencing different formats or maybe even a tournament that includes some other appropriate age groups from the same club?  

Do the young players knock down the doors to get to your sessions? 

The closer the experiences we provide mirror the expectations of the child, the greater the emotional connection will be. We want players to experience the emotions of the game, the joy of scoring (how often do you include shooting and scoring goals in your practices?), the dismay at the last-minute equaliser or the elation that comes from an injury time winner? 
 
All of these things can be considered and included into the planning you do for the season. We cannot leave our youngest players with the feeling that being involved in football means; not being picked to start the match, being told off for not concentrating or not listening, never having the opportunity to show off skills or score a goal. What kind of game are we presenting to the players if this is what football now means to them? 
 
The foundation phase is a great time to unleash the excitement, creativity and sheer joy of playing football. Let’s try to exceed the expectations of the players and show that football is a great game to fall in love with for everything it will give them for the rest of their life.  
 
What do you think of Pete’s blog? Has it inspired you? Is there anything else you do to help players stay in love with football? We’d love to know. Please comment below!