Bruce, you are experiencing what most, if not all, coaches of U7's experience because if 6 year old children choose to play football then it is highly likely they want to be near the ball so that they can kick it, shoot with it and generally do what they come to football for, touch the ball. I am sorry to disappoint you but doing any kind of positional play at this young age will not be productive and may destroy the enjoyment of playing the game that the children have chosen. Embrace the fact that all your players want to be on the ball, help them understand about what to do when your team has the ball and what they might think about doing when the other team has it. The job of an U7 coach is to ensure that every player has had a great time, feels valued and appreciated and really wants to come back to play at U8. Job done. Pete

Hi Pete

Whilst I totally agree with what you say about U7 football above, the last comment about the job of an U7 coach got me thinking.  How would you summarize the job of coaches of other age groups? 

I coach at U12 and we are seeing a greater and greater tension between players who want to be footballers (and work at it) and players who just basically want to turn up and have a kick about without really trying to improve.  This leads to tension in the ranks to the extent that we have started to lose our better players, results are going the wrong way and at this age they are starting to focus on results more.  

One school of thought would be to say - like at the younger age groups - as long as they have fun it's fine and if they are not enjoying it they will stop coming.  But eventually you are then left with those players who don't want to put the effort in to improve and so there's (arguably) no point in being there except for free pre-teen care!

I know some of the selective clubs/academies won't have this issue but for a coach at an inclusive club where we don't turn players away, how do you suggest to balance the different attitudes and interests in the group and the best approach to take here?    

Thanks to anyone who has advice!  Interested on how others would define the 'role of an U12 coach'!

Kev

Hi Pete

Whilst I totally agree with what you say about U7 football above, the last comment about the job of an U7 coach got me thinking.  How would you summarize the job of coaches of other age groups? 

I coach at U12 and we are seeing a greater and greater tension between players who want to be footballers (and work at it) and players who just basically want to turn up and have a kick about without really trying to improve.  This leads to tension in the ranks to the extent that we have started to lose our better players, results are going the wrong way and at this age they are starting to focus on results more.  

One school of thought would be to say - like at the younger age groups - as long as they have fun it's fine and if they are not enjoying it they will stop coming.  But eventually you are then left with those players who don't want to put the effort in to improve and so there's (arguably) no point in being there except for free pre-teen care!

I know some of the selective clubs/academies won't have this issue but for a coach at an inclusive club where we don't turn players away, how do you suggest to balance the different attitudes and interests in the group and the best approach to take here?    

Thanks to anyone who has advice!  Interested on how others would define the 'role of an U12 coach'!

Kev

Kev, I empathise fully with your predicament and can understand the frustrations from everyone's point of view and there is no easy answer unless we have a total rethink of the experiences we provide for our young players. I think enjoyment and feeling that you are part of a team, valued and that you are getting better and improving are very important for motivation and its great that some of your players want to take thinks to the next level and improve their play and understanding of the game. Most teams will have players of mixed ability and with different reasons for taking part in football. However, and this is where the rethink is needed, if the only game opportunity is within a competitive framework how do we provide something for those players who just want to train and not take the "playing in a fixture" part as seriously as others? Do we currently cater for this group within our current offers , I'm not sure we do. Because of this we are trying to combine players with different reasons for taking part into a team playing competitive matches and as. you have alluded to this is difficult. You will also have the added problem of players entering puberty where they are discovering who they are and what they stand for so this may cause additional issues as well. I am all for inclusivity but it does become difficult within our current structure as we want each player to find a version of the game that suits their personal motivations and inclinations and you have articulated how difficult this is. Good luck. Pete

I think the point you make applies equally to younger players too, even at U8 level where I coach. This is where bigger, more popular clubs do well because they can afford to stream their players into different teams. Such clubs remain a pull for the better players (or their parents, at least). It's just something we need to accommodate, as Pete says. I do think good team camaraderie plugs some of the shortcomings here and is a good way for the kids to stay strong as a unit even if the results are mixed.