Hi Alex, 

I have been helping coach my daughter's football team since around U9's (now U11's) we had the same with them, mixed ability and some wanting to learn more than others, it does get better but from U9/10 we stuck with a more fun approach, we didn't want to make the drills too boring and structured as we knew they could get bored and either disrupt the whole session or sadly decide they didn't enjoy football and leave.  

We have tried many different things over the years to keep them interested but still learn, they enjoyed playing Bulldogs Charge as a warm up, so we let them do this but then made them incorporate football into it, so not just running, dribbling, things like this, Tig for example, but then dribbling with a ball and tackling opponents to tag them, to the girls they're still playing and having fun with friends but actually they're learning to dribbling better with the ball and protect it. 

We also decided to ask them what they wanted to do in training, football related but so we could let them feel like it was their session, it's their football hour so they get to choose but has to be football and then as a coach you can add extra things for progression. Also, we had to make compromises, "yes we can play bulldogs charge as a warm up, but then you have to give us 10 mins of listening and learning etc.

I can't promise it gets any easier as they get older, we still get some weeks now when they just don't want to do what they're told, but with any group of footballers they all learn at different stages so one day it will click. 

Hope that helps a little

Hi guys, thanks for sharing your experiences. It's a really common scenario so hopefully there are plenty of coaches that can offer some suggestions. Here are a couple of practice ideas that might help:

Start a match with a penalty shootout
Win the shootout and you can win or draw the game
Lose the shootout and you can only win
Why? Think tactically, got to go for the win or sit back etc

Play a match of 2 halves
The score at half time is the score at the beginning of the second half
If you're winning, score the next goal and win the game
If you're losing, keep scoring until you overtake the score to win the game
Example: Losing 2-0 at half time, you've got to win the game 3-2
Why? Importance of the next goal and momentum

Each player has 1 goal in their bank (meaning they can score 1 goal in the game)
For every assist a player makes, they get another goal in the bank
Example: Assist a goal, you can score 2 goals in the game
Why? Share the goals around, better players encouraged to bring others into play

Another one here, this is from 'The Kings League': www.bbc.co.uk/.../c1vweypedd5o

Before a match, both teams select a card at random, each one has a secret weapon - which they can play between half-time and the 38th minute.

They are...

Double goal - for four minutes any goals the team that plays the card score count double

Sanction - a team can choose an opposition player who has to come off for four minutes.

Penalty - a team who play this card get a penalty

Penalty shootout - a team who play this card get a 'penalty' like in a shootout where a player has a one-on-one with the keeper

Star player - one player is given an armband to show he is the star player. If he scores a goal it will count double, then the secret weapon is over.

Wildcard - a team can activate any of the other cards, or steal their opponents' card

Last one is from a schools tournament - if a game ends as a draw, play extra time but after every minute each team has to take 1 player off the pitch until it's 1v1.

If you have a bash at any of these, do let us know how you get on :-)

Thank you! I'll work on one this Monday and let you know :-) 

Thank you! I'll work on one this Monday and let you know :-)