Please Note: The transcript is automatically generated by Supertranslate.beta in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading.
[Jamie]
Hello and welcome to Coachcast by England Football Learning, the coaching podcast that brings you insight from people across the game. As always we're Jamie and Louise and today we're joined by John Folwell to talk about how to help players transition between game formats and the changes that are coming. Well hi Folly, how are you? Welcome to the show.
[Folly]
Hi, good to see you all yeah. It's exciting to be here, busy period of time, closed season, but yeah, looking forward to this.
[Louise]
It's really nice to have you with us again. So for anyone who hasn't heard you on one of our episodes before, can you just give a quick explanation of what it is that you do?
[Folly]
Yeah, no problem. My formal title is I'm head of grassroots coach development. Essentially that means I work with a group of coach developers to help grassroots coaches basically get better, support them with their needs, mentoring, one-to-one support, delivering CPD, creating digital content, etc.
[Jamie]
Brilliant, yeah, Fantastic, thanks for that. Just before we kind of dive into the main part of the show today, as this is a coaching podcast, we quite like to give coaches some top tips right at the start of the episode.
[Louise]
Yep, so we're gonna give you a little bit of an arrival activity and we're gonna ask you to give us as many top coaching tips as you can in 30 seconds. Are you up for that?
[Folly]
Yeah, absolutely. Let's go for it.
[Louise]
When you hear the music, you can begin.
[Folly]
So I think the first key one is really understand your players and it's about person before player. I'm really keen to make sure that coaches have no laps, no lines and no lectures for their players and make sure it's always about fun because I think if it's fun players are going to come back and one thing I'm going to steal from Andy Summers is make sure there's loads of smiles, loads of sweating and loads of solving so players are making their own decisions and the biggest thing is to have loads of enthusiasm.
[Louise]
Perfect. That was good. Were you going to end with another word there?
[Folly]
Yeah, the whistle got there just before.
[Jamie]
Well that was a really good batch of top tips to be fair anyway. Now Folly we're at the point in the year where coaches are likely prepping to return to training when this goes out and in some cases players will be playing a new format this time for instance those who were under 10s last year played 7v7 but was under 11s this time they'll be playing 9v9 on matchday for instance. So is this the right time for coaches to start thinking about dealing with the transition between those formats?
[Folly]
Yeah I think it is it's a good time to you know start thinking about the next season and what are the demands that the players are going to experience. I think it's important for them to start thinking about the sort of size of pitches they're going to go to, how many players extra are going to be on the pitch. So it's a really good time to start thinking about that, reflecting on the season that's just gone, how have the players developed and what are the next challenges for the players?
[Louise]
What impact does moving up formats have on coaches and what challenges are they likely to face? And how can they handle them?
[Folly]
Certainly my own experience because I've been a grassroots coach myself, still am, still coaching under 18s, but I think you can get fixated on formations. I think coaches could often go, I moved from 7v7 and I'm going to 9v9 now, what formation do I need to play and what are the tactical elements of the game? And yeah, they're important, but I think it's trying to look at it from a perspective from the The players and go what are the actual things that are changing and how can I as a coach? Help them with those transitional Elements. So like I said before is about the size of the pitch. So thinking about what they can do in their training sessions to expose the players to big spaces. The numbers that they're combining with will be different because there's extra players on the pitch. So they're the sorts of things I think coaches will start to think about. And obviously when you go to one of the age groups, I think it's under 13s, it becomes competitive, so there's league tables and often that can be a dynamic that changes how coaches see the game and that can start to think about, you know, always wanting to play their stronger players because they want to win the game and I suppose it's just making sure that they're aware of those dynamics and what the impact that might be on people's and more importantly the players experience.
[Louise]
Yeah really all really good things to.
[Jamie]
Yeah you mentioned there that you were you still obviously coaching at grassroots at under 18s. How long have you had that group or have you been working with different age groups? So I'm just looking to see if we can pull on your experience for especially how you've helped them transition between the different formats of the game.
[Folly]
Yeah, so I've got two sons. One's 19 at university now and my youngest Josh, he's 16, so he's in the under 18s, but I've been coaching both their teams since they were under 7s. So I've gone all the way through 5v5, 7v7, 9v9 into 11v11. So I understand the journey, understand the challenges. Coaching your own son is also a challenge. So I think I can help with some of those things, but you're always learning as a coach.
[Jamie]
How did they feel like, especially when you was coaching them as well, like moving to some of the bigger formats, how did you help them manage that?
[Folly]
Certainly in training, we started to look at how can we use bigger spaces so if I was using a maybe a 30 by 40 space I'd create a 50 by 60 space so it's a wider longer space for players to work out. The challenges that players will have will be very different won't they? So there'll be things around physical demand, a bigger pitch, they've got to run for longer, cover you know bigger areas. And then the social and psychological piece about understanding different positions. So there's lots for players to consider so it's about phasing things in at a steady rate and this time of year is a perfect time to be doing that.
[Louise]
And how are players impacted by moving formats would you say?
[Folly]
From a psychological perspective there'll be a little bit of fear so you've got to think about them emotionally what are they thinking they might think well what does that mean for me around my position? Am I going to be physically capable to go up an extra age? They might be a slightly less developed physically. So they go into a bigger format and they're thinking, well, actually, will I be able to cope with the extra running or work that they need to do. There's certainly the point around, as I mentioned before, around positioning. Do they see themselves, I'm always a defender, so, but there's, you know, there's going to be three or four defenders now, so which position will I play in? And then the element of competition as well, which can drive, you know, the game is competitive, but the fact that there's league tables at certain age groups when you transition through can create a dynamic that the score is more important than anything else and that can mean that some players get less game time and I feel less engaged and don't enjoy it as much.
[Jamie]
Do you have any top tips to sort of like, I'm just trying to think mentally when the league table comes obviously with a lot of players that might be quite excited by that element, but to coaches listening to this, have you got any top tips to them to almost remember the development side of things and any top tips to deal with any players that are feeling a little bit pressure or a little bit nervous about the league table coming in?
[Folly]
Yeah, I think for coaches it's also managing the parental input into that and influence, so the pressure they put on. So I think it's having a balance around different challenges. How do you assess success? So winning a game, scoring more goals than the opposition is one way, but if you've got other things that you're trying to develop with the players, so is it about, you know, can we play out from the back in a certain way. Can you count that or can a parent count that so that you can say, oh, we've done it four times this time. We did it three times last week. So we're starting to improve. It could be, can we win the ball higher up the pitch in their half? How many times can we do that? So there's different, I suppose, targets or challenges from a team perspective that you can then go well we might have lost the game today but actually we've achieved our other two challenges that we set out to do and then within that you want to ideally have individual challenges as well so individual players what are they trying to work on? So the discussion doesn't always come about the result, but it's about the team development and the individual development.
[Jamie]
Yeah, I love that. Love that.
[Louise]
In your opinion, what's the first thing coaches can do to prepare their players for any format change, would you say?
[Folly]
Well, firstly, I think help the players see what it looks like so there's probably lots of videos online so they can probably show the players and the parents this is what we're moving to, this is what the change is. Probably explain where there might be laws of the game changes. So when you move from 7v7 to 9v9 There's offside. You can't play back to the goalkeeper those types of things So they're they're really important things to consider and then I think in a training session start to use more appropriate spaces So if you're going to a bigger pitch, let's try and make sure that you are replicating that in training so that they can see that the space is bigger. Or if you haven't got a bigger space, use less players in a similar area so that they can get that feel for a greater area.
[Louise]
Yeah, they're really good starting points I think because I suppose if they can see what they're trying to do and just get a bit of an understanding then and as you say then gradually build it in.
[Folly]
Yeah it's just about building confidence I think.
[Jamie]
How important are still like playing small-sided games in terms of I'm thinking that after players have played maybe a couple of years of like a certain format, there's going to be a couple of extra players that are then on the side as they're moving from 7v7 to 9v9, 9v9 to 11v11 etc. How important are like maybe small side games in terms of getting players moving but also building those connections with other players so all of a sudden there's more players that are now on the pitch for them to actually be communicating and working with?
[Folly]
I think There's generally a culture in this country of a race to play 11 v 11. People want to try and play what they see on the telly and is the proper game of football. So I understand that and you know that we'll talk about future fit and some of the changes that are coming in but smaller formats play a part across the player pathway. So even at under 18s, and that's the age group I'm coaching at the moment, we'll still do loads of 3v3, 2v2, 5v5, because it means that people, players are experiencing lots of touches of the ball so technically they're still getting that development but at the same time in a 11v11 game there are still 2v2s and 3v3s are happening all over the pitch and essentially what you're wanting to try and do in the game is it's an invasion game right so you want to get an overload in a certain area of the pitch so that you can get parked by that play and try and score a goal. So these smaller formats just replicate that all the time so really important that we still even if you play 11v11 or 9v9 expose your players to the smaller formats because they'll benefit from that. And also going back to an individual level, there might be some players who really thrive in the 11v11 bigger format, but you might have smaller players who actually really benefit from playing smaller formats of the game and they can get real confidence, they can start to get some success which then boosts their sort of 11v11 performance as well.
[Jamie]
Yeah now it's nice to hear in terms of obviously like the impact that small-sided games can have because obviously we're all in agreement that how important they actually are and in particular when we're talking about game formats and bigger game formats that players may be having fewer touches of the ball actually on match day so then if there's actually smaller sided games that are going on in training that's the chance for the individual development there, isn't it?
[Folly]
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's really important we talk about players having a rich diet of football that although they're playing LV11, they don't have to play LV11 all the time. Opportunities to play other formats and not just other formats but maybe playing futsal because it's on a different surface, maybe even playing other sports in training just to give them a bit of freshness and challenge them in different ways.
[Louise]
So while we are talking about matches, how important are pre-season friendlies and tournaments in prepping players for transition to bigger formats?
[Folly]
I think they have a place to play, absolutely. I remember doing it myself towards the end of one season, going into the next season, going into friendlies games. I think what's important is that you ensure that the environment that's created is one that allows players to be able to experiment, that there's no pressure on a result, that it is about, oh, we're going to try this new format, let's see how it goes, so that, again, we're building confidence for the next season. I think the problem maybe with tournaments and I've experienced a lot of them in the time is that they can be very competitive and so the learning and development piece maybe gets lost but ultimately players really enjoy tournaments as well so we don't want to stop that but I think if you're trying to learn a new format maybe a tournament isn't necessarily the best way to do it maybe working with another club or a like-minded coach or even working with the age group above in your club means that you can maybe just do something and stop and show players something in a more relaxed environment. I think also games are one thing but you can replicate that in training. Now if you go into 9v9 or 11v11 you're probably not going to have enough players to be able to do an 11v11 training session but you can start to break the units down and do like defence versus attack so you get the opportunity to be able to work with a back three or a back five or a back four as well as then being able to work on the attacking play with wide players, centre forwards, midfielders etc. So that might be a way of being able to use training as well as games to help transition.
[Louise]
Yeah it's a really good kind of understanding of where tournaments might fit in or not.
[Jamie]
So we talked a little bit about training, a little bit about tournaments and whatnot, but how can coaches tell if they're offering maybe enough volume and variety for their players to help them with changing formats?
[Folly]
I think this is a really big one is to speak to the players. If they've got good relations with the players they'll be able to have that conversation about you know how are you feeling about transition, do you feel confident, what things are you worried about, what other things could we do that's going to give you a bit more confidence or understanding of the the next format. I suppose you know if you're always playing the same format Maybe coaches need just to reflect and go, is there something else that we can do that's going to help our players? And as I said before, speak to other coaches who have gone through this journey, whether that's people in their own club, whether it's mentors that they've got through the qualifications or support that's been provided, or even, you know, other coaches that they've met when they've gone on qualifications.
[Louise]
There are changes to the game format so can you tell us what they are and when they are being implemented?
[Folly]
Yes it was announced around about five six months ago that we were looking to make some changes. The changes aren't until 26, 27. So we're giving people plenty of leading time, a whole season to get ready. The key changes are around the formats. So under sevens, we are introducing 3v3, and then they'll move into 5v5 for two years, 7v7 for two years and then 9v9 for two years and we're pushing back 11v11 to under 14s.
[Jamie]
Why is it that these changes have actually come about?
[Folly]
We're in a really strong place. Youth football is probably as strong as it's ever been. So it's not as though we think something's broken, but we think it's a great time to build from a really strong position and make sure that we continue to evolve the game to respond to this generation of players, but also the next generation. So we want to make sure that players develop a real love of the game, that they're able to develop sort of holistically, not just them as skillful footballers which is important, but actually physically. We want them to be more active in the games and we want them to just have the best experience possible. So we believe the smaller formats allows players to get more touches of the ball, have more technical actions, make more decisions but also means that they are involved in the game more, which means that they hopefully will improve and fulfil their potential, but also enjoy their experience even more.
[Jamie]
Now the changes are just wider than just introducing 3v3 but can imagine that might be the first thing that people obviously jump to potentially. So just kind of a question on that just to clarify anything, with the fact that 3v3 is coming, what impact does that have potentially on training? For instance if I'm going to be an under 7s coach, not this season but next season, should the largest format I play at training be 3v3 or is it still encouraged that under 7s maybe play different formats at training just like obviously what you mentioned with the under 18s for instance?
[Folly]
I think you're right, 3v3 has probably been the most topical point that's been discussed. If I'm an under-7s coach getting ready for the 26-27 season, there's no reason why they can't play other formats. They could play 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and they could if they wanted to maybe add a goalkeeper in and do 3-3 in training sessions. So that again that richness of experience for the players is absolutely fine but we do believe that certainly those younger age groups are smaller the format the better because they're gonna get more touches.
[Louise]
And what can coaches do right now to make sure they, the club, the parents and importantly, most importantly I guess, the players are ready for the changes to be implemented in 2026?
[Folly]
Yeah, it's a really good question and one of the reasons we've come out so early is to give clubs, coaches, volunteers of committees, the parents and players, enough notice so that they are aware of what changes are coming. What I think they could start to do is most clubs do some sort of recruitment of players, they've got some sort of nursery squad or development squad of four, five, six year olds. So I would say rather than them at the moment playing 5v5 friendlies, get them playing 3v3 friendlies. You can look on the digital hub, there's lots of resources on there. We've just released a video that shows how you can set that up so you can start to play lots of 3v3 games, you can do lots of internal sort of competition. So I would start doing that now because then when it comes in in a season's time it will just be what they do they'll be used to it and it'll be a really smooth transition.
[Jamie]
Yeah absolutely for anybody who's listening to this or watching this that's not heard about FutureFit just yet, you mentioned the digital hub there, just to clarify what do people need to maybe search in there in a search engine to bring up the website that's going to have all these details on?
[Folly]
Yeah if they go to the England football website you'll be able to search in future fit and the digital hub and on there is a list of frequently asked questions that we continue to update. There's some videos in there around the announcements and the changes that are going on and then some helpful resources for coaches and clubs to utilise.
[Jamie]
Amazing, yeah, definitely go and check that out. Earlier this year then, we attended a couple of the Roadshow events that you'd hosted to hear more about future fit. We've collected some questions that coaches had actually had there and we just thought well we may as well while you're in put them to you and hopefully it might be listeners or anyone watching might have the same sort of questions. Yeah. So the first one that we'd found that came up is about facilities. So what facilities, space and equipment will be needed for these changes? And will there be any support to help clubs with that?
[Folly]
What we've tried to do is consider what an existing under sevens team would need to provide. So if I'm a club I need to make sure they've got a 5v5 pitch, we need to make sure they've got goals etc. So we've designed it so that you are able to put four 3v3 pitches on a 5v5 pitch. Now we're not saying that you have to do that because there'll be other space I'm sure around the pitch space that you can put 3v3 pitches but that allows us to be able to say like you don't need an extra pitch, you're going to have a 5v5 pitch anyway, you can utilise that, you can use cones, but of course you are going to need some smaller goals and we're well aware of that. So we are working with the Football Foundation, we're also working with hopefully some commercial providers to try and provide some financial support to grassroots clubs to be able to access new goal posts. We hope to have further information about that come the start of this season.
[Louise]
How many players and adults will be needed and will the changes mean that clubs need to get more players and coaches?
[Folly]
Again, it did come up quite a bit across the country on the road shows and I think once we've explained it, I think it does take away some of the fear of clubs because volunteers are hard to come by. So again, we've tried to take it from what we currently know about our under sevens and they're playing a 5v5 format at the moment and the average squad size is nine players. So if you look across all the data across the player registrations, it's nine players and for an under sevens team, you need to have two coaches or adults that are DBS checked. So that's exactly the same as what we think you need for 3v3. There's no more players needed because with nine players, you can have three teams and you can play another club who've got nine players and have three games going on at the same time. And obviously you don't need to have a coach alongside each of these pitches because it's all about allowing the players to play. All the adults are really doing is facilitating that and making sure that players are on the right pitch, keeping the time, and everyone's having a great time.
[Jamie]
What happens if there's a lot of differentiation between player abilities during these 3v3 games?
[Folly]
Yeah, I think this is where it's helpful for coaches to understand how they can differentiate between the developmental phase of players. So some players might be a little bit bigger or stronger or they might just be a little bit technically a bit better at that point in time. So if there's a one-sided 3v3 game, what we are suggesting is that you start to consider doing an overload. So you might have two really strong players and they play against three players. So they've then got to deal with playing against one extra player. So they're the types of things you can do. If you don't want to have odd numbers it's just making sure that you start to, after the first round of games, you might see okay well us three are particularly strong we need to play against those three because they're of a similar level so then you make sure you match them up when they play the next round of games.
[Jamie]
I suppose it's a bit like in training isn't it in terms of like just looking and just mixing players around a bit just to make sure that the right level of challenge is there for everybody.
[Folly]
Absolutely right and you're right it's about observation it's about coaches noticing what's going on and being able to then make sure that you really challenge those that need to be challenged and sort of dial it down for those that need a little bit of support.
[Louise]
How can coaches along with parents and carers help players officiate the game themselves given the 3v3 format won't have referees.
[Folly]
This is very much about I suppose the social corner when we think about player development and how do we give ownership to players to be able to manage conflicts but also just sort of get on and facilitate their own play. I was likening this to like the playground. You know, there's no referees in the playground and kids seem to work out a game of football in the playground. So coaches, we want them to really just be there. And if there are any challenges, they can step in and support, but really allowing the players to get on with it. I think parents, their biggest thing is about encouraging, trying not to referee the game. We've seen in the testing that balls often go off quite a bit. So parents can be really helpful in terms of making sure balls come back in as quickly as possible. But yeah, it's very much not having referees and giving players the opportunity to manage their own game.
[Louise]
From some previous episodes where we've talked about player ownership and things like that, it's kind of, there's a lot of things that can go into that, that help them, like communication and kind of just ownership and feeling like they're part of something and like engagement and stuff. So there's some really good benefits that come from that.
[Folly]
It's probably been one of the hardest things for the adults that have attended the roadshows that we've delivered. They really can't get their head around it because everyone's used to having somebody controlling that game being a referee. But what we've also found is that once you take a referee away, the spectators, the coaches don't have anybody to blame for something going wrong. So it actually helps the environment be more positive. And as you say, it's about developing those wider skills within players, communication, being able to manage conflict, respecting each other and a bit of resilience because they're not always going to get the decision that they wanted but how do they deal with that?
[Jamie]
There are also no keepers involved in a 3v3 game so what happens if a player instinctively retreats to the goal and becomes a keeper and uses their hands?
[Folly]
Yeah I mean that that would result in in a free kick you know like if someone trips somebody over or someone handles the ball somewhere else on the pitch, it would be a free kick and the players again would manage that. So we've decided to take goalkeepers out because one of the reasons we wanted to introduce 3v3 is to make sure everyone had an active game and obviously there's no substitutes in this either so we wanted to make sure there's nobody standing on the side watching and there's no one standing in a goal watching either because goalkeepers aren't very active for majority of the game so we wanted to make sure that everyone's got the opportunity to have a full active part in the game and we know that goalkeeping is a late specialisation position so they're not going to miss out on anything. In fact they're probably going to benefit them longer term if they do become a goalkeeper because they'll have those other skills with the ball that they've developed at a young age.
[Louise]
If you have any players or people who are playing that fancy the idea of going in goal, is that something you should still encourage or is it kind of just leave it out completely?
[Folly]
There's no problem in if there's somebody who likes going in goal in training, in having the opportunity to do some finishing and practice the goalkeeper skills as well. But we do believe that under 7s there's not a need to have a goalkeeper and they can bring that in when they go to 5v5.
[Louise]
It's suggested that 3v3 is only going to be played for one year. What happens when players move to 5v5 but they loved 3v3 and they want to keep playing it?
[Folly]
All of the formats that we sort of mandate are only the maximum that they can play. So obviously under 7s it's going to be 3v3 come 26-27 but that doesn't mean they can't play 2v2 games, they can. So under 8s 5v5 is only the maximum format So if there are leagues and clubs that still want to play 3v3, they absolutely can. They can play 4v4 as well. So again, it's about that mixed variety. I think it will be interesting to see after the 26-27 season how many teams, coaches, players want to continue to play 3v3 for another season and it might be, it's not our plan, but it might be that we end up having two years of 3v3 but that's because the players want that, the coaches want that and it's been really beneficial for those players. It might be you do 3v3 and you introduce a goalkeeper, so that becomes a 4v4 but the challenge is similar but it's just an extension of or a transition into a bigger format.
[Jamie]
One of the other rule changes is that throw-ins have been removed. Why is that the case?
[Folly]
Well firstly it was to try and speed up the game. So we know that roughly 50% of the playing time is where players are actually active and the ball is in play. So we wanted to make sure that the ball is in play longer and so throw-ins as I think most grassroots coaches will know, so many foul throw-ins and it really slows the game down so that's why we have introduced that either the pass in or the the dribbling and I emphasize pass in because we have seen in this first season that people are using that as a sort of opportunity to kick the ball as long as possible and it's not a kicking, we want it to be a passing and we really like the idea where players have the choice of being able to, well do I pass it now to a colleague or do I dribble quickly because the defence aren't set yet. So yeah we want to keep that choice for the players, also gives ownership back to players. So that's why we've done that And we also know that it's going to increase the number of technical actions because while they're doing a throwing, they can obviously dribble the ball or they can pass it, which is a better technical action for their development. But also from a throwing perspective, we know that when we took heading out of the game for certain age groups that headers came from throw-ins. So by doing dribble-ins or pass-ins we know that the ball is going to be kept on the ground. So that's the idea behind that as well.
[Louise]
Really good to know. When can we see what the changes actually look like in practice?
[Folly]
We're actually just starting to do some early adopter training across the country. We're going to be out and about in the next couple of months across the country working with leagues to demonstrate what this looks like And then come the turn of 2026, so get to sort of the first quarter around springtime, we'll be out on the road visiting each of the county fays to sort of put some showcase events on so that people can see what this looks like. We will do some videoing as well so that people can access that if they can't attend some of these events. So we're going to provide that resource over the next 12 months so people can see exactly what it looks like because you're right, when people see it it's easier for them to understand it and they go right okay well some of the thoughts or comments or challenges I've got around it have been answered because I can see how that works in practice now.
[Louise]
It is sometimes hard to kind of visualise stuff but I think this is a really good first steps and kind of just explaining some of the questions that people might have.
[Jamie]
Yeah absolutely and the fact that this is being done in advance as well, like it is just really helpful and that's why we're here today as well is to sort of discuss that and get that news spread out so that people are prepared and it's not something that just comes and it's like oh you've got to do it tomorrow sort of thing.
[Folly]
Yeah exactly and this isn't about the clubs, the coaches, they're on their own, the league's on their own, we're here to support you, the county FAEs are fully bought into this, they will be able to support as well, so we've got to do this together and we'll keep that communication and that support going. Brilliant.
[Jamie]
What's one thing that you want coaches to take away or think about after tuning into this episode?
[Folly]
I think the key for me would be just making sure that they reflect on whatever they offer to their players and They think about is it flexible? Is there a variety of experiences that players are getting? Is there an opportunity to introduce different formats or different types of games that can give players different challenges and different returns? So that would be my key takeaway really, because ultimately that's what Future Fit's about. And I think good coaching allows players to experience different things.
[Louise]
And if you were to say, after listening to this, some coaches thought, you know, I'm going to start thinking about this a little bit more and structure into some of my training or whatever. Yeah. What's one thing that they could do to start them off in that kind of journey?
[Folly]
Definitely doing loads of small side of games in training, probably experimenting with different size areas, so different shapes. So you could do a game within a square, you could do a game within a short area which is very wide because that then starts to help players understand how to create width. You could start to experiment where you play the offside line, so that means that teams will probably drop deep and have more space to be able to play in front of teams. So all these types of things will give players an idea of what the next transition might look like for them.
[Jamie]
Right, well we're coming up to the end of the episode now Folly, but it is time for our Swift Session feature.
[Louise]
Yes, I'm not sure if you did this one last time. Did you do it?
[Folly]
I think we did, yeah.
[Louise]
It's 30 seconds and we're going to ask you to explain a session idea to us in those 30 seconds. Are you up for this challenge?
[Folly]
Yes, go on.
[Louise]
You did well the first time, so...
[Folly]
See if the whistle gets me again.
[Louise]
So when the music starts, you can begin.
[Folly]
OK, so one of my favourite sessions is called the Playground Game. So this is where you have a larger game going one way, and that might be 4v4, for example. And then you have two smaller games going across it and that might be two 2v2 games. The best thing here is you're creating loads of chaos. It will be mad for a period of time but the players are making loads of decisions, their awareness is growing. And it's even better if you don't put bibs on. So again, it looks like a playground.
[Louise]
Love that. Is there any more context you want to add to it at all or anything else that might help kind of visualise it?
[Folly]
Yeah, I think you can mix the numbers up so depending on what size group you've got you can you could have a you know a much bigger game going across or a 5v5 or 6v6 or you could have a 3v3 and then two 1v1s going across You can then start to rotate players around so they get an experience of two different things. But like I said just at the end when they haven't got bibs on it's really chaotic but it really helps players get the head up, create their awareness and yeah it's not quite a playground because I'm got any skipping ropes in the way or hopscotch going on But you get the idea. Yeah.
[Louise]
No, I like that.
[Jamie]
Yeah. No very much. Yeah, I'd love that Well, thank you very much for joining us today Folly It's been interesting hearing a little bit of top tips advice in terms of helping him with the transition between formats but then also to hear what's actually coming. Hopefully plenty of people have taken that all away but just before he goes the any final messages that you want to share on the transition in between formats or future fit or where people should be looking for more information.
[Folly]
Firstly I'd just like to say thanks to all the volunteer grassroots coaches for what they do. You know they're getting ready for another season, I'm sure there'll be trials and tribulations, lots of laughs and smiles, so I think you know trust themselves, they've done it one year, they'll do it again. There's lots of support out there for people obviously visit our website there's support there there's obviously CPD events around the country contact the County of Fay we've got mentoring that can support coaches as well so yeah thanks very much for what they do and keep going.
[Jamie]
Brilliant, we absolutely echo that, absolutely. Right, well that is all we do have time for today, but don't forget to check out the description for the transcription of this episode and for all the links to our platforms. As always, you can head to the England Football Community to post your coaching questions for us to discuss on the podcast or you can drop them in the comments section for this episode.
[Louise]
Yep, we'd love to help you out so please do send your questions in. We'll be back soon with an episode focusing on welcoming players back to training, so if you haven't already, hit subscribe to make sure you don't miss it. From all of us at England Football Learning, thanks for listening.