Trevor Howell is Chairman of AFC Henley, Oxfordshire FA’s Grassroots Club of the Year 2021. He is keen to explain how his club’s Mini-Soccer Centre (MSC) has enabled new teams to be formed, has played a transformational role in the club’s growth and, for an extra bonus, provided a profitable revenue stream. It’s a no-brainer!

How it started

A couple of colleagues and I started the MSC 22 years ago in response to local competition.  Someone had set up a soccer school for U5s upwards. Within a short time, fewer and fewer U6s, U7s and U8s were looking to join and we were struggling to get young teams started. At the time, there was just one team per age group and the club lacked identity and structure. Some fresh thinking was needed.

An olive branch to the rival soccer school bore no fruit, and they weren’t remotely concerned about their impact on us, so we approached Reading Football Club and asked for a qualified coach to help us launch our own Saturday morning coaching module. We obtained a small grant for goals and tracksuits and advertised as the Mini-Soccer Centre. This attracted around 15 boys and girls of mixed ages, and numbers gradually started to grow. It was surprisingly easy!

Principles and objectives

As things progressed, we felt the need to agree some basic aims and principles. Our main objective was to build big enough numbers to form multiple new teams. The club would also respect FA guidelines and not offer competitive football until U9 (Y4). Members would ‘graduate’ to competitive football after four years. The MSC would be an unpressurised, safe environment where kids could learn the game and develop as well-rounded individuals. It would use the FA Four Corners model in due course.

No barriers to entry

We also decided to make joining completely hassle-free, with no barriers to entry:

• We would offer weekly PAYG and optional discounted termly and annual fees, all with reduced rates for siblings.
• No commitment required ̶  they could attend whenever they wished.
• U5s would be free up to Xmas.
• We would operate through all three school terms.
• Anyone in financial difficulties would be let in free or referred to Henley Educational Trust for a subsidy.

Being nice about money generates goodwill. And getting parents’ confidence and buy-in when their kids are 5 or 6 years old means you stand a good chance of keeping them for the next 13 years.

A 22-year success story   

More than 20 years have elapsed and the MSC continues to play a crucial role as an entry-level product. Every season we build a minimum of three U9 teams from the MSC pool of U8s, while a fourth team is often added by Christmas.  

At U9, volunteer managers take over from the pro coaches. To ease the transition, and bed in both coaches and players, our lead coach supports U9 training for the whole of the first league season.

After lockdown, attendance numbers peaked at 100+ and now hover around 70-80. The number of teams has risen to 30, making us one of the biggest clubs in our league, and we’re attracting progressively bigger sponsors.

The MSC is currently run by our lead coach as a ‘franchise’ business under the club’s brand and on the club’s premises. This incentivises him to do a quality job. Gross income is around £5000 per term, and we take a percentage off the top.

Interested in your own MSC?

If so, here is a guide to how to get started:

• Find a couple of well qualified freelance coaches (approach your nearest pro club).
• Set aside part of your ground.
• Fix two sessions on a Saturday or Sunday morning, e.g.:
  • 9.15-10.15 for U5/U6
  • 10.30 to 12.00 for U7/U8
• Acquire some 7v7 goals.
• Buy a stock of size 2 balls.
• Let U5s in free for a period.
• Offer reduced sibling rates.
• Don’t charge new members for the first session.
• Decide on a fee structure that works for your community, e.g. £5 or £6 per session.
• Pay the coaches according to qualifications, say £10 p/h for L1, £15 L2 and £20/£25 for L3 and above. Or leave this to your MSC head coach if it’s his business.
• Agree a percentage off the top for the club if you use the ‘franchise’ model.
• Advertise in the local press and through social media.
• Give flyers to local pre-schools and primaries to distribute to parents (see example flyer here).

If you've got any questions feel free to ask them below!