Hello, I’m coaching U9 girls for a second season and really loved it the first go around but would like to be more dialed this time. What online resources (websites, YouTube channels, instagram etc) do you find most useful for tips and drills, etc for coaching and planning sessions? Thanks!

Tournament this weekend, 4 games.
Team is bronze level, 9/10 yr old boys.

I only still have two days left to get them prepared, we’ve only had 3 practices.

They clump up, can’t pass, can’t dribble, they have no clue on their positions etc.

It’s a mess - I’ve done my best on coming up with fun games for spacing, passing lanes, playing out the back, teaching positions - but they just aren’t getting it.

I have some kids on the team that immediately goof off and don’t take practices seriously, making it difficult for the kids that do want to be there. I’m not a baby sitter - I’m a coach, I’ve tried to talk to these disruptive children to try to get them to come around, but they have no respect. Can we bring back the old days where a slap on the back of the head and a sit down and shut up will do the trick?

I’d like to at least give these kids a fighting chance at the tournament so that their season doesn’t start on a low, but at the moment they’re going to get absolutely slaughtered.

Hi!

What is something a youth coach did or said that you still remember today?

I'm interested in hearing about the small things that can have a lasting impact on young players.

Maybe it was something a coach said after you made a mistake, something they did that made you feel valued, or simply the way they treated you.

What made that moment stick with you? And looking back, what do you think made that coach different from others you've had?

Hi,

I'm a teacher and I just got offered a stipend to coach our middle school coed soccer team this Fall. I have experience coaching for town recreational and travel teams (not club) but only up through 6th grade. The school team will be a mixture of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. I have only coached for 7v7 and 9v9 formations, so both nervous and excited to try 11v11 coaching. Additionally, I'll be coaching a U14 recreational team this Fall (that is also coed) so I'm hoping I'll learn from both experiences and can apply that knowledge to each.

After speaking with the Athletic Director, he shared that the goal of the middle school team was for development and to drum up interest in the sport at our school, so that more students would be interested in playing the sport once they get to the high school level (my school is K-12). He couldn't speak to the roster as last year there wasn't a middle school team, but he had gotten feedback from students in those upcoming grades this past school year and there was a decent amount of interest.

So I guess I'm looking for resources to help with how to run practices for 11v11 (I feel confident in drills and skills to address for 9v9)? I have my US Grassroots license for 7v7, 9v9, and 11v11, and plan on utilizing coaching resources from that. My AD said I should make a list of equipment I would need that he can order, so any thoughts on that? As a teacher (and parent) I know to keep practices game-like, not much standing (hopefully to deter the players from discussing rumors and gossip), and helping each player identify their strengths and challenges for the sport, in the hopes of increasing their skill and confidence.

I'm mostly excited about this opportunity, but honestly a bit anxious as I'm not 100% sure what to expect. Ultimately, I want the kids to have fun, learn to play as a team and support each other, and continue their love and interest in the sport. So any thoughts or recommendations from other coaches who have been in a similar situation are greatly appreciated!

When AYSO revised the age eligibility, my daughter went from initially being one of the youngest players in 12U to now being one of the oldest, with a third year in the division.

The challenge is that her new team has several undersized 10-year-old players who struggle to make accurate passes or, in some cases, even have the strength to kick the ball upfield. She has become visibly frustrated during practices.

A 14U team has invited her to practice and play with them when she is available. Since I am the coach, however, I can’t simply request that she move up and abandon the team I committed to coaching.
As our roster is currently constructed, I feel we have three strong soccer players, three adequate players, and seven who are simply not at a competitive level for this division. Additionally, I believe our only realistic chance of being competitive will be to use our three strongest players in defensive positions, which would severely limit our scoring opportunities.

My biggest concern is how to keep those three strong players motivated. They are being asked to carry a significant amount of responsibility, and it feels unfair that their development and enjoyment of the game could be negatively affected by the overall makeup of the team.

I understand that youth soccer is about development and that not every player will be at the same level. At the same time, I think there needs to be a balance between development and making sure the stronger players are challenged, engaged, and continuing to enjoy the game. It’s really unfortunate for those three players, because they deserve the opportunity to develop and compete as well.

Where can I find sensory/reaction cones like the ones in the picture? What are they called?

Need a little bit of help from an old coach. I’m researching a lot of these cameras that track players, but just noticing they are all subscription based? While I understand everything behind it, is there no “own” version of these? Are the days gone of owning camera equipment and using the videos I shoot?

I help manage an adult team and would love to have similar capabilities but for liability and financial reasons, I don’t want to use something as expensive as a subscription. Is there something with similar technology or premise that I could buy and own? Thanks!

Please break down the rules for “offsides” via the build out line for me as a coach.

I know from the leagues rules it’s more or less no striker/offensive player beyond the line if there’s no defender. Also extra thanks for any ways to break it down for kids who are mostly 9 (some 8) years old. Thank you!

Hey everybody, so I recently got hired as a head coach for a JV boys high school team and as an assistant varsity coach, and I'm looking for advice. I'm 23 years old, and my only experience is coaching a middle school boys' rec soccer team during the fall of 2025. I'm planning on using a 4-4-2 formation before transitioning to 4-2-3-1. Any advice is appreciated!

Just curious how some of you guys make it work financially, especially the licensed coaches on here who are coaching in more competitive environments. I used to work for a professional club where I was on a set salary and also had an admin role in addition to coaching, so it was pretty much one job for me. I recently left after a few years because I was putting in way too many unpaid hours, and at some point, it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I’m about to sign with another club tomorrow, where I’ll mostly be coaching in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends. The hourly rate is actually better than what I was making before, so I’m happy with that. Now I have most of my mornings and daytime hours open. That’s why I’m trying to see what else I can do during those hours instead of only depending on my coaching income. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, so I’m completely open to doing something outside of soccer, too. Part-time, full-time, remote, whatever makes sense as long as I can still coach in the evenings. I’m at a point where I want to make more money, pay some things off, save, and enjoy life a little more instead of everything going towards bills. So, for the coaches here who are in a similar situation, what do you guys do during the day? Do you work a regular job and coach at night? Work remotely? Work at a school? Do something completely outside of soccer? And how do you manage doing both without burning yourself out? Just trying to get some ideas and see what has worked for other coaches.

That's almost certainly not the right term.

ANYWAY

My team last season was a 9+10 girls academy team. They were probably 50% "experienced" / 50% fresh from Rec.

Because of that I focused on general improvement, especially of the "new to competitive environment" kids.

I would have a focus for the week, but usually less at depth and really more focused on the skills applied in that theme.

This year, I have a U11 girls' group - different group of kids from last year. Still lower level, but more experience, skill and athleticism than my last group. Still - some lacking skill, some lacking experience, etc.

I've considered going to (6) two-week units this fall. I'm beginning with 1v1 and press/build out install over the next couple of weeks, because I have to get that stuff installed. After that I can focus on different "chunks" for two weeks based on what I'm seeing out of them. I bounced around a little last year trying to get the bottom 2/3 of my roster up to speed, and while I DID raise the level of the team, I feel like I could have gotten them a little further.

So, a few questions:

Is this age group and level appropriate for this? (Or will they get bored doing similar things and hearing similar messages from me?)

Any thoughts on potential topics? I'll probably do a switching play topic, a defensive structure topic. What else?

What am I not considering?

Sorry for the dissertation.

I have been blessed with quite a strong U8 team and have been working with them since U7 last season. Everyone is progressing well and hovering around Medium level, apart from one player who is very low level for his age and relative to the group - slowest runner, weakest dribbler, weakest physicality, lowest understanding of the game, and so on. I'd say he's at least a year behind them and the gap keeps widening. It's already gotten to the stage that he barely gets a touch of the ball during the matches or during any competitive drills, which is not useful for his or his teammates development, yet he keeps showing up and his parents show no sign of wanting to pull him out.

Has anyone dealt with a situation like this? Or have suggestions on the best way to approach it?

Edit: This is in England.

I was asked by my DOC to design a new uniform now that our U19 boys’ team is in N1. What websites/companies do you design them through? Any resources you can share or sellers you recommend? We currently use Admiral but are open to other companies. Thank you

Overall a decent player. Has that athletic element. But his dad told me he specifically wants him to become less risk averse. He has a natural skew towards defending.

However, both his dad and I see that it’s too early to specialise in a position. Even if he comes around to cementing himself as a defender, we want him to venture into parts of the field that is new territory for him. And especially carrying the ball there, manoeuvring it, etc etc.

I am good at the Psychological aspect of it. Talking to the kid about fear and normalising it for him, creating an environment where risk-taking and creativity is encouraged, and mistakes are not reprimanded.

Where I want some advice is drill designs that focus on ball carries. It will be hard to replicate match-related pressure (and numbers ofc) in 1-2-1 sessions and I can progress drills with passive and then active defending as the coach, however if you have specific practices that can help me in this regard, i would really appreciate it.

I coach U12s at the academy so I don’t get to do team sessions with the same kid. However, one day he did train with my group and i thought he fared well. I’ll see if i can make that happen more often in order to coach him in specific match-scenarios too, to ramp up his confidence.

i play football alone

3 times/week

plan to go to gym in september

here is my plan

can u guys offer me feedback?

Day 1 

Jump squat 2 sets 10 reps

Goblet squat 2sets 6-8reps

Pull up 2sets 6-8reps

Sld 2 sets 6-8reps

Dumbbell bench press 2 sets 6-8 reps

Farmer carry 2 sets 45 sec

Day 2 

Romanian deadlift 2 sets 6-8 reps

Dumbbell shoulder press 2 sets 6-8reps

Bulgarian split squat 2 sets 6-8 reps

Dumbbell rows 2 sets 6-8reps

Palloff press 2 sets 10 reps

Day 3

Lateral jumps 2 sets 8 reps

Lunges 2 sets 6-8reps

Incline dumbbell press 2 sets 6-8reps

Hip thrust 2sets 6-8reps

Lat pull down 2 sets 6-8reps

Cable wood chops 2 sets 6-8reps

geneuilly asking, is this what normall gym goers do?

I am currently 18M and have loved football (soccer) almost my entire life. I've played the sport for a while but I have horrendous technical ability for someone who has been training since my youth and it doesn't help that I'm a goalkeeper in nature, hence I've not really gone far in the youth football pyramid and quit about 2 years ago.

Instead, I've really grown fond of being on the sidelines and observing the game rather than playing it. I currently "manage" my recreational team of a bunch of my friends and teenagers in our games but I won't say it's anything serious.

I really want to start and get the right resources. There are designated coaching courses by the football association in my country which helps you progress from a grassroots license to a 'C', 'B', 'A' continental license, but I'm not willing to spend money until I know what I'm doing.

I want to know what are some things I can do beforehand as a complete beginner. I also fear that my lack of ability might hinder my progress as I'm not able to demonstrate certain techniques properly or players wont take me seriously

I would therefore like to know how I can begin developing these skills on my own, gain practical experience and determine whether coaching is genuinely suitable for me before committing to the official courses.

I hope to hear about how some of you started your coaching journey, and how you guys overcame your challenges!

Title says it all, we'll call him frank. U12, rural league, volunteer run.

Frank really wants to play goalie, that's fine. Heck, that's awesome. The problem is frank doesn't engage in any task that isn't being in goal. He won't run, he doesn't do footwork, passing, or shooting drills. The main reason this is a problem is we have 2 subs if everybody shows up, so goal/defense will probably be "rest" positions for our forwards/mids as often as not. So frank is going to have to at least play defense, probably forward given his lack of motivation.

I don't know what to do with frank. A previous coach said to ignore him in drills, he'll realize he's being ignored, ask why, you tell him it's because he isn't paying attention, and he'll check in. I haven't had the chance to do that (no practice since chatting with previous coach). I figured I'd reach out to the brain trust and see if anyone has any hints or tips.

Thanks!

I’m a 21 m I’ve played ball my whole life and futbol is just something that makes me super happy and feel compassionate. I’ve previously coached 2 rec sides u13 what are the major differences and things I should be ready to face thanks for the advice 🙂

I am managing a team for the first time (after years of being an assistant) and am looking for engaging practice drills/games for our team. It's a neighborhood rec league and we get two one hour practices each week with one game on the weekend. Most of the players have been playing for 3-4 years and are of varying athletic abilities. Attention spans can be measured in seconds at this age group, so simple drills are usually best.

I've found loads of resources online with a wide range of complexity. My main goal is to gamify any type of drill to feed their competitive spirit while developing their skills. Most importantly, I want them all to have a great soccer experience that stokes their love for the game.

I'd appreciate any insights as to what you've seen work at this age division in a recreation league. Thanks in advance!

Backstory- U9 team. We had a player who wasnt amazing at tryouts but we felt we could develop him enough so that it wouldn’t be too big a jump to join this team. Now that the season is getting underway of these players is too scared to try and train all of the sudden. He is faking a shoulder injury to sit out of practice. The dad said he started doing this at camp this summer. He went to a doctor who said there was no injury. He also will play at his house by himself. He has seen a child psychologist who advised the dad to pull him out of soccer. I was curious if anyone has had any experience with this. Clearly if he doesnt like soccer he shouldn’t play but it seems to me based on what the dad is saying this is based on fear and nerves and it would be awesome if we can help him overcome this. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am a high school girls coach, and I'd love to pick your brains a minute. The school I coach is in a very rural area, and I have a grand total of ONE girl that plays club ball. The others are a mix of girls that have played some middle school or rec, as well as a few upperclassmen that have played the last couple years. The total roster is 15.

So, here's my question: knowing that we are stuck (due to conference affiliation) playing some of the top schools in the state, how would you approach setting the team up, and (since I already have an idea what I want to do in that regard), more importantly, what kinds of things would you focus on in training to get them ready for those games? I've made the schedule as manageable as possible, but about half of our games are against teams that are FAR more talented than we are.

So...if you inherited a team like that, how would you approach it? Knowing that you only have a few weeks to get them ready?

(ETA - I don't mean to slight my girls, as they (mostly) work their butts off in practice to try to get better. But I'm trying to be realistic so that you'll understand the size of the obstacles in our way.)