General 3 — AFC Brooklands

AFC Brooklands Football Development within Age Groups:

Our Coaching Philosophy

At AFC Brooklands the development and the enjoyment of our players is paramount and is integral to our approach to coaching.

We promote the concept of inspiring and providing challenges to our players. We will help them strive to improve by following a structured training session designed for the long-term development of each player using all ‘four corners’ of the player development.

More information of the FA four Corners model can be found here:

https://thebootroom.thefa.com/resources/coaching/the-fas-4-corner-model

The players (particularly in the younger groups) will be coached and asked to play in a variety of positions so they will be get experience of all positions as they develop and we aim to give all players equal playing time over a defined ‘block’.

They will be encouraged to experience a variety of playing experiences often in mixed ability groups. Where we have more than one team in an age group a streaming process will be adopted in some instances to meet the players ‘four corners’ needs. The emphasis is on developing the players for the long term and avoiding the ‘win at all costs mentality’ even as players start to compete in leagues as they progress and get older. Ultimately, we want to help young people to develop life as well as football skills.

A Guide to Coaches and Parents

All our teams and age groups differ in term of numbers, dynamics and ability. For this reason, we allow our coaches to assess and agree the best approach for their team in order to meet our aim outlined in our coaching philosophy. However, in order to assist our coaches and parents we have developed some high-level guidelines which explain how children could progress and develop through the age groups at the club.

Streaming v Mixed Ability

We encourage mixed ability groups in our younger groups. The primary focus is to introduce children to football, develop basic skills and, above all, allow them to have fun. However, an important part of development is streaming, and this can be a contentious issue in any form of education or sport/leisure activity. However, it is necessary because it is important that children can develop at a pace commensurate with their own ability and those they play with and against.

It is the Coaches role to ensure that streaming of players is carried out fairly and openly. The interests of the child’s footballing development and enjoyment are paramount and should be the basis of all our decisions. The four corners model should be used to assess a player’s ability.

As a general guide we adopt the following approach in our foundation age groups:

Skills Development

The skills development age group is opened to Y1 & Reception children, they will train together as one group up to Christmas, unless numbers dictate breaking into two smaller manageable groups running the same activities. After Xmas the Year One & Reception children should train separately (if numbers and volunteer coaches allow) although all still at the same session. Reception children will stay in skill development for another year and it is expected that Y1 children should be on a faster development track to get them ready for U7s.

U7’s

Training within this age group should continue to be conducted as one group. All games at this age group will be played on a friendly / non-competitive basis. Children should be placed in teams on a mixed ability basis. Every child should be actively encouraged to try each position on the team. Results of games at this level are irrelevant –it is the children’s development that is the sole consideration.

Under 8 ‘s

As with U7s the training of this age group should stay as one group. The Surrey Primary league will now have streamed their leagues; teams will be placed based on their performances at U7. However, these performances and outcomes will have been based on a mixed ability structure. It is our belief that this year should see a slow transition from mixed ability to enable streaming to take place at U9s and the move to 7 a side. With that in mind team structure should be initially on a mixed ability basis and then reviewed every 6-8 weeks with player movements being minimal each time to not radically alter the dynamics of a team. Coaches should bear in mind the level/ability of the division they will play in. Players will develop at different speeds and regular dialogue should take place between coaches and parents. While results are still unimportant at this level by now the children understand the difference between winning and losing and why it has happened.

Under 9 / 10 /11/12

These age groups play on a non-competitive basis and no results are shown. A transition has taken place from 5 a side to 7 a side and the 9 aside. Teams should be streamed from U9s onwards. It is understood that players will develop at different rates and the team structures should be reviewed and adjusted accordingly at agreed periods throughout the season.

Training should still be conducted at the same time for the whole age group. We encourage some activities to be carried out together (e.g. warm-up session, some friendly matches with mixed ability) however, each team could train separately in order to tailor some of the sessions accordingly.

Players will have played and trained with several different players over the previous two seasons so should be able to fit in and mix well with whichever team they are placed in. Streaming is understandably a contentious issue and parents may not be happy about their child playing in a different (higher or lower team). However, the fundamental factor involved with this is that the children should be playing at a level that is appropriate for them. If placed in too high a team then they are unlikely to develop and ultimately may cease playing football. If placed in too low a team then their development will not continue, and they may become bored and move to another club / stop playing football. Depending on the mix in ability throughout the teams some players may be asked to rotate between 2 teams.

All new players in the close season should be assessed over several weeks by coaches from all teams in the age group to ascertain where the player should fit –this is to ensure that the player is playing at the correct level.

Under 13’s and onwards

This is the first year of 11 a side and for many will be the first taste of competitive league football. The priority will remain to make sure that all children are playing at an appropriate level for their abilities.

Communication is key to players and parents as new a structure, full laws of the game applied, all positions utilised, and increased squads are implemented. All teams should be used to streaming and getting players into the right positions in the right teams should now become easier.

In Conclusion

The fundamental ethos of AFC Brooklands is for young children to start their football journey in a safe and friendly environment, where the focus from the club, the coaches and the parents is about the development of their skills and having fun. The result of a match in non-competitive (small-sided) football is irrelevant compared to the performance and development of the players on the pitch. Therefore, it is so important that players are placed in the team that is appropriate to their skill level such that all the players across the age group are playing at a level where they can develop and grow.

As they move up through the ages they will develop at different rates and it is vital that we are reviewing player development to make sure they are playing at an appropriate standard.

Playing with friends is enjoyable and very helpful at the youngest ages. This will be considered and discussed with parents but basing a team at older age groups on friendships alone or what parents want will not allow a child to develop their football and can affect those around them.

All our coaches are volunteers. The club, training sessions and matches cannot run without them. For the most part our coaches will be a parent or guardian to one of our players and will have to consider their own personal logistics as well as friendships within the groups, ability and availability of players when selecting teams. Our coaches will adopt a fair and open approach and will be happy to listen to any concerns or constructive feedback from parents.