Our Coach Education group is set-up to share ideas and best practice among football coaches. We look forward to connecting with you.

Session Essentials
4. Use simple, varied activities
5. High 'Active Learning Time'
6. Fair, fun, inclusive behaviours
Expert additions
10. Child collaboration and problem solving
Extra help
What is 'Fun'? (inclusive behaviours)
When asked what makes a good after-school club, PE lesson or football club session, many children will say FUN!
But what do we really mean by fun? Try asking a group of children what fun is, and you will get a variety of answers, which may or may not help you understand what they mean. However, try asking the question the other way round: What is not fun? and you will get a really clear understanding of what they need and want.
According to MoF focus groups with girls aged 9-11, fun is:
It sounds simple. But so often these fun behaviours do not happen in children's sport, and because of this we put some kids off. A major role of the coach is to ensure that behaviours and inclusive, and everyone is able to join in at their level, without feeling put off by the poor behaviour of others.
So MoF coaches should watch out for behaviours, like a lifeguard watches over a swimming pool. Find a physical position in the hall where you can see everything, and look out for things like:
If you spot, some of these things, then here are some ways to deal with it:
Favouritism
We need to understand that we have certain prejudices and probably have favourites among the group, even if we try hard not to. MoF research has looked at coach interventions in our Sunday sessions and found that some children get a lot more interaction, feedback and engagement with the coach than others. It is typical for the highest-ability, most challenging and/or most confident children to get the most of our attention. We need to recognise when this is happening, and ensure that all children get an even share of our time and efforts.
Our own research at MoF has shown that coaches don't usually give a equal amount of attention to all children in sessions. We studied interventions , attention and feedback in six sessions with three different coaches, and we found that a handful of children get over three-quarters of the coach attention. This was typically because the coach responds to the first child to put their up (during Q&A), and the coach responds to certain children's behaviour and requests for attention. The children who are struggling technically and socially get attention, and the children who are most confident and able get some attention. We need to ensure we are aware of who is getting our attention in sessions, and be pro-active in seeking out opportunities to connect with those who don't usually get our time and energy. This links to planning: Coaches should consider each child in their session and plan to connect with certain children during the session.
The cornerstones of Self_Esteem
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves" - Sir Edmund Hilary
The two cornerstones of self-esteem are a Sense of Worthiness and a Sense of Belonging.
Think about a place / group / team / job which raises your self-esteem and enhances your confidence. It is highly likely that you (a) feel relaxed and at home there (belonging) and (b) feel valued there, that are some things you are good at and those things are recognised and praised (worthiness).
Coaches at MoF need to understand this relationship between Belonging and Worthiness and help children to feel these senses throughout their MoF experience. This is important for a number of reasons. Essentially, our aim is to develop confident, creative, skilful players - and this aim is much more likely to be reached if children feel a worthy and valued part of our programme. Helping children to see themselves as valuable and worthy will have benefits for them far beyond their football development. Confident children will be able to input more into their school education and be less afraid to try new things in other areas of their life and learning.
How do we help children feel a sense of belonging and worthiness?
Copyright Ministry of Football 2020 - All Rights Reserved
Mark Carter
mark@ministry-of-football.com
07772 716 876