Important elements that are essential for the success of youth football.

Thousands of players have passed through the First Steps Soccer Academy over the years, and it always gives the Coaches a great thrill to see our graduates competing, whether it’s for their school, junior club, or a professional academy/centre of excellence. We all find it fascinating to watch players develop, and we’ll often chat to […]

View our latest infographic and know how to prevent common football injuries affecting children.

Football Associations, like Governments, are instinctively drawn to Big Ideas whenever they are faced by a perceived crisis. So, when England are knocked out of yet another major Tournament, an F.A. representative is unlikely to shuffle his feet, look at the floor, then shrug his shoulders and say, “Look, I’m very sorry, but finding a […]

View our latest infographic and learn top ways to develop best soccer skills in your kids.

As the equalising Anderlecht goal hit the net, my Arsenal supporting friend had seen enough, “That! That…..!”, he moaned, eyes boggled, struggling for the words to express his disgust at another defensive capitulation. “My Under 13’s team defends better than that!” Poor Arsene Wenger is a man under siege; ex players joined the chorus of […]

It’s two years since the FA Youth Development review, and now that the key changes in the junior game have been properly phased in, I think its worth assessing whether the FA national game strategy of ‘developing better players’ is being served by these new approaches in youth football. Let me nail my colours to […]

Although more and more parents accept that good quality teaching and coaching can give their child a great start in life, there is still some resistance to paying for football coaching. Parents will tend to conjure up a nostalgic world of kids playing in parks or streets with no adult supervision, just jumpers for goalposts, […]

Studies have shown that introducing a child to sports programmes at a young age goes a long way to improve their health and fitness. The standard P.E. class a child receives at Primary School will be in a large group, and often lead by non-specialist staff, so it makes sense to supplement these with an […]