First session back after all the tournaments and it was so good to see everyone. We set the tempo high and asked for maximum effort from all involved – we were not disappointed!

We had one new player come and try Futsal for the first time – welcome Mary C, we hope you had fun and we look forward to seeing you again very soon!

After a warm up, the players concentrated on some ball skills work. We really are going to hammer this part of the girls technical knowleadge! We progressed onto some 3v3 games on a reduced court. If either team kicked the ball out of play, both teams were replaced – if you scored, you stayed on! We are trying to get the girls to think about their in and out of possession and what their actions mean for them and their teammates.

Player of the week for the younger group was Jessica – this young lady may be youngest in the U12 group but she is quickly becoming one of the stand out players. She is mastering the sole of the foot control, her shooting is getting better each week, and we especially love the way she always looks to move the ball and not just belt it away. Well done Jessica, one for the future!

Click here to see all the pictures from the session

We challenged the older group with some 2v1 keep ball in a small areas. We asked them to use as fewer touches as possible to keep the ball moving. This was progressed to 3v3 in half a court, again asking them to keep the ball moving at all times. After a quick chat about why we keep the ball moving, we played a full court 4v3 game in which the blues always had one player less. Futsal is very rarely played with even numbers due to the high number of transitions, so it was good practice for all involved.

Player of the week for the younger group was Katie J – well, talk about being impressed! Not only did she work her socks off, but she partnered herself up with two of the best players in the session and gave them a good run for their money! She has started to really concentrate on her futsal technique – using the sole of her foot, passing the ball whenever possible, taking fewer touches and also working very hard on her recovery runs. Well played Katie, you just keep getting better and better!

It was an interesting session to sit back and watch at times. After the wake up result for the ladies team on Saturday, I realised that I need to change the way I was coaching the younger age groups. I have to improve their basic futsal techniques and understanding of the game or I am failing them as players. We had some very good footballers playing for the ladies on Saturday, but that didn’t make any difference. The game is Futsal and we must coach Futsal for Futsal, not for football. Back to the drawing board and lots of thinking to do with the sessions after the half term break…

Coach Chris