With the U12s and U15s playing in Batley today, we condensed the sessions down to three. Even so, we still saw the high-energy, committed futsal we’ve come to expect from our brilliant girls!

After the fantastic weeks of the York Girls’ Futsal Cup, we were delighted to welcome some new faces to our session—Isabella, Ava, Mia, and Pippa! We hope you had fun and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Watching recent games, I noticed some players were a little unsure of how to play when out of possession. What key skills were missing, and how can we instill them? Today’s sessions focused on the 4 D’s of defending—Delay, Deny, Dictate, and Defend. We didn’t go too deep into each one just yet, but this week was all about defending your space and how to make that easier.

The girls put in some fantastic defensive performances—strong tackling, determined recovery runs, and a real effort to win back possession rather than just kicking the ball away. It was great to see!

More to come on this next week as we build on these skills—well done, everyone!

Players of the Week:

First Hour – Lotti H
A fantastic young player with a superb touch and an even bigger desire to improve. Lotti plays and sees the game well beyond her years, making her an absolute pleasure to coach. Her intelligence on the ball and understanding of the game set her apart, and there’s no doubt she has the potential to be a future Ladies player. Keep up the top work, Lotti!

Second Hour – Eva D
By far the youngest in the group, but without a doubt one of the most physical! Eva’s sheer determination to win the ball and her comfort in the physical side of the game are truly remarkable—something rarely seen at this level. She’s still new and has plenty to learn, but could we have unearthed another diamond? Amazing effort, Eva!

Third Hour – Maygen M
Maygen has truly turned a corner in her game. She’s consistently playing fantastic futsal, showing excellent movement and passing ability. She’s smart in possession, happy to play backwards to keep the ball, but also has the pace and vision to break lines and go for goal. The future is looking incredibly bright for her—keep shining, Maygen!

Final Thoughts Of A Coach…

I have banned our coaches from labelling players as defenders, midfielders, or attackers in futsal. Why? Because when a child believes they are only one of these, it limits their development. In futsal, everyone attacks together, and everyone defends together. Yes, players must understand positioning—whether they are playing deep, wide, or high—but I will never allow a 10-year-old to think they are just a “safety player.”

Too often in grassroots football, I hear coaches pigeonhole young players: You’re a defender. You’re a winger. You’re an attacker. At high-level academies, we expect players to be comfortable in multiple positions. A right-footed player might play left-back to develop their weaker foot. A striker might play centre-back to learn how attackers think. A midfielder might be pushed into a forward role to improve movement and spatial awareness. None of this is groundbreaking—it’s just good coaching. Yet, parents often complain. My response is simple:

‘Do you want to win this weekend, or do you want to win every week in the long run?’

Player development doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time—weeks, months, years. Sure, we may see occasional short-term success, but our focus must always remain on long-term growth. Recently, two players who don’t normally score found the net in competitive matches. Moments like these prove that patience and the right approach pay off.

Trust the process. Trust your players. Give them time to develop.

It really is that simple!

Coach Chris