This was the last session of the block and we asked the girls to wear their grassroots football kit to showcase which clubs we had represented at our club. We had Rawcliffe U12s, Bishopthorpe White Rose U10s, U11s & U12s, York Railway Institute U10s, U11s, U12s, U13s & U16s, Fulford U10s & U14s, Wigginton Grasshoppers U11s, U14s & U16s, Elloughton Blackburn U14s, Strensall Tigers U11s, Howden Hurricanes U12s, Brayton Belles U14s, Rothwell Juniors U15s and Wetherby Athletic U15s kits on display – why isn’t your club seen here? Get in touch for more info if you really want to turbo charge your players development!

We had two new players come and try Futsal for the first time – welcome, Olivia GH and Isabel S, we hope you had fun and we look forward to seeing you again very soon!

The emphasis today was on playing the game. With the Pokemon semi-finals next week, we quickly recapped some of rules, so the players were comfortable with them. We just asked the girls to go out and show what they have learnt. Small chats between matches challenged the players with specific aspects of the game – position of players, use of the court and non-negotiable for the team. We had some great games with fantastic goals, saves, passing and tackling.

Click here to see all the pictures from the session

Thoughts of a coach – one of my favourite ways to coach is just to sit back and watch the players – no talking, no interjections – nothing, just watch. I always keep a mental note of one or two things to talk about after the game, whether that be a team or individual challenge. You see so much more when you step back, things you probably wouldn’t have if you were right in the mix. I also get any resting teams to watch the game with one or two specific observations I want them to see – what is the the blue team doing well, what could they do better? The clever part here is not to disagree with what they see, but to ask why they saw these things, dig a little deeper, let them explain – you may well be surprised!

Final thoughts of a coach – next weekend the U10s, U12s and U14s are playing in the Pokemon National Futsal semi-finals in Northumbria. The final message to all the age groups was to go and have fun, play with a smile and the results will take care of themselves. I honestly don’t care about the results, all these events are about character building, providing opportunities, allowing players to showcase their talents – to learn about themselves and believe in what they can do. I often watch coaches own frustrations taken out on their players! Don’t get me wrong, I get frustrated, but I keep that to myself, they are just kids still! This is not about the coaches, this is not your tournament – this is for the players, so please, let just let them play…