The Quick Read
We don't coach for spreadsheets. We don't coach for forms and logins. We coach for the game - and this weekend is the perfect moment to remember why.
Key Intelligence
30-Second Summary
Somewhere between the WhatsApp chaos, the last-minute availability drama, and the pressure of match days, we forget why we're here. The competitive fire in our players should be celebrated - it's what makes weekend mornings electric. But when we lose sight of the fun, we lose the players. This weekend, reset. Let them play with freedom. Let them make mistakes. Let them make their own decisions. We've created free age-group templates that give coaches, parents, and players everything they need to enjoy grassroots football the way it's meant to be played.
The Signal
We're well into the 2025/26 season now. The excitement of new kits and fresh starts has given way to the rhythm of weekend mornings, WhatsApp notifications, and muddy boots by the door.
For some teams, it's clicking. For others, the frustrations are mounting - on the pitch and off it.
It's easy to get swept up. Table positions start to matter. Team rivalries intensify. The admin piles up. Before you know it, you're checking league standings more than you're watching your players develop.
This is the perfect moment to pause. Not to overhaul tactics or shake up formations, but to remember why we all got into this in the first place.
The FA's Play Your Part campaign put it perfectly: "Football is the greatest game in the world. It is played by more people across the globe than any other sport. For a privileged few, it is how they earn a living. But for the vast majority of people who play the game, it is a fun, leisure activity for all ages, to be enjoyed."
We can all help our young players enjoy the game more - by creating the right environment, letting them play with freedom, make mistakes, and make their own decisions.
The Pattern
The research is unambiguous: enjoyment is the single most important factor in whether young players stay in football.
When the FA asked young players across the country why they play, the top six answers were:
None of this means competitiveness doesn't matter - that fire to win is part of what makes football beautiful. But notice what sustains them: effort, fun, health, friendship, love of the game. These are the foundations that keep the competitive spirit burning season after season.
Enjoyment is central to football, particularly for children. While some set out on the pathway to becoming a professional, the vast majority play the game for fun. It's important that everybody involved in the sport helps maintain a positive environment that allows children to play freely.
And here's something we coaches can forget: for many of our players, this is their escape. Their moment away from school pressures, challenges at home, the noise of everyday life. A chance to get out in the fresh air, have fun with friends and teammates, and just be a footballer for an hour or two. We can be guilty of overlooking the effort and challenges some of our players have overcome just to make it pitch side, in kit and ready to go.
Children have a massive capacity to think and behave creatively. An effective coach will support and encourage this in the football and Futsal games that they play. We want our players to play with freedom and enjoyment.
The education research backs this up. As Alfie Kohn, lecturer in Education and Psychology, notes: "The fact is that young players learn to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions."
Every barked instruction from the sideline is a stolen opportunity to learn.
The Practice
Here's how coaches and parents can reset this weekend:
1. Create Your Mini Team Manifesto
Forget dusty codes of conduct buried in club folders. Map out what your team stands for - what makes match days special, what kind of support you want from the touchline, why you're all here. Weave it into your team talk. Remind parents about the fun factor and the positive energy that lifts players. Make it something the whole squad believes in, not a document they signed and forgot.
2. Embrace the 50% Rule
For younger teammates, match time is really important for development, and you should aim for every player getting at least 50% of available game time. It builds team spirit, develops every player, and takes the pressure off "must-win" mentality. Plan your substitutions before the match so you're not scrambling at half-time.
3. Let Coaches Coach (And Know When to Step Back)
Parents: stand behind the barrier on the opposite side from the technical area. Applaud good play from both teams. Resist the urge to issue instructions. Your child is getting coached - they don't need two sets of directions.
Coaches: remember that young players mirror the adults around them. A confident coach creates confident players. A joyful coach creates joyful football. And micro-managing kills freedom. On match day, your role shifts: coach before the game, guide at half-time, support during the game. Then let the players play.
4. Track Effort, Not Just Outcomes
The scoreline is only one way to measure progress. Set individual and team development targets. Did your left-back try that overlap for the first time? Did your striker work the channels? Celebrate the process, not just the result. Modern AI-powered coaching tools can help track these development patterns automatically.
5. Build the Post-Match Circle Into a Ritual
No one enjoys a car park debrief that dissects every mistake. Instead, build a positive post-match ritual. Gather the squad and ask: "Did you have fun?" Ask each player for one highlight from today's match. Instead of listing what needs fixing in training, ask them: "What would be fun to work on this week?" Language matters - a team chant like "We believe!" sends players home buzzing rather than deflated. Save the tactical notes for training night.
6. Know Your Age Group
Every age group has different formats, rules, and development priorities. U7s shouldn't be coached like U14s. We've built free downloadable templates for every age group - from U6 festival football through to Senior 11v11 - so coaches and parents understand exactly what the focus should be.
Your Age-Group At-A-Glance
Here's what each stage of grassroots football should prioritise:
| Age Group | Format | Key Learnings |
|---|---|---|
| U6 | 4v4/5v5 Festival | Fun-focused play, enjoyment, exploration, and building confidence with the ball |
| U7/8 | 5v5 | Fun, enjoyment, and developing fundamental movement and ball skills |
| U9/10 | 7v7 | Ball mastery, small-group play, and introducing tactical awareness |
| U11/12 | 9v9 | Being part of a team, game understanding, introducing structured tactics |
| U13/14 | 11v11 | Taking that love of the game into teenage years, adapting to full 11v11, taking responsibility |
| U15/16 | 11v11 | Creating the complete player through tactical appreciation and decision-making under pressure |
| U17/18 | 11v11 | Maintaining the passion, alongside tactical execution, physical resilience, and leadership |
| Senior | 11v11 | Performance, tactical execution, leadership, and a lifelong love of sport |
Each of our age-group guides includes detailed FA-based rules, pitch sizes, match lengths, ball sizes, and - crucially - downloadable Word and Google Doc templates you can share with your entire team.
No more confused parents asking about offside rules. No more debates about substitution regulations. Everything in one place.
The Principle
The best grassroots clubs don't just develop players - they develop environments through patience and consistency.
When coaches stay in the technical area and let the game teach, young players learn to solve problems. When parents applaud both teams, young players learn sportsmanship. When referees are treated with respect (they're often learning too), young players learn that authority deserves dignity.
None of this requires expensive kit or elite facilities. It requires adults who remember that the game belongs to the young players on the pitch.
The fact is that young players learn to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions.
We built tactico to remove the admin that gets in the way of this - the chaotic WhatsApp threads, the availability nightmares, the lost fixture information. A football team management app should free you up, not weigh you down. The best football team management software saves hours so you can spend that time on what actually matters: creating an environment where football is fun.
But platforms are just tools. The environment is created by people. By coaches who resist the urge to micromanage every touch. By parents who cheer effort over outcome. By clubs who measure success in smiles as much as scorelines.
Your Move This Week
Download the age-group template for your team. Fill it in with your specific details - training times, kit requirements, match day expectations - and share it with every parent and player.
It takes ten minutes. It aligns everyone for the rest of the season. And it gives you a document to point to when someone asks "what size ball should we use?" or "how long is each half?"
Start the reset this weekend. Watch the atmosphere change.
The Bottom Line
Football is the greatest game in the world.
Not because of league tables. Not because of trophies.
Because of the roar when the ball hits the net. The friendships forged in training. The lessons learned in defeat.
This weekend, step back. Let them play.
Let the mistakes happen. Let the creativity flow. Let the joy return.
Because we don't coach for spreadsheets.
We don't coach for forms and logins.
We coach for the game. For the joy. For the team.
tactico.
The game, uncompromised.
Sources & Context
1. Primary: The FA - Play Your Part Campaign - Parent and coach guidance for grassroots football
2. Data: tactico Age Group Templates - Complete FA-based guidelines from U6 to Senior
3. Supporting: England Football Grassroots Strategy 2024-2028
4. Supporting: Alfie Kohn - Research on child autonomy and decision-making in education
5. Supporting: The FA Handbook for Season 2025/2026
First published: 28 November 2025