Summer is nearly upon us and for many parents and children, that means long and (hopefully) hot days at youth football tournaments. 

Every adult who played in such an event when they were younger remembers them fondly. Setting up a base in a corner of wherever the tournament was being held. All the teams coming together with multiple matches packed into one day. The chance to win a trophy.  

Going to the results tent and studying a whiteboard to see what was needed to qualify for the next round. Hanging around with your friends when you don't have a game. And of course, regular trips to the ice cream van. Nothing screamed youth football tournament quite like a Mr Whippy between the group stage and quarter final.

It's an unforgettable experience and makes you feel all nostalgic, doesn’t it? Times however change, and so here is the We Make Footballers guide on what to expect nowadays in youth football tournaments. (Don’t worry, you can still get a 99 with flake. Although it costs a lot more than 99p).

The Opportunity to Play Lots of Football

The best aspect of youth football tournaments is that they present the opportunity for children to participate in lots of football with other teams of like minded players from their age group.

The format usually involves at least one round-robin group stage, possibly two, followed by a set of knockout games all the way to the semi final, ready for one team to be crowned the ultimate winners in the final.

Depending on the size of the tournament, teams can find themselves playing anywhere between five and 10 shortened matches in a day. Practice makes permanent is the ethos of We Make Footballers and youth team football tournaments provide an environment for significant levels of practice.

Not only that, but football players benefit from an entire day of working with their coaches and teammates. The improvements which can be made in a child’s individual ability at a tournament are huge.

Learning About the Importance of Rest

The flip side to youth football tournaments offering so much football, is that the coach has to carefully manage the playing time of their squad in order to avoid tiredness, fatigue and the potential for injury which comes with it.

Rest and recuperation are a huge part of football. They're often something which children are not necessarily exposed to or aware of when training for an hour once or twice a week and then playing a game at the weekend.

Playing multiple games in a day takes its toll and it does mean there will be occasions where a child finds themselves on the bench for their own benefit. This provides an important lesson about rest and game time management, something which they will begin to experience more as they progress through age groups or into a professional academy.

The Social Factor of Youth Football Tournaments

Youth football tournaments provide a great opportunity for players to develop their social skills - an area of the FA Four Corner model, on which the We Make Footballers syllabus is based.

An entire day spent in the company of teammates allows children to deepen friendships and relationships. Those who are rested will discover the importance of supporting their friends on the pitch.

Tournaments are competitive affairs and that can teach football players how important teamwork is when it comes to being successful. Good behaviour, positive attitudes and communication skills are all open to improvement in the unique environment provided by a tournament.

Exposure to Older Players and Different Ideas

Bigger youth football tournaments will feature a range of age groups, ability levels and quite possibly different playing and coaching styles. This is especially true if the event is held abroad, becoming a melting pot of cultures and languages from across Europe and beyond.

Children learn not just through practice but observing. Those who watch older children partaking in the tournament will pick up on how they play and better understand the development path they are on. 

The best football players in the world are those who incorporate different ways of thinking and ideas into their own games. Who learn from multiple coaches with varying philosophies, often from a multitude of nationalities.

Being up close and personal with children within their own age group and other age groups from countries such as Spain, Germany and the Netherlands in a youth football tournament can offer priceless exposure and opportunities to learn as a young player. 

They don't need to deeply interact with those they don't know at a tournament (although that too can be a bonus benefit); younger children can just as easily learn from watching matches involving other teams.

 

The Great British Weather 

Apologies if the above has got you dreaming of a youth football tournament in Barcelona, Lisbon or some other sunnier climate. However, the reality is you are off to a school field somewhere in the United Kingdom and the forecast is for heavy rain all day.

Such is the Great British Weather that one of the things you should expect is to prepare for every eventuality. This might be a practical point more than anything else, but ensuring you are ready to play a match in whatever mother nature can throw at you can be the make-or-break decision as to whether the tournament is a success or not.

Check the weather forecast the night before to gauge the situation and prepare accordingly. Suncream and plenty of water if it is going to be hot to avoid sunburn and dehydration. Warm clothes and wet weather gear if rain is coming, so that players do not become cold, wet and miserable between matches. 

And even after consulting the forecast, there is no harm in taking along precautions for the opposite of what the experts predict. This is Britain we are talking about, where blazing sunshine can be followed by unexpected heavy rain minutes later. 

The Great British Weather 

A typical youth football tournament day timeline:

• Arrival at the venue, likely meeting at a designated spot communicated by your team coach so that everyone in your team knows where to find each other

• Registration with the event organisers, usually carried out by the team coach

• A programme including timings and oppositions of each match shared (if it hadn’t been shared digitally ahead of the event)

• General announcements by the event organisers to kick off the tournament

• Group stage matches begin!

• Results are recorded and quarter/semi-finalists announced

• Final matches played and winners announced with an award presentation whereby players are given their winning trophy and any medals

• Departure

We Make Footballers Holiday Camp Tournaments

We Make Footballers believe in the benefits of round-robin tournaments so much that we often incorporate them as the final session at our football holiday camps.

Each day of holiday development camp allows children to get involved with one of five themes. These five themes cover everything from attacking and defending, dribbling and skills, passing and shooting, movement and teamwork, or a fun day tournament – which kind of speaks for itself.

In the final session of the day, children get the opportunity to put the skills and knowledge they have gained into practical use in a series of team games, playing against lots of different players.

Tournaments at We Make Footballers holiday camps are different to your normal youth football tournament in that there is less downtime. But the premise and tournament rules remain the same; plenty of competitive football to be played against a range of opponents and the opportunity to develop and improve. Just without the Mr Whippy.

Want to learn more about We Make Footballers holiday development camps or find your nearest football training academy? Just get in touch.