The new youth football season is fast approaching and if this is the year that you are going to look to get your child involved with a club, then you might be wondering how you can help them prepare for it.

After all, playing in an organised team environment is different to having a kick about in the garden. If you want them to enjoy themselves and thrive at the sport, then here are five things to do before your child joins a team.

Encourage them to practice

One of the main reasons to sign your child up for a football team is so that they benefit from regular coaching and playing time, which will help them improve. Most teams will accept complete novices, but you can help give your child a head start by getting them to practice the basics at home.

Teaching them how to pass, control a ball, dribble and shoot before they join up with a club will help them gain some essential skills which their new coaches can then build upon. The more they practice at home, the better equipped they’ll be for when they join their new team. Take a look at some of our home football training ideas and tips here.

Work on their fitness and activity level

If your child is wanting to join a football team, then chances are they are probably already relatively fit for their age. If they are not, it can be helpful to encourage them to become more active if they are to make the most of the opportunities afforded by youth football.

You don’t need to turn them into an eight-year-old version of Mo Farah to do this – it can actually be achieved with a few lifestyle changes. Start walking places instead of taking the car, go for family bike rides, increase playtime and reduce screen time.

You could even get them involved with another sport such to help keep them active over the summer months before the football season arrives.

Sign them up for a football academy

 

As well as ensuring that they practice at home, you can also sign them up for weekly football training delivered by a professional coaching company.

Here, they’ll receive weekly tuition from FA qualified coaches in a fun and safe environment. They’ll work on all the skills needed to make an impact with a team and having already experienced what working with a coach is like, they’ll be used to listening to instructions and taking part in drills.

The benefit of this type of weekly training is that it provides the perfect introduction to the sport, builds their self-confidence and focuses on developing their individual ability as a player as well as the other physical fundamentals.

Get them the right equipment

There’s nothing worse than it being your child’s first day with a new team, only for you to discover their football boots don’t fit. You’ll probably have noticed that kids grow at an alarming rate and kit and equipment that fit two months ago at the end of the last season may now be woefully undersized at the start of the new campaign.

That’s why you should try everything on and if they need something new, get them it. While you don’t have to go out and spend hundreds of pounds on the latest pair of boots because Lionel Messi wears them, try and supply them with equipment that makes them feel proud as this can have a surprisingly big impact on performance.

You can find boots at lower prices before each new season starts as they will be on offer from the previous year. As long as your child likes the colour and design of the football boots, they’re generally happy!

Remind them to have fun

Ultimately, kids learn best when they’re enjoying themselves. At a young age, that is what football should be all about. While they will no doubt want to start winning for their new team, the most important thing is that they are enjoying playing, training and making new friends.

Make sure that they know that. Don’t pressurise them, just let them go and do what kids should be doing no matter what – having fun.