Age Group Curriculum
Objective:
Create positive emotional experiences with football.
How?
At this age, children learn through imitation and play, with short attention spans and no fear of failure. Sessions focus on the basics — running with the ball, stopping it, kicking it, and changing direction. Coaches keep things high energy with plenty of praise, demonstrating more than talking and avoiding technical overload.
Training is built around free play, simple games using cones, colours, and characters, and light 1v0 or 1v1 activities — no formal matches, just fun.
Objective:
Build comfort and confidence with the ball.
How?
Sessions build on the basics with inside and outside foot dribbling, stop-start control, simple turns, and proper shooting technique. Players learn to beat an opponent, protect the ball, and shoot when close to goal. Coaches encourage experimentation, introduce both feet naturally, and let players solve problems rather than drilling rigid positions. Training runs through ball mastery games, 1v1 activities, and small-sided games up to 3v3.
Objective:
Develop strong ball mastery and individual skill.
How?
Sessions sharpen core skills — first touch control, turning under pressure, shielding, passing and receiving, and dribbling with changes of direction and speed. Players begin to recognise space, combine with teammates, and develop 1v1 attacking and defending. Coaches correct technique when appropriate, using guided questions to help players think through decisions — mistakes are treated as learning moments. Training is built around ball mastery blocks, opposed practices, and competitive small-sided games up to 4v4.
Objective:
Execute skills under pressure and make better decisions.
How?
Technical demands step up — first touch into space, receiving across the body, turning under pressure, passing on the move, and a range of finishing techniques. Players are challenged to make smarter decisions, choosing when to dribble or pass, creating and exploiting space, and reading transition moments. Coaches demand quality and intensity while keeping sessions enjoyable, introducing tactical concepts without rigidity. Training moves through technical activation, game-realistic practices, and conditioned small-sided games.