Matchday experience: getting them ready to play

In the second part of a series focusing on the matchday experience for Foundation Phase players, we look at what you should say to your players before kick-off.
Before sending your team out to play make sure you leave them with just one or two things to focus on. Their minds will be on a million things anyway so prioritise what you want them to think about and avoid overloading them with information.

If you ask for their ideas and thoughts make sure you listen to their responses and use this to help the group.

Bear in mind this might be harder than you think, as young children can come out with some quite random comments that may not be related to the subject. If this is the case, deal with it sensitively, value it and then try to get the responses back on track.

The coach in the video below does a great job in making a link back to key phrases that the team use. He and the players know what “tricks and traps” mean – this is a great way to embed learning and develop a sense of togetherness.