All grassroots coaches can now access and use our England DNA training resources for young players

Thursday 07 Dec 2017

Coaches of young players at all levels can now take advantage of the England DNA Foundation Phase resource via a free online hub.

Hosted on a community platform by Hive Learning, grassroots coaches of players aged from U5-12 can access a wealth of practical ideas, video clips, tips and advice as well as a discussion forum used by other coaches from both the grassroots and professional game.

And under-pinning the resource are the key messages of the England DNA that will help connect the philosophy of the Three Lions’ senior and development teams to all of those aspiring young players taking the first steps of their football journey making top level tuition available For All.

The innovative pages aim to help coaches at all levels provide the best experience possible for the 1000s of young players who play and train every week.

Players are only young once, so we’re committed to making their first taste of football both enjoyable and memorable and coaches who use the resource and its key messages will help develop those players in line with the England DNA, which makes this the most exciting part.

We have been speaking to two coaches, one from grassroots and the other from the professional game, about how the resource has influenced their coaching and helped them work more effectively with their players in line with the England DNA key messages.

;

David Madell (below, left), Hoddesdon Town Owls, U11 girls

I’ve been using the archive since it was launched and it makes me wish I was 15 years younger and that all this had come along a bit earlier.

I’m a Level One coach now, after previously drifting out of the game once I’d stopped playing.

Then when my girls came along, that revived my interest as a coach, and while I may have missed the boat in terms of longevity as a coach, the resource gives me great hope for the future whether it’s players or coaches that are using it.

It made me think back to my own playing days, albeit many years ago now, and how press-ups and running laps around concrete pitches were elements of the very one-dimensional coaching that we got. We still had some good coaches then, but how much better would they, or we, have been if they had access to some of this stuff back then.

It’s been really useful to me. It’s just great to dip in and out of, I’ll often just pick up the tablet in the evening and I find it quite inspiring and fascinating.

In terms of the players I work with, it makes training a little bit fresher or interesting for the girls and your ideas become clearer.

I find it most useful when a game or session hasn’t gone as well as I’d planned and I can use the pages to see what other coaches have found and see other suggestions and look for something relevant that someone else might have done.

When you read the comments from the professionals and coaches at grassroots level, it’s clear we’re all working for the same reason, to try and improve players.

I’m trying to help kids on to the next level and if we’ve done a good job with those girls and boys, when they move on the next level they continue to enjoy the sport and keep improving.

The fact the resource is there for anyone to use, at any time, means it's something I'd recommend to all coaches no matter what the age or level they work at.

;

Robbie Spencer (below), Watford FC foundation phase coach

Even though I’m working for Watford FC now, I’ve come full circle in coaching after starting out at grassroots level with my son’s team from U6 level to U18s.

I’ve been building my experience and sowing my love of coaching ever since. It gave me a good idea of where I wanted to go which was to specialise in the foundation phase.

I’ve since worked as a coach and scout with Brentford, Oxford United and Wolverhampton Wanderers before I moved to Watford as a foundation phase coach.

I was first alerted to the resource when I was working on the Advance Youth Award and I find it a fantastic resource, something which is accessible 24-7 so I think it’s invaluable for all coaches at any level, it's so easy to sign up and access.

With the content I’ve used and adapted to the club’s philosophy, the kids have really enjoyed it, especially from the England DNA section.

I like to use a lot of the DNA resources and the boys buzz off it, there’s a great variety and it’s really good.

I like the way the foundation phase is split into two between age 5-8s and 9s-12s, because in the professional game when we talk about foundation phases, a range of 5-12 is too broad.

The players do so many different things and learn different ways in those years and we’re now seeing other clubs and coaches start to do that and anything that enhances our chances of developing better players is welcome.

There’s a real social side of it too, you see other coaches on there and I’ve got to know them outside of the Hive. So not only is it to help the players, but it covers all four corners for the coaches too.

I find it a good, all-round experience and I can’t think of anything negative to say about it.

I’ve been involved in a few online coaching forums, but this is far more open-minded and people are willing to give things a go and take it on board.”

;

How to find the resource

The resource’s home is on The FA’s community platform on Hive Learning available by clicking here. It takes a few minutes to sign up and once registered, simply use the site’s search bar and type in ‘England DNA Foundation Research Phase Resource’

Select from the drop down menu to join and you’ll have instant access to the hub and its free content.

Enjoy, and good luck…

By FA Staff

It's in the DNA!