Very young players have minimal fine motor skills, very little understanding of team play or spacial awareness and a very low concentration span. As players mature, all of these attributes improve, and by the time the players reach 14 or 15, they are nearly fully developed, and so more sophisticated training sessions can be conducted.
There is absolutely no point trying to get players of 5 years of age to play like a team of 15 year olds, and so the training and nature of the sessions must be age appropriate.
It is fair to say that in all age groups, training sessions must be
- Engage players, and make players want to come to training
- Have some competetive nature
- Encourage team spirit
- Be appropriate for the age group in terms of skills/drills and session time
Recommended number of sessions and session times
| Age | Pre Season Sessions per week |
During season Sessions per week |
Session Time |
| Under 9 | 2 | 1 | 60 minutes |
| 9-12 | 2 | 1- 2 | 75 minutes |
| 12+ | 3 | 2 | 90 minutes |
Recommended 15 week program
The following table shows the types of sessions that should be conducted for various age groups covering a 15 week period.Note for the older players 2 sessions a week is recommended. If you have a different number training weeks , then modify the table to suit, trying to ensure the same ratios of Dribbling, Passing, Shooting, Headcing etc
| Week | Ages 4-9 | Ages 9-12 | Age12+ |
| 1 | Dribbling | Dribbling |
i) Passing ii) Possession and Defending |
| 2 | Dribbling | Dribbling | i) Passing ii) Possession and Defending |
| 3 | Dribbling | Dribbling | i) Passing ii) Possession and Defending |
| 4 | Dribbling | Kicking - push pass |
i) Passing ii) Fitness Assessment |
| 5 | Kicking - push pass |
Kicking - instep |
i) Passing ii) Receiving the ball |
| 6 | Kicking - instep |
Passing | i) Passing ii) Receiving the ball |
| 7 | Passing | Passing | i) Passing ii) Receiving the ball |
| 8 | Passing | Passing | i) Passing ii)Fitness Assessment |
| 9 | Passing |
Shooting | i) Ball Control ii) Dribbling |
| 10 | Passing |
Shooting | i) Ball Control ii) Dribbling |
| 11 | Shooting |
Heading |
i) Ball Control ii) Dribbling |
| 12 | Shooting |
Ball Control | i) Mobility and Agility ii) Heading |
| 13 | Ball Control | Ball Control | i) Mobility and Agility ii) Shooting |
| 14 | Ball Control | Ball Control | i) Mobility and Agility ii) Shooting |
| 15 | Ball Control | Ball Control | i) Mobility and Agility ii) Shooting |