In this episode, we look into the fascinating world of the Relative Age Effect and its implications for young football players. We discuss the issues that can come for early and late developers and how parents and coaches can offer support. We explore how birthdate can influence a child's athletic development, opportunities, and potential pitfalls in the youth football world. Whether you're a seasoned football parent or new to the game, understanding this phenomenon is crucial for...

Ever wondered why some young footballers stop improving? Well, you're about to find out! In today's episode we unravel the top 4 reasons why some young footballers excel while others seem to hit a plateau. Through years of coaching experience and countless interactions with young players, we've identified key areas where attention is needed. But, have you ever asked yourself if your child is truly enjoying their football journey, or if they're in the right environment that nurtures...

As parents, we want nothing but the best for our children, especially when it comes to their interests and passions. But in the world of youth football, how do we strike the right balance between nurturing our kids' love for the game and inadvertently pressuring them to excel? In this insightful video, we delve into the delicate balance of fostering football passion in children without overwhelming them with parental expectations. Discover practical tips and strategies for creating a...

How to coach mixed-abilities - a question we get asked a lot. Coaching football is hard enough but when you need to balance different ability levels it becomes even harder! We have a lot of experience of this at Foot-Tech as we welcome all abilities and often times we have children who are late to football, which can make things even trickier. In this episode we go through some of our best tips for coaching mixed ability football training sessions. Some are obvious, some are maybe ones...

Are you a coach who still teaches dribbling, passing etc in isolation? i.e. without defenders on in a game-situation? Are you a parent who watches their child's football training sessions and sees nothing but kids dribbling around cones or passing in two's? It has long being believed that we need to teach young players 'skills', 'the fundamentals' before we can put them into a match. But there isn't any research or evidence to say this is the best way. There is, however, loads of...

Imagine playing professional football then having it all taken away in one moment. Luke Lyons went from grassroots football to academy through to professional. As as a youngster he was highly regarded at Leeds United and was part of the league-winning u18 side that had many players who have since gone onto big things in professional football. He eventually played professional for Airdrieonians FC in the Scottish Championship after a short stint with Bradford Park...

Easily one of the most common things parents ask us - how can I get my child to tackle? It’s a tough thing to coach in football terms. It can come down to mindset and mentality BUT the good news is there is something parents and coaches can do to help youth players. It’s a little tip that can also be applied to many other areas in football, not just tackling. Have a listen and comment with any questions.

We've learnt a lot about child development and parenting in almost a decade of running Foot-Tech. And we've learnt so much over the last 12 months when we've been going into primary schools to deliver PE. It's been an eye-opener to see some general changes in children which we think are a concern for them now and most certainly in the future. Listen to find out our 2 biggest worries and what parents can do to help.

So many youth footballers are made to play in 1 position which they are then led to believe is 'their' position. Young players miss out on so much football development as a result. Playing in multiple positions helps improve players technically and tactically. Whether you're a coach or a parent listen to find out why this simple thing is so good for the individual player and the team as a whole.

A question we get asked a lot - does my child need to be in a football team? A lot of parents are worried that if they can't get their child into a team then it may hamper their development or they may feel they aren't giving their child the best opportunity to progress. This episode explains why you DO NOT need to worry so long as you're ticking a few other boxes in terms of the things you are providing them with. We look at how, in some cases, joining a team could be detrimental to their...

In this episode we discuss why winning all the time might not be the best thing for children in football. There’s a fine line between winning as a team and improving as an individual football player. We discuss some of the red-flags to watch out for when picking a team/coach for your player and what might actually be a better option for their development. A must-listen for sport parents. Foot-Tech Academy is a children’s football coaching school in Leeds.  For more about what we do...

Looking to help your child become a more confident with their football? In this episode, we'll share four expert tips to help kids of all ages and skill levels improve their game. Listen to understand more about some really simple, easy to do things that we've found to help children improve not just for football but their overall fundamental movement and confidence. For any more advice just drop us a message and don't forget to subscribe to the show.

A question we get asked a lot - what separates an academy footballer from the rest?   We've been lucky enough to watch many academy teams both in the UK and abroad.   We've also coached players who are in or who have been progressed to a professional academy.   Check out this episode if you're interested to know what our thoughts are on the biggest differences based on our own experiences.

Development Centres... What are they? What should you do if your child gets asked to go to one and are they worth it?   We discuss it all in this episode of Shouting From The Sidelines.   Football Development Centres don't all have great reputations and some are just not worth yours or your child's time.   Things are hopefully improving but there are still things that parents needs to be aware of.   #If you have any questions after listening to this just drop us a message.

Do you teach them skills? What about ball mastery? These questions seem to be on the rise recently. We think it is down to parents seeing more of those ‘Insta kids’ doing all kinds of flicks & tricks on social media. They then assume that is what a good footballer looks like - most of the time they are wrong. Ball mastery has been around for 20+ years but it has only recently started to creep more into grassroots team football. For some, it is seen as revolutionary. For those in...

Mike Bates is an ex-Royal Marine and also worked undercover in human intelligence for the MoD where he was an ops leader. Since leaving he has become a successful business owner after opening Gracie Barra Roundhay Leeds, a Jiu Jitsu academy which has seen amazing growth. On top of that he is also about to start the unbelievable challenge of rowing across the Atlantic Ocean (solo) to raise funds for Leeds Children's Hospital. Perhaps his biggest challenge is being a Dad.  We sat down to...

Curtis Bernard signed as a professional footballer with Barnsley when they were in the Premier League. He went on to have a very successful career in the lower leagues and learnt a lot along the way. He is now a parent to two girls who are both involved in different sports. In this episode he shares with us how he has adapted his approach based on what he learned from his playing days and discusses some of the issues he sees with kids' sport. Curtis now runs a bootcamp business based in...

Football trials can be great experiences IF players are prepared for what to expect.   In our latest podcast episode we give our best tips for preparing for trials and how your player can get the best out of the time they have.

Listeners of the podcast will have heard us bang on about the important of exposing children to a wide variety of sports at a young age. We believe there are 3 things that can really help the overall athletic development of a child: A chosen sport A donor sport Play We discuss what all this means and the proven benefits. As always, remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review.

Did you know that Germany have just completely revamped their approach to grassroots football?   They have introduced a lot of new things including adopting a game called Funino.   Funino is a game first developed by legendary coach, Horst Wein.   The style of game helps to develop junior footballers but also ensures a lot of enjoyment.   It is something, along with Horst Wein's other teachings, that we have implemented at our sessions.   There is a change coming and we will see a return...

We never like to see our children quit. Resilience and character can be built by pushing through hard-times, but there comes a point where quitting might actually be the best option. We discuss all this in this episode of Shouting From The Sidelines plus: What to ask your child in these situations How to approach the coach in the right way Red flags to watch out for to know when the time is right to quit Enjoy and let us know your thoughts.

What do sports superstars like Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Tom Brady all have in common? You'd be right if you said they are all leaders in their chosen sports but... Did you know they all credit playing a variety of sports as a child as a reason for their high level of ability in their chosen sport? This is something we have been researching and looking into for a number of years and the info suggests that kids who are exposed to a variety of sports tend to do...

In this episode we discuss our recent experience of taking a Foot-Tech team to a tournament. We saw a few things which we feel need to be highlighted in order to give parents a a good idea on how to pick the best team for their child. We discuss: Why putting children into positions early is NOT the best thing for them longer-term How constant instructions from coaches/parents can actually damage their learning Why we need to simply let them play ...and loads more. Have a listen and...

Life is generally quite stressful.   A parents life can be even more stressful!   Now we are seeing that kids are also becoming increasingly stressed-out with with everything from school to sports.   We sat down with Sophia Taylor from Apollo Nutrition who is an expert in all things mental-health, nutrition and stress management.   She shares with us some great tips on how we can all manage stress to make our lives that little bit easier and also help our children along the way.