Soccer Coach Weekly Issue 148

Welcome to your latest issue of SCW.

It's Easter weekend and so, here in the UK, attentions are starting to turn towards the final weeks of the season. 

At the moment, my time is taken up with cup fixtures, rescheduled league games that were rained off, planning summer camps and preparing for the 2024-25 season – yes, already!

There’s always a lot going on at the end of the season and lots of plates to keep spinning. 

It can be exhilarating but also exhausting – so, to anyone who’s at a similar point to me, make sure to keep checking in with yourself about how you’re feeling.

I’m always surprised at how quickly the season goes. And I know, come September, I’ll be reflecting on how quickly the break went. As always, it’s all about the planning.

One thing that requires a fair bit of forethought is youth teams moving up through the game formats.

So, if your team is stepping into seven-a-side or nine-a-side next season, now is the time to start planning for it.

This week, our consultant coach Carl Wild has written a terrific guide to preparing for the move from four- or five-a-side to seven-a-side, which you can find on pages 3-5, along with two practices to help players with the transition.

If your team is moving from sevens to nines, or nines to 11s, Carl has previously written guides on those, too! Make sure to check them out. 

And elsewhere in this issue, Robert Fleming is back with a session looking at how to get your wingers scoring more goals.