Stepping In: Beginner Coaching Tips for Parents Who Help Out
Football Made Simple for Every Family
“Does anyone fancy giving us a hand?”
It usually happens at the start of a training session. The coach looks round the group of parents on the grass, says something like “I'm a bit short on helpers today,” and every adult in the vicinity becomes very interested in their phone.
If you've ever been that parent, this one's for you. And if you've ever been the one who said “go on then,” and then spent the next ten minutes quietly panicking, it's definitely for you. You don't need to know anything about football to help a group of children have a good hour. You just need a bit of structure, a loud-enough voice, and a willingness to look slightly daft.
First, the sensible bit
Before any activities, one thing that's worth knowing, because nobody tells you until you've already said yes. Football takes looking after children seriously and that includes the adults who help.
Some county FAs say it's fine for a club to have a couple of parent helpers it can call on now and again. But once you're helping regularly, the expectation is that you're registered with the club, with an FA-accepted DBS check and the FA's safeguarding course (and, in many cases, a first aid course too). It can vary a little from club to club and county to county, so the simplest thing is to ask your club's Welfare Officer. They'll know exactly what's needed, and they'll usually be delighted to be asked.
It may sound like admin, but it's part of what makes a club somewhere you're happy to leave your child. Having done it, you'll feel more like you belong there too.
What you're actually there to do
Most of what a helper does has very little to do with football knowledge. You're there to make sure the children know what they're doing, are safe while they do it, and are enjoying themselves. If you can manage those three things, you've done a good job, whatever the session looked like.
A few habits help more than any activity. Get down to their level when you're explaining something. Keep instructions short, because a child who's holding a ball has stopped listening after about two sentences. Show it rather than describe it, because most of the time you can demonstrate in the time it takes to explain. And use their names. A child who hears their name feels more included.
Setting up without overthinking it
Arrive a few minutes early and get the cones down before the children arrive. A few small grids, or a couple of simple areas marked out, are plenty. Children standing around waiting for the adults to finish setting up is where a lot of wobbly sessions begin.
Small groups work far better than one big one, because everybody gets more touches on the ball and nobody can hide at the back. If you can, aim for every child to have a ball of their own for the first part of the session. And if you're ever in doubt about what to do next, give them a game. Children learn a huge amount just by playing.
A warm-up that needs no explaining
Something simple and active, with a ball, that starts the moment they arrive. Dribbling around a marked area while you call out changes, like “stop,” “turn,” or “use your weaker foot,” works for almost any age. A few toe taps and some light jogging do the rest. The point is to get them moving and warm, not to teach them anything yet.
Five things you can run with no experience
None of these needs more than a few cones and some balls. Swap them round, shorten them or lengthen them depending on how the children are getting on.
Dribble and turn. Children dribble to a cone, turn with the ball, and dribble back. Simple, and it covers close control without them realising it.
Passing gates. Pairs pass the ball through small gates made from two cones and score a point each time it goes through. It makes accurate passing feel like a game and the competition tends to take care of itself.
1v1 challenges. One attacker, one defender, a small goal each. Keep the pitch tiny, so there's plenty of action, and swap roles often so everyone gets a go at both.
Shooting. The classic that gets everybody excited. Try to avoid long queues, because a line of children waiting for a turn gets restless quickly. Two or three smaller groups, each with its own goal, means far more shots and far less standing about.
Mini-matches. Small teams on a small pitch, finishing the session with a game. It's what they've really come for and it gives you a chance to catch your breath and watch.
A rough shape for a session, if it helps: warm-up first, then a couple of skills activities, then a game at the end. Younger children get restless faster, so change the activity every ten minutes or so rather than letting any one thing drag on.
When it goes a bit wobbly
At some point, a child will wander off, two will start squabbling about whose ball it is, and someone will announce they need the toilet right at the moment you've got everyone organised. It happens to every coach, including the experienced ones.
A few simple rules, set at the start, take care of most of it: listen when someone's talking, look after each other and have fun. Praise the behaviour you want to see, because it works far better than pointing out the behaviour you don't. Giving children a job, like carrying the cones or being the team captain for a game, can turn the most restless one around. And if the session really is falling apart, switch to a game. Almost nothing can't be rescued with a quick game.
If you catch the bug
Plenty of parents say yes to one session and end up staying. If you find you enjoy it, there are some easy places to start. England Football's Playmaker course is completely free, all online and designed for volunteers with no previous football experience. If you want to go a step further, the Introduction to Coaching Football course is the next rung up. At the time of writing it costs around £100, with some partly funded places that bring the price down a lot, and the safeguarding and first aid courses come first. Prices and availability change, so check England Football Learning's website for the latest.
None of that's a requirement for helping out. It's just there if you want it.
You were always going to be fine
Children remember very little about the activities they did in the garden or on a Saturday morning. What they remember is that someone was there and that it was fun. If you give them that, you've coached them well, whatever happened on the cones.
You're part of The Football Parent Network, and next time the coach looks round for a hand, you might just be the one who says yes.
