Enjoyment has to be the No 1 priority

ONE of my most vivid memories from playing youth football actually relates back to a coach who was doing sessions for kids at Center Parcs. He challenged me to try and do 100 keepy-ups. It took me a few attempts, obviously, but eventually I started to get there and get close to it. Then he told me to try and do it whilst keeping the ball strictly below knee height. That was a game-changer, as it then became all about technique and control off both feet. You had to be able to keep the ball on a string basically and it was all about close control. It drove me mad for a while until I was finally able to do it. But it certainly captured my imagination, which is what it’s all about as a youngster. A sense of enjoyment is by far and away the most important aspect of youth football. You have to allow kids the freedom to express themselves and enjoy the game. It’s not so much participation levels and getting them in the door for the first time that’s the issue. It’s making sure that they want to come back for more. That’s the key ingredient which I hope is taken into account as we come out of lockdown and grassroots sport returns. More than ever, it will be so important for kids just to enjoy the game once again. It’s not a time for coaches or parents to be screaming from the sidelines. I always felt the benefit of being challenged as a kid. Not in the sense of a coach barking at me from the touchline. But in other, more creative ways. Like the coach at Center Parcs. Having the ability to capture a young kid’s imagination is one of the best attributes any youth coach can have. It’s something which I hope is at the forefront of all youth football when we come out of this pandemic.