Sports Business Management graduate and experienced football coach, helping young players of all abilities develop skills

My approach to teaching football would be to create enjoyable, supportive and structured sessions that are adapted to each player's age, ability and individual goals. From my previous experience coaching children aged 5–13, I have learned that every player develops differently. Some players may need more time to understand a skill, while others may be ready for more challenging activities. Because of this, I would first try to understand the player's current ability, what they enjoy about football and what they would most like to improve. At the beginning of working with a new player, I would spend time getting to know them and assessing their current level. This would not be treated like a formal test, as I would want the player to feel comfortable and enjoy the session. Instead, I would use simple football activities to understand areas such as their first touch, passing, dribbling, shooting, movement and confidence on the ball. I could then use what I observe to plan future sessions around the areas that would benefit them most. I would make sure each session has a clear purpose. For example, if the main focus was dribbling, I would begin with a warm-up involving the ball before introducing simple dribbling exercises. I would demonstrate the technique, explain the important points clearly and then give the player plenty of opportunities to practise. Once they became more comfortable, I would gradually make the activity more challenging by adding movement, changing direction, increasing the speed or introducing pressure from a defender. I believe demonstrating skills is particularly important when working with younger players. Rather than giving long explanations, I would keep my instructions simple, show the player what I want them to do and then allow them to practise it themselves. While they are practising, I would observe them and provide clear feedback. I would explain what they are doing well as well as what they could improve, rather than focusing only on mistakes. I would also make sessions enjoyable. From my previous coaching experience, I have found that children are more engaged when activities are fun and varied. I would therefore use different drills, challenges and small games rather than making a player repeat the same activity for the entire session. However, there would still be a clear footballing purpose behind each activity so that