Welcome to the PFA Coaching Department. Here we intend to help you improve your own and your team's technique, game appreciation and general understanding of the principles of football.

This section is intended to help develop young footballers and their coaches. Over the months ahead we will develop a systematic and comprehensive approach to coaching as well as giving young players the tools to hopefully develop into better footballers.

Use the navigation bar on the right to select your coaching tips, or choose one from the most recent, listed below...

The Latest Coaching tips are:

Bullet Creating Space 8

Bullet Creating Space 7

Bullet Creating Space 6

Bullet Creating Space 5

Bullet Creating Space 4

Creating Space 3

Creating Space 1 and 2

Free Kicks Defending (4) – The Wall (b)

Free Kicks Defending (4) – The Wall (a)

Free Kicks (Long) Defending 3

Free Kicks (Long) Defending 2

Free Kicks (Long) Defending

Set Plays at a Throw-In (attacking) (4)

Set Plays at a Throw-In (attacking) (3)

Set Plays at Throw-In (attacking) (2)

Set Plays at a Throw-in (attacking)

The Long Throw (attacking)

The Long Throw (attacking) With Supporting Players

The Long-Throw (defending)

Defending at the throw in (3)

Defending at the throw in (2)

Defending at the throw in

The throw in (3)

The throw in (2)

CONTROL
SHOOTING
PASSING
DRIBBLING
TURNING
HEADING
CREATE SPACE
INDIVIDUAL DEFENDING
SUPPORT PLAY
GOALKEEPING
CROSSING
TACKLING
THE THROW IN
ATTACKING SET PLAYS
DEFENDING SET PLAYS
THE FREE KICK
Primarily coaches should try and develop good habits among the players. Here are a few starting points:-
All sessions should be well prepared beforehand, and that all equipment is in place before the players arrive.
Coaches should insist on good timekeeping from the players. There is nothing worse than everyone waiting for one latecomer.`
Whenever possible practice on good surfaces, whether it is grass, all weather or even hard core.
Expect and demand the highest possible standards when the coaching sessions begin. To get this ensure that everyone involved has the right attitude towards the practice.
Give good demonstrations, this will save a long preamble of words, remember the players learn much quicker through their visual sense.
Practice is vital to success. Players need to prove they can re-produce technical skills, learned in practices, into match situations. Furthermore players need to accept that they need to work at their game if they hope to improve. Every session should have a least 15 minutes of technical practice.
Young players need to work with the ball all the time, so that control of it becomes second nature. The more touches the better for the players to retain their interest.
Coaches should try and assess the players both in practice and in their teams; especially the young, who should all have a development programme.
Parents can help by assisting the discipline, attendance and punctuality of their offspring.
Group sizes are important for training exercises. Ideally it should be no more than 15 players per coach.
All techniques should be worked on – not only those with which players are comfortable. Coaches will appreciate that players of the same age group generally follow a pattern, and so particular weaknesses can be worked on within the squad.
For example under 7's will have a tendency to chase around in a pack following the ball, and so teaching positional sense will be an item in itself with this young group.
Finally remember nothing comes easy, success has to be worked for no matter how much natural talent is available.