GAME DAY TIPS
GAME DAY CHECKLIST
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DO YOU KNOW:
Where the game is?
Who the Ref is / have contact details?
Who are the opposition? Do you have a contact for their team (coach/club official)?
The night before, it is good to be prepared with knowledge of who is coming to the game, who is not going, what your starting lineup will be and an idea of a substitution plan to ensure all the kids get equal playing time
DO THE PARENTS KNOW:
Where the game is?
What time they need to be there?
Do you have all of their contact details?
Remind the players and parents to bring water and all the correct equipment - cleats, jerseys, shorts, socks, and shin guards!
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Make sure you arrive in good time, before the rest of the team. If you are at home, check:
✅The field and surrounding areas are safe to play (no termite mounds, debris, or unsafe rocks)
✅Is the field lined?!
✅Do you have goals with nets?
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
✅BALLS (with a bag!)
✅A PUMP
✅CONES
✅PINNIES
✅GOALS
✅FIRST AID (bandages, band-aid, water, ice/ice-pack, heat/cold spray)
✅EXTRA JERSEYS
✅TEAMSHEET & REF PAYMENT
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Assigning a captain each week can promote confidence. and develop leadership and responsibility.
The role of a captain is to lead by example and encourage teammates.
You can explain that leadership comes in different shapes and sizes. Some lead by their communication, some by the way they play with heart and commitment, others are quieter but they might lead by showing compassion and respect.
Make sure you tell the player why they deserve to be captain. Encourage the quieter ones to speak up and communicate positively and challenge them to be more assertive.
Positions
You don’t have to be a tactical mastermind or know about the nuances of positions at U10 level, but a basic understanding of team shape & principles and positions in a formation is helpful as players gain a better understanding of team-play.
US Soccer recommends 1-2-3-1 as a formation -it is balanced and also representative of the full game. 1 GK, 2 Defense, 3 Midfield, 1 Striker.
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✅Can use their hands in the goal area
✅Usually stays in the goal area in front of the goal but can use their feet outside
✅Has fun diving for the ball like a cat!
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✅Left & Right communicate & work together - as a rule of thumb they should stay around a goal-width apart
✅If one is marking the opposite striker, the other should be covering
✅Defenders are the furthest players back, but available to support the attack and keep an eye on the opposition striker
✅Joins the attack at the base of a diamond but can also dribble, pass and score!
✅Is brave and full of courage and aware of the opposition starting an attack
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ATTACKING
✅LEFT & RIGHT MIDFIELD Give the team WIDTH & SUPPORT when the team is attacking. If the ball is on one side, the opposite player should stay on their side of the field to make space if the ball switches
✅CENTRAL MIDFIELD is the engine of the team - helping out in both attacking and defense. They can support either side of the field and help transition the ball from defense to attack
✅Be brave and dribble at defenders when in space
✅Have awareness and pass the ball when a teammate is in a good position
✅The 3 in midfield can create triangles and diamond shape to make good passing options to get the ball forward to goal
DEFENSE
✅The midfield should work together to get compact, back in defense but ready to spring forward to attack when the ball transitions to attack. The LEFT & RIGHT MIDFIELD should defend and help out their side of the field
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✅Go for goal! Be a (little) greedy near the goal, be brave and confident!
✅Stay furthest up the field at the tip of the diamond
✅Is the 1st defender to try and get the ball if the opposition has it near their goal
✅Watch for offside and try and play in between the 2 opposite defenders to make it hard to mark
You can also introduce some of the principles of attacking and defending, as below!
⚽Attack: Spread out, help your teammates & go for goal!
⚽Defense: Get compact like a wall & be like a swarm of bees to get the ball back
GAME TIME!
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⚽Dynamic stretching - at U10 stretching isn’t 100% important but getting them into a habit for older age will help them.
2 x lines of equal numbers - Cones 10yds apart
slow jog - jog back
high knees - jog back
butt-kicks - jog back
skipping - jog back
side-stepping facing west - jog back
side-stepping facing east - jog back
sprints - jog back
⚽Use a simple, fun, and light soccer exercise to get the players ready for the game.
⚽Something the team is familiar with from practice, like a passing circle or a free dribble drill for 10 minutes.
⚽If shooting - Be aware of peppering the GK with 100 shots as this might not be great for confidence!
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⚽Encourage players to work on key points and skills you have practiced at training:
“We worked really hard at dribbling into space at practice - I would love to see you doing that in the game!”
⚽Give encouragement with positive values:
“Be brave when you’re going to goal!”
“Don’t give up if the other team has the ball! Keep going until you get it back!”
⚽Put them at ease if they notice anything new or unsure about, like field conditions or weather they need to be mindful of:
“You can see it’s a little wet on the field - the ball will probably move faster”
”I know it’s really hot, we have lots of players so we can give you breaks when you need one”
⚽SIMPLE TACTICS & PRINCIPLES
You can learn more about the principles here - but don’t overcomplicate. 1 or 2 pointers is good to help as children at this age start to understand more about team tactics and dynamic. Ask guided questions
“What do we do as a team if we have the ball?”
SPREAD OUT & HELP TEAMMATES in attack - “Can we get the ball wide and into space - if you have space dribble directly to goal and take lots of shots!”
“What do we do if the opposition has the ball?”
BE COMPACT and working as a UNIT in defense - “If we lose the ball, make sure we can get compact and pressure the ball as soon as possible. Work like a pack of wolves to get it back!”
⚽Tell them to HAVE FUN and that you’re PROUD of them.
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⚽GUIDE FROM ON THE SIDE - DO NOT BE A ‘JOYSTICK COACH’!
A Joystick Coach tries to control the player like in a video game!👾
Allow the players to play, and make their own choices - do not coach a player on the ball shouts of ‘PASS IT’ or ‘DRIBBLE FASTER’. If there’s a moment to coach or feedback do it at half-time or let them figure it out on their own.
Giving too much information might confuse or take them away from the fun of the game - let them play, make mistakes and learn from them.
Over-coaching will slow their development. If you’re continually telling them where to be and what to do they won’t think for themselves and learn to problem solve
⚽DO - ENCOURAGE & BE POSITIVE
Give sporadic, short, concise direction if they really need it to support their game. It will have more of an impact.
“I love that shot on goal, can we do it again?”
“Erin, don’t stop - keep trying to win the ball back!”
“I love you encouraging each other!”
⚽DO NOT CRITICIZE!
Feedback has to be constructive - ask them at half-time what they could’ve done differently and work with them.
⚽Make a note of 2-3 areas to give feedback on at half-time
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⚽DON’T PUNISH WITH SUBSTITUTIONS!
Players are learning and developing. Criticism or substitution for poor performance will only harm confidence. It is up to you as a coach to help the player develop. NEVER substitute a player that is not performing well (unless they are lacking discipline).
⚽FEEDBACK
Give short, positive, and encouraging feedback to the player who has come off. Ask them how they thing they did and anything to help their development.
If a player is a little quiet:
“I love the way you dribbled to goal - do you think you can ask for the ball if you think you’re in a good position so you get more chances to go to goal!”
EQUAL PLAYING TIME
Playing time calculator (external link)
Equal playing time and rotation are essential for development. Regardless of where a player wants to play or where they might be best suited players need to experience playing in all positions.
BE PREPARED
Have a substitute plan and be ready to go before you call for a sub.
Call the referee at a stoppage in play
Call off the player you want to bring off
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KEEP IT SHORT & ENCOURAGE - you don’t need an inspirational speech! Focus on the positives and challenge them - 3 minutes of talking should be enough
⚽Let them decompress for a couple of minutes, get a drink, and chat among themselves, before asking them to focus, sit down and listen!
⚽GUIDED QUESTIONS - Ask them how they feel the team are doing - pick a couple of players to give feedback - listen and encourage their feedback
⚽Address 1 or 2 positive areas they’ve done well as a team
“I love how we brave we are in front of goal with all our shots”
“We are working really well as a team with some fantastic passes”
⚽Give specific, positive feedback:
“Jack, I loved the way you dribbled into the space”
“Kate, I love seeing you being so positive and encouraging your teammates”
⚽Address an area they need for improvement and something they should focus on
”We need to work together when we defend, that means the midfield has to get back and help defend too!”
“Their striker scored 2 goals - how can we stop them this half?”
CHALLENGE THEM!
“I challenge you to not let the other team score this half - you will need to be compact and work together - do you think you can do it?!”
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Remember, FUN & DEVELOPMENT are the overall goal and not the scoreline. The scoreline should almost be irrelevant, though most children will know and understand if they’ve won or lost - acknowledge it but don’t make it the focus.
⚽BUILD CONFIDENCE & SUPPORT
WIN? Congratulate them and praise the positive parts of the game
LOSE? ENCOURAGE them, tell them what they did well and how they’ve developed. You don’t need to mention negatives but be mindful of how they can develop those parts of the game for practice.
⚽HIGHLIGHTS
Give praise to individual moments and standout performances. This could be a player who has worked hard for the team, or scored 3 goals or even one that made their first ever pass! It will build confidence and give the rest of the team something to aspire to.
⚽SPORTSMANSHIP
High-5 or fist-bump the opposition.
They can be happy or sad at the result and can show emotion, but ensure that it is regulated and not showing poor sportsmanship
⚽ ASK THEM:
Did they have fun?
What was the best part of the game?
What did they learn?
What is YOUR takeaway from the game? Did you learn anything about your players you can work with them on or give them confidence on?
Thank the parents, families for their help, support and encouragement and give any information on the coming week
What are they doing for the rest of the weekend?
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If a player shows violent or disrespectful behavior to you, other teammates, opposition, parents, referees or anyone, within the game, it’s completely up to you what you wish to do.
Just be mindful that you are trying to develop players positively and while you should discipline them, you need to ensure you are not embarrassing or scolding the player where this may be outside the coach’s remit.
By having expectations clearly outlined at the start of the season to players and parents that have both the club, the league and your own expectations and rules within them, you can operate within those boundaries.
3 Strikes or a warning is a good way to enforce expectations.
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As a coach of young children learning the basics of the game, both team’s player may need help in understanding how to take a throw-in, where to stand, why there is a stoppage in play. If you feel confident, help any of the players on the field - also, let the referee add some help and coaching in certain situations!
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Sportsmanship should be shown throughout the game by players, coaches and parents.
After the game, fist-bumps or hi-5s, and a sincere ‘good game!’ are the best way to show appreciation.
Remember, good sportsmanship and respect to the opposition and officials keeps them wanting to come back for more. Which is the goal.
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It’s great to score goals and win but you are trying to help all players on both teams develop.
Sometimes in the younger age-groups, there will be a sizeable developmental gap either physically or technically between players or teams.
While you shouldn’t punish your team for their success, remember, the goal is development for all, over the result. In this case, you can:
⚽Add players for the opposition
⚽At a goal-kick, get your players back to half
⚽Allow the opposition over halfway before your team can engage - this can also be good to help practice your defending.
⚽If you have noticeably physically or technically developed players, it is an option to allow them in an older age-group. This will help their development and also keep things more even for the development for the rest of the players.
This should be discussed with the parents, player and club.
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Set standards and expectations at the beginning of the season about sideline conduct. BE FIRM.
You are all in this together for the development and fun of the children, therefore you can ensure that parents are ENCOURAGING their children and nothing else.
They don’t need to coach from the sideline, that is your role.
The same values of respect, encouragement and discipline you ask of the player and parents ask of you and the club, should be mirrored by parents to the coach, referees, opposition parents and most importantly, the players.
There should be a zero tolerance on disrespect, poor sportsmanship and coaching from the sideline.
With half-time team talks, face the players away from parents so they can focus.
At the end of the game, thank them and echo what you said to the players about the game so they get feedback.
GOOD STUFF TO KNOW
Click below for more on positions, coaching in-game, team-talks and everything you need to know about the game-day