New to 11 a-side

This plan is designed for coaches of social teams in Grades 11 – 13. This plan focuses on what is new to coaching the 11 a-side game.

Player Development

Try to focus on the fun side of the game and the development of the players, winning is an important objective for any side (in fact FIFA requires you to play to win); however player development is more important at this level.

It’s important for players to master a position, but avoid having someone stuck in the same position all year. Their skills and interest will benefit in playing several different positions in a season and it will give other players a chance to experience their position.

Session planning

If you prepare/plan your training session it will run a lot smoother. Session planning is a quick thing that you can do to make the training session run smoother for the players and the coach.

A good session plan will have an objective and a time schedule. This means that all the activity in the session is planned to fulfil a purpose. Having a rough timeline for the practice will ensure that it flows quickly and the players do not get bored. Planning the layout and resource requirements makes each phase of the training session flow to the next.

A typical layout for your social teams in grades 11-13 would be:

Objective:
Resources:
5 minutes    Warm up game
5 minutes    Technique/Skill
15 minutes    Technique focussed Game #1 with progressions
15 minutes    Technique focussed Game #2 with progressions
20 minutes    Game
5 minutes     Warm down game
Details for Saturday:

This plan can be jotted down on a small card or piece of folded paper and kept in your pocket for your reference during the session.

It’s a good idea to plan the resources and layout. Get to the field before the players and layout the cones ahead of time. This will make your practice flow with fewer stoppages for setup.

Here are some tips and techniques from Pro-performance coaching for Organisation:

•    Have areas marked out ready upon player’s arrival. This ensures slick session with fewer stoppages. The more ‘Stop-Time’ the lower attention spans will go.
•    When marking area & exercises take pride and make lines straight. An easy way is to walk backwards to check your line. Make sure areas stand out & add your own touches i.e. Meeting Square, flat cones on tall cones, balls in stacks and bibs laid flat.
•    Have with you during each session a ‘cue card’ in pocket. On this card you can write down exercises and teaching points. Keep referring back to the card to stay refreshed.
•    Look like a coach. It is important to distinguish yourself as the coach. Players at this age look up to you and will copy many things you do. Wear Shorts & Long Socks with a T-Shirt, or if not training pants. Set your own standards.

Principles of play

The some key principles of play for your games and sessions are:

The principles of play for attacking are:

•    Support – Key to possession, give the player on the ball options- 360 degrees
•    Dispersal – Spread out to make space to make passing easier for your team and defending much harder.
•    Penetration – Get the ball down the pitch with purposeful passing and when possible behind their backs into good goal scoring or crossing positions.
•    Mobility/Movement – Get your players to run into space to receive the ball or move defenders to create space for others
•    Surprise – Use deception to disguise the attacking intention – eg. Push a back forward
•    Position – In the defensive third get the ball wide into safer areas. In the middle third get the ball down the pitch and in the attacking third get it into a good scoring position ie. in the 18 yard box.


The principles of play for defending are:

•    Delay – Reduce the time, space and attacking options available to opponents, early in the opponent’s attacks to allow your defence to concentrate and make play predictable.
•    Depth – Keep the midfield defending the ball and make sure the distance back to the backs is not too great as this allows space behind the midfield. If the opponents pass the ball beyond the midfield a defender should be able to get there first.
•    Concentration – Concentrate your defenders in positions to defend between the ball and the goal; and block passing lanes into the danger positions where the opposition can score. Try not to defend players who are not immediately in play and have the defence drift to cover them while the ball is travelling to them.
•    Balance – Mark the space in-front of danger areas – cover the space and not players – Keep the outside backs on or outside the goal post on their side of the pitch.
•    Control/Restraint – Understand role/priorities when defending as a team – don’t dive in and be beaten – assess the risks
•    Make play predictable – E.g. when defending in your defensive third get them to shadow players (and therefore push the ball) in to wide positions, these are harder to cross from.
4-4-2

It really doesn’t matter what system you choose to have your team play, but we would like all players to have an appreciation for one system namely 4-4-2. In particular we would like you to start the season with 4-4-2.

In this system there are four backs, four mid fielders and two forwards. The two outside backs are normally slightly advanced of the two centre backs. This shape forms a smile shape. In front of them are the four mid fielders and advanced of them are two forwards.

Don’t be two defensive. It’s good to have the whole team pushed up on attack and all players should have some defensive role when defending.


Game day

There are a number of key things to remember for game day:

•    Start and finish on time
•    Make sure you have the field set-up for home games
•    Know who’s refereeing
•    Prioritise player development
•    Establish a good routine
•    Give the captain responsibilities
•    Encourage fair play
•    Avoid confrontations
•    Keep track with a game card
•    Communicate effectively
•    Make sure you phone in your results

Start on-time/Finish on-time

All games must start on time. A delay to your game can not delay the games after you. Your game has to be finished at the scheduled time – no exceptions. To this end:

Make sure:

•    If you need to set-up nets you have time, helpers, nets and corner posts.

•    Your team arrives in sufficient time to be warmed-up and ready for the game. Normally 25 minutes before the game.

•    If your game is running late do post game handshakes and team talks off the pitch so the next game can start on time.

Nets

All Soccer games require corner flags and should have nets. It is imperative to put nets up if asked to as it is a courtesy to your opposition and the teams playing after you.

The first 11-aside youth team to play on a home pitch must puts nets up. Then the last Western Springs Team to play on that pitch must take the nets down (this is often a senior team). To this end a nets roster is sent to managers and coaches early on Friday evenings. For teams playing at home you must check this roster. Sometime you may be asked to both put up and take down nets.

All nets, pegs, and corner flags are kept in the gear room at the Seddon Fields club rooms. The nets are kept in bins. Please take care when picking up nets for your home games. Each bin is labelled with a field and number. Please take the right bin for your field.

If the bin is not in the gear room then it is probably already at your field. Do not take someone else's bin. Also be careful to check that the bin has two nets in it.

Last year from time to time we were short of nets because some teams had taken two sets of nets to a field. Please take care as this will impact on other teams.

Who can referee the game

If Soccer2 has assigned a referee to your game then they will referee your game. Otherwise a Club Based Referee will referee the whole of the game. They must have a CBR shirt and a current registration card. If they don’t then they are not a CBR. The home team’s CBR has priority, but if the home team doesn’t have a CBR then the away team’s CBR will referee the whole of the game. If neither team has a CBR then each team will referee one half of the game. Traditionally the home team referees the second half.

Rotate your players

Give every player equal playing time and allow them to try more than one position. Your objectives are –Safety, Fair Play, Player Development, Team, Winning, Respect and Fun. Equal playing time is key to Team, Player Development and Fun.

Establish a good routine

It’s a great idea to have a routine for game day. This helps every one to understand how the team prepares, plays and finishes up on game day.

•    Pre-game

Ensure everyone arrives at the appropriate time. For home games have parents help put up the nets and corner flags.

Players need to be warmed up and given positions and a team talk. Do this away from the distraction of parents and goal mouths. It’s good to have the coach discuss the game with the team and then walk away and let the captain say a couple of words at the end. It could be as simple as “Let’s give this game everything”.

•    Half Time

Structure your half time talk. If you co-coach don’t both talk about the same things maybe have one coach watch the defenders and the other watch the midfield and forwards. Then each coach discusses the area they have concentrated on. Again if possible walk away at the end and let the captain have the last word.

•    Post-game

Ensure that your team lines-up and shakes the other team’s hands and thanks the referee. Good sportsmanship should be encouraged. Warm down as a team. Have the team go for a light run and do some dynamic stretches. Then have a post game debrief and discuss objectives for upcoming practices and games. Bring the parents in and discuss the game and give out the player of the day award.

Give the captain responsibilities

It’s important to slowly develop your on field captain. Don’t overburden them to begin with; start with helping with the pre-game talk and perhaps giving encouragement to players that need it. Slowly expand their role to ensuring their team mates have good positive communication and on field decision making.

Keep track with a game card

During the game a lot may happen it’s good to be able to remember key events for the half time talk, the post game talk and your post-game analysis. It’s great to be specific when giving encouragement to players.

Keep a small blank card in your pocket with a pen and jot things down as they happen.

Communicate effectively

While the game is being played avoid commentating, give encouragement and make small positional adjustments. Save your thoughts on the wider game to halftime and fulltime when the players can pay better attention. Be specific and positive with your feedback.

Fair play

Encourage fair play. Don’t allow your players to deliberately or consistently infringe on the rules of our beautiful game. Everyone should respect the referee and their decisions. Encourage your team and their supporters to respect the competition and their supporters.

Avoid confrontations

Game day is normally the wrong time to have confrontations with players, supporters, competitors or officials. If you can delay any negative discussions to a later time the conservation will normally be less heated and better resolved. If anyone approaches you with an issue, acknowledge their concern and suggest that you meet at another time to discuss it. Generally difficult issues are best addressed face to face.

Complaints

If you have a genuine complaint about another party, the club has a complaints policy published on our website. You must follow it. There is a protocol that all clubs must follow with the Soccer2 federation.

Phone in results

You must phone your results in to Joanne Powell on Saturday. The club has to submit the results to Soccer2 on Monday so that they can update their website in a timely fashion. Soccer2 will fine our club if we don’t send in results on time.

Please phone your results on 09 480 0929. Normally you will be leaving a message on an answering machine. Remember to give the Grade, Division, your team name, who you played and the field as well as the score and who won.

Rules for 11 a-side

For coaches a session will be included on the rules and how to convey them to players. In addition it is desirable to have a parent/supporter be trained as a club based referee. The club will fund this course. It is best for the coach not to referee the game.

Mentor program

For coaches new to coaching 11 a-side football the club is preparing a mentor program. If you would like to be assigned a mentor to help with questions etc. contact the Junior Club Captain.