Shouting From The Sidelines – Details, episodes & analysis

One of the hardest things for a grassroots football manager to deal with is when a player is being left behind...and it starts to become obvious.

It is a difficult thing to communicate to parents but we offer some help and advice in this video on how to navigate it.

Often times a young footballer being left behind in terms of improving comes down to 2 things.

We discuss what they are and how best to handle each situation.

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Spend 10 mins at any junior football match and we all but guarantee you'll hear one of old cliché football phrases shouted from the sidelines.

But a lot of what is being said is of little use and, if anything, does more harm than good when it comes to the football development of children.

What are the things we should avoid?

And what should you be shouting, if shouting anything at all?

Listen now to find out.

Imagine playing professional football then having it all taken away in one moment.

Luke Lyons went from grassroots football to academy through to professional.

As as a youngster he was highly regarded at Leeds United and was part of the league-winning u18 side that had many players who have since gone onto big things in professional football.

He eventually played professional for Airdrieonians FC in the Scottish Championship after a short stint with Bradford Park Avenue.

Unfortunately, he had it cruelly taken away from him due to injury and is now coaching the next generation with his time split between coaching at Foot-Tech, Leeds United and Notre Dame College.

He sits down with us to tell his story of all the ups and downs along the way.

We discuss:

• Why junior footballers DO NOT need to be in academies at 5 years old to make it (he is proof of this)

• Why joining a grassroots team later in Primary School actually helped him

• How playing street football (even when in the academy system) massively helped his development

• What he wishes he’d have done differently when playing for Leeds United Academy

• The difference he sees with high-level grassroots footballers compared to academy kids

• How his parents helped and supported him (plus advice to current football parents) 

• What he learnt from playing against Jude Bellingham

The way he sees football going in the future and how we need to develop kids for the future game

And much much more.

This was such a great chat and there’s loads for parents to take away from it.

We hope you enjoy listening.

Easily one of the most common things parents ask us - how can I get my child to tackle? It’s a tough thing to coach in football terms. It can come down to mindset and mentality BUT the good news is there is something parents and coaches can do to help youth players. It’s a little tip that can also be applied to many other areas in football, not just tackling. Have a listen and comment with any questions.

We've learnt a lot about child development and parenting in almost a decade of running Foot-Tech.

And we've learnt so much over the last 12 months when we've been going into primary schools to deliver PE.

It's been an eye-opener to see some general changes in children which we think are a concern for them now and most certainly in the future.

Listen to find out our 2 biggest worries and what parents can do to help.

So many youth footballers are made to play in 1 position which they are then led to believe is 'their' position. Young players miss out on so much football development as a result. Playing in multiple positions helps improve players technically and tactically. Whether you're a coach or a parent listen to find out why this simple thing is so good for the individual player and the team as a whole.

A question we get asked a lot - does my child need to be in a football team? A lot of parents are worried that if they can't get their child into a team then it may hamper their development or they may feel they aren't giving their child the best opportunity to progress. This episode explains why you DO NOT need to worry so long as you're ticking a few other boxes in terms of the things you are providing them with. We look at how, in some cases, joining a team could be detrimental to their enjoyment and development. And we also discuss what to watch out for when joining a team.

In this episode we discuss why winning all the time might not be the best thing for children in football. There’s a fine line between winning as a team and improving as an individual football player.

We discuss some of the red-flags to watch out for when picking a team/coach for your player and what might actually be a better option for their development. A must-listen for sport parents.

Foot-Tech Academy is a children’s football coaching school in Leeds. 

For more about what we do visit our website - https://www.foot-techacademy.co.uk

Looking to help your child become a more confident with their football?

In this episode, we'll share four expert tips to help kids of all ages and skill levels improve their game.

Listen to understand more about some really simple, easy to do things that we've found to help children improve not just for football but their overall fundamental movement and confidence.

For any more advice just drop us a message and don't forget to subscribe to the show.

A question we get asked a lot - what separates an academy footballer from the rest?  

We've been lucky enough to watch many academy teams both in the UK and abroad.  

We've also coached players who are in or who have been progressed to a professional academy.  

Check out this episode if you're interested to know what our thoughts are on the biggest differences based on our own experiences.