Elsewhere In Football #18
“Why do we ask that coaches don’t coach during games at grassroots level?”
It’s a question that often raises eyebrows.
But the answer becomes obvious when you watch two young players standing in a game looking bored, unengaged, and disconnected from what’s happening around them.
⚽ This isn’t a talent issue.
⚽ It’s not a motivation issue.
⚽ It’s an environment issue.
Far too often, children at these ages are flooded with nonstop instructions — every pass, every movement, every decision dictated for them. Coaches talk so much that players stop thinking altogether.
At the youngest ages, football should be exploration, not execution.
Children need space to:
⚽ Discover the game for themselves
⚽ Make their own decisions
⚽ Learn through trial, error, and play
⚽ Develop game understanding at their own pace
When we over-coach, we remove the very thing that makes grassroots football special: freedom.
The best youth environments aren’t the loudest — they’re the ones where the game teaches, players experiment, and coaches guide only when needed.
If you truly want to develop confident, creative, independent players…
🎯 Don’t over-coach your kids.
Let them play. Let them think. Let them grow.
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