Skills programme goes from strength to to strength

Posted by Admin User on 27/01/2012

At Footymums we're always happy to support initiatives that directly benefit kids. Consequently it's an opportune time to feature the FA Tesco Skills Programme.

Since 2007 the programme has been offering skills coaching courses to kids of all abilities aged 5-11. Sarah Green (featured on our Footymums 5) is typical of the 100+ coaches who cover the country, passing on their specialist coaching with great enthusiasm; each coach is selected for their technical proficiency and, crucially, for their ability to engage with children. Incredibly over two million kids have attended courses and by 2014 another 2.7 million places will have been filled.

Sounds good? There are four ways in which your child could get access to the programme:

1. At school - The programme exists in 1,000 primary schools where a coach will typically visit a school once a week during half of one term. This gives time for the coach to work with the kids on a number of different skills and techniques whilst allowing the teachers to receive guidance on age appropriate coaching methods.

2. At Charter Standard Clubs - County FA's identify clubs who have achieved Charter Standard status and then allocate coaches to work with the younger aged teams over a six week period. This gives the team coach the opportunity to have some help for those weekly sessions and it gives the players a different aspect to their football development.

3. FA Skills Centres - There are lots of Skills Centres open around the country. There are four types

• Open centres for boys and girls of all abilities
• Girls only centres
• Disability centres for boys and girls
• Gifted and talented centres for boys and girls who require advanced coaching

4. Free holiday sessions - These are taster sessions that are run as an introduction to the programme for boys and girls of all abilities.

The programme's success has been due to the coaching being truly child-centred and it covers mixed abilities. Not least it is always about having fun and giving children the confidence to help them maximise their potential.

If you would like more information visit thefa.com/tescoskills