Kids 9: Fun

Footy should be fun. Must be fun. Just because it’s hard, doesn’t mean it can’t be. Have your humour!

To be a footballer you have to be a competitive beast. Many of my drills, even the running and skill drills, involved competing. So, when we had fun nights during the year all the drills would be competitive.

Pick two teams, give every player a Cheesel. If your Cheesel gets broken you’re out!

Have rewards ready. Local milk bar vouchers, sports drinks, whatever your moral compass decides. Divide the teams into groups of four. Best speckie wins! Watch and laugh as they lob it up to each other, and plan it out and leap and fall and stuff around.

Goal kicking – Most spectacular wins. Group decision.

Here’s a beauty. Give the first five players balls, put them only 30 out from goal, say, “Right, spin ten times fast, then kick off one step!” Most will fall down or totally miss the ball. Great for a laugh! Then the next five. Those that actually got a goal (only one or two, usually to much cheers) don’t have to run a lap with the rest. Work and reward.

Football baseball. Set a diamond, three bases and home. Player steps up and kicks. Standard baseball rules apply. Caught, out. Run to bases.

Another good one is word the girls up in advance, tell the boys, “You’ve had your fun, we’re going to finish with a bloody hard run. Get your sneakers on.” Then only take them as far as the netball courts for a girls/versus boys netball game.

Oh.

And at the end of the year, let them have their revenge. Make sure you’re standing somewhere near the mud when the last training night is done.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. You would get a walk up start at Punt Road with that program Matt.

    And no, I’m not joking. It’s not a laughing matter.

  2. Ahhhh, Richmond…

  3. Oh, and once or twice a year tell the kids they each have to bring a joke to training to tell in warm-ups, or they will do laps! sets the tone. laughter from the start.

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