The aim of the Football for Schools sessions is to develop the player and the person. The sessions deliver quality football activities aimed at developing football skills and life-skills, including health, social and emotional skills. Both the football and the life-skills are of equal importance and time should be allocated in sessions to both of these components.
Each Football for Schools session has been structured to include five elements which take a total of one hour to complete. Where coach-educators have less time than an hour to deliver their sessions, the elements of the session can be spread over two different sessions depending on the time available.
All Football for Schools sessions comprise five elements:
- Opening Circle – coach-educator gathers players in a circle (standing), introduces the session, explains the intended football and life-skill outcomes, asks players to reflect briefly on the life-skill.
- Warm-Up – coach-educator facilitates a football activity to mobilise the players.
- Skill Development – coach-educator delivers practice that enables each player to work on the selected football skill.
- Game Application – coach-educator sets up a football game that allows the players to practice the selected skill in a game situation.
- Closing circle – coach-educator gathers players around in a circle (sitting), asks them to feedback on the practice, then to reflect on the life-skill and make connections to life outside of football.
