Playbook
The grassroots coaching playbook.
Practical guides for volunteer grassroots coaches — written from real touchlines, short enough to read before training starts.
Who this is for
Written for the coach who's planning training at 5pm because it starts at 6.30
Each guide is short enough to read in one sitting and built to be used that same week — session plans, match-day templates, the awkward parent conversation, and the admin that eats your Sundays.
Written by the people building Trac. Most of us coach, so the advice comes from real touchlines and a real season — not theory.
How to Handle a Losing Run in Grassroots Football
Six defeats on the bounce? A grassroots coach on staying calm, keeping young players confident, and what to measure when the results dry up.
Read the guideWeekly round-up: Play Safe Weekend, the clocks, and a quiet player
Play Safe Weekend 2026, the FA's Origins series, the clocks going back on 25 October, and one thing to do for a quiet player this weekend.
Read the guideHow to Pick a Captain for Your Grassroots Football Team
The armband does not win games, but done right it teaches a few kids something they keep for years. How I choose and rotate captains at U12.
Read the guideWeekly round-up: the FA's discipline report, a strategy check-in, and the clocks going back
The FA's 2025-26 behaviour and discipline report, a midpoint check on the grassroots strategy, the FA Cup fixture finder, and the clocks going back.
Read the guideThe Trac app, and the bloke behind it
Trac is now a proper app on your phone. Here's how it got made, and the software studio behind it, Headless Digital.
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How to Run a Parents' Meeting for Your Grassroots Team
A short parents' meeting before the first game saves you a season of touchline misunderstandings. Here is exactly what I cover and how I run mine.
Read the guideWeekly round-up: parents' meetings, FutureFit season two, and the dark nights coming
This week: feedback that actually sticks, surviving a parents' meeting, FutureFit's changes landing for real on the pitch, and getting ready before the clocks go back.
Read the guideHow to Build Team Spirit in a Grassroots Football Team
Turning a group of kids into a team that plays for each other, starting in the first weeks of the season. Practical, no-cost ideas from a grassroots coach.
Read the guideHow to Give Feedback to Grassroots Football Players
A grassroots coach's guide to giving young footballers feedback that sticks: say less after the game, be specific, praise effort, and leave them one thing to work on.
Read the guideHow to Organise Pre-Season Friendlies for a Grassroots Football Team
A practical, plain-spoken guide to setting up useful pre-season friendlies: how many to play, finding teams, sorting a pitch, and what to actually look for on the day.
Read the guideHow to Plan a Grassroots Football Season
A grassroots coach's plan for the whole season, written before pre-season starts: set a few goals, map the fixtures, share game time fairly and clear the admin once.
Read the guideHow to coach a grassroots football match on the day
Match day is a different job from training. How to set your grassroots football team up, say less during the game, run a calm half time and keep game time fair.
Read the guide
Who writes the playbook
Written by a coach, mid-season
Written by Adam Jackson, a grassroots manager in East Yorkshire and the coach who built Trac. Most pieces draw directly from his team's full 2025-26 BETA season on Trac, Springhead U12 Spartans. The data. The decisions. The mistakes. The promotion. Drafted on Sunday evenings after the kids are in bed.
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The playbook is free for everyone. The app is free to run a season. Pay once for premium (AI match reports + analytics).