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.
Grassroots football shooting drills that actually stick
Ditch the shooting queue. The high-volume, match-realistic finishing drills I run with my U12s, and the coaching points that matter more than a perfect strike.
Read the guideGrassroots football passing drills that actually stick
The passing drills I run with my U12s: high reps, a defender to beat, gates to hit, and a game that rewards keeping the ball, so training passing shows up on matchday.
Read the guideA grassroots football warm-up that actually works
The 15-minute warm-up I run with my U12s: a ball each, a quick game, real movement prep, and a finish that flows straight into the session.
Read the guideA Pre-Season Training Plan for a Grassroots Football Team
A realistic four week pre-season plan for a grassroots youth team, built around the six sessions you actually get rather than the eight you planned for.
Read the guideGrassroots Football Formations by Age: 5v5, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11
How I set up each grassroots football format, from 3v3 up to eleven a side, and the coaching habits that matter more than any formation.
Read the guideWhy Kids Quit Grassroots Football, and How to Keep Your Squad Together
Most kids who quit grassroots football do not leave because they stopped loving the game. Here is why they really go, and what a coach can do to keep them.
Read the guideGrassroots Football Club Roles: Who Does What and How to Fill Them
A grassroots team runs on a handful of volunteers, not just the coach. Here are the roles that keep a team going, who does what, and how to fill them before the season.
Read the guideHow to Register Your Grassroots Football Team With the FA
Getting a new team into a league means affiliating with your county FA and registering your players. Here is how the process works, in plain terms, before the season starts.
Read the guideData Protection for Grassroots Football Clubs: A Plain Guide
You hold names, phone numbers, dates of birth and medical notes for a squad of kids. Here is how to handle all that responsibly without turning it into a paperwork nightmare.
Read the guideGrassroots Football Kit: A Pre-Season Ordering Guide
Ordering kit is one of those pre-season jobs that sneaks up on you. Here is how to get sizes, numbers, lead times and budget sorted before the first game.
Read the guideGrassroots Football Age Groups and Formats Explained (2026/27)
How many players per side at each age, from the new 3v3 for under 7s up to full 11v11. A plain guide to the youth formats for the 2026/27 season and what the FA's FutureFit changes mean for your team.
Read the guideHow to Become a Grassroots Football Coach
You do not need to have played, and you do not need a badge on day one. The honest route into grassroots coaching, from your first session to a proper qualification.
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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