Grassroots is properly back now. Six or seven weeks into the season for most leagues round here, and the pitches are muddy enough that you can tell who forgot their spare socks.
Two things from tracbac this week, then a few from outside it worth ten minutes of your Sunday.
What went up this week
Wednesday's piece was on giving feedback to players. The short version: specific beats vague every time. "Good tracking back, Jayden" lands better than "well played" because the kid actually knows what to repeat next week. Worth five minutes if you coach under-9s and above, and it ties straight into why players quit grassroots football in the first place: most of it comes down to feeling unseen, not the football itself.
Thursday we ran how to build team spirit, and later today a piece on running a parents' meeting goes live, because half the clubs I talk to are dreading theirs. Book a room, set an agenda in advance, and do not let it turn into a ninety-minute complaints session about pitch allocations. Send the agenda round 48 hours before so people arrive knowing what's actually up for discussion.
FutureFit is actually happening now
The FA's FutureFit changes landed properly for 2026/27 this season, off the slide deck and onto the pitch. U7s are on 3v3 this season, and there's a heading-in-training restriction for U12s that a fair few coaches I've spoken to hadn't clocked until a parent asked about it at training. If your club hasn't updated its format sheet for the age group you coach, check it against England Football's own FutureFit page before your next fixture. Some leagues have referees enforcing the new formats already, and it's an awkward conversation to have pitchside.
Dark nights are coming
Clocks go back on 25 October, which is closer than it feels. If your training slot runs past 5pm, this is the week to sort floodlights, hi-vis bibs, or moving the session earlier, rather than discovering the problem on the first pitch-black Tuesday. Two clubs have emailed me about exactly this in the last fortnight, so you're not the only one who's left it late. Clip-on bike lights on the cone bags work better than you'd expect if proper floodlights aren't on the cards for your club this year.
One from the inbox
A coach asked me this week whether it's worth entering a mid-season tournament if half the squad will be missing for half-term. Short answer: yes, but tell the organiser in advance and ask if they will let you play a settled seven rather than dragging in unfamiliar parents' kids to make up numbers. Most local organisers would rather have an honest heads-up than a no-show on the day, and it keeps you in their good books for next season's draw.
What's coming next
Half-term itself falls in the last week of October for most of the country, so expect a short lull in fixtures either side of it. If you're planning a half-term training block to keep the squad ticking over, now's the week to email parents about it rather than the week before.
That's the lot for this week. If there's something you want covered here, or you want a hand with anything on the site, drop me a line through contact.