It was a fun day with plenty of learning and actions to take away. Although the sessions were focused on specific areas, all of the drills relate or can be adapted to suit any players.

The event covered 4 key areas: Social Inclusion, Disability, Women and Girls and Health and Wellbeing. The key learnings for each are below.

Social inclusion:

Simplicity is key to be accessible for all
It’s helpful to have 2-3 adaptations of your drill/session in mind beforehand to help you adapt
Give clear instructions and only say what you want them to do (not what you don’t want them to do - some players may only take in elements of what was said)

One of the drills included a two touch keepy uppy with 2 to 3 players. This can be adapted to allow players a bounce to make it easier or to finish with a header as the second touch to make it harder. This can also be played along the ground to lessen the intensity.

Another drill included a 4 v 4 match that encouraged shooting with another team of 4 behind each goal. Each of these teams were ready to come on to the pitch to replace the conceding team once the goal was scored. This drill’s main focus was to help with the quick transition of attack to defence.

‘Phonebox’ with 4 players 1 ball 8 cones was also popular.

You need 8 cones in 4 gates opposite each other to form a rectangle. 3 players guard the 4 gates, so must move and plan and communicate to share the defence. 1 player is inside the ‘phone box’ and must control the ball and dribble out of an open gate when left unguarded. If they exit the phonebox with the ball under control, a defender swaps in. This promotes close quarters ball control, defender planning communication and shared defence.

Additional tip:
Scan 3 times before receiving the ball:

First scan when you think you’ll receive the ball;
Second scan when you know you’ll receive the call, and;
Third scan as you’re receiving the ball.

Disability:
You may not know that someone has a disability

Adapt your sessions to enable everyone to participate
Create safety zones with cones for those that are less confident or able to have additional time on the ball.

When creating safety zones ensure they’re for everyone, not just for specific players, and one player at a time.

The zones can be renamed to promote inclusion i.e. call them Challenge Zones or Tactics Zones so that they are not looked down on or stigmatised. More confident players will often use them at first making it ‘ok’ for less confident players to feel comfortable using them.

You can make your own rules for them too to adapt to your players and/or their development. For example:

No tackling within the safety zones, or;
Shooting or crossing from within a safety zone, or;
Give midfielders more time to pick out a pass.

A key point is to watch the behaviour of your players to ensure they’re taking part. If anyone is excluding themselves or acting in what could be construed a disruptive way:

Speak with them to without others in earshot but not away from the group

Listen

Suggest ways to help which could include:

playing on the opposite team, without announcing it;
using safety zones as above, or;
changing position.

Additional tip:
A drill that helped explain the physical effort required for some disabled players was to have a ball on top of a cone with 1 player opposite another player each being 1 step back from the cone. The coach then calls out a command at a time for the players to touch either their head, shoulders, knees, toes and ball. When ‘ball’ is called, the first player to grab the ball wins. However, to experience the effort required for a disabled player, the players must stand on one leg or stand on one leg and use only one arm. This highlights the strength and balance that disabled players possess.

Women and girls:
Use The FA 4 Corners Model to plan and review sessions. These are:

social;
physical;
psychological, and;
technical/tactical.

A strong focus on the Social and Psychological has seen that the Physical and Technical will follow and relate to success in the first 2 areas.

Break sessions into 5-6 minute blocks:

First block is for the players to just play and you watch and assess if the session is working;
The second is to coach (if needed);
Third is to speak to individuals as they play, and;
The fourth is to let them continue taking on what you have coached them.

Build confidence and reward creativity.

It has been observed that women and girls tend to want to know why something is being done in training - they have a perspective that is more future oriented. So it’s important to take the time to explain why a drill is happening and what is the desired outcome.

It’s possible that girls and boys may bring things into the team from outside football. For example a friendship fallout from school where both girls/boys play in the same team. If this happens ensure you speak to the players directly involved to stop it fracturing the team. Also have an arrival activity to start as soon as they arrive to avoid the chance to chat/gossip to get players on ‘their’ side. In some circumstances, it may require a whole team conversation so everyone knows it’s being addressed and shouldn’t be brought into the team.

Additional tip:
Use a magnetic white board to help explain drills, positioning, tactics etc. It’s quicker and makes things visual - this makes it easier for everyone to understand.

Health and wellbeing:
It’s important to privately ask if anything has changed with their health since the last session (this can be done as players arrive) - for players who have informed you of a health condition or are returning from injury
Adaptation is key to allow all in your team to be able to participate
Plan to have breaks and have seating available
One such adaptation, which was a drill on the day, is walking football. It levels the playing field and allows everyone to take part.

It also focuses on passing, first touch, movement and positioning. Especially if there’s a quick transition breaking the defensive line.

You can also have 1.5 hour sessions with the last half hour available for those who want to socialise. For those with ongoing health conditions it’s possible that coaching sessions are their only occasion to meet others so planning for and allowing extended time for social interaction can be very valuable.

Additional tip:
Allow the players to get involved and contribute ideas to the training sessions. It will give them more ownership and they’ll practise communication.

Another addition tip:
Don’t be afraid to create uneven numbered teams. This keeps players alert and comfortable with playing in potentially or perceived unfair situations. You can help promote the ability to concentrate on the game, not get distracted by unexpected complications and step up to challenging situations.