​Touchline View: Why enjoyment is important in youth football

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One of the biggest lessons in youth football is simple. Young players need to enjoy the game before they can excel in it.

I know that sounds obvious, but all too often football becomes very serious too soon. Results, selection, pressure and expectation creep in early. When that happens, the game becomes less enjoyable, less exciting, and development suffers.

If a young player enjoys what they are doing, they bounce into training with energy, curiosity and a willingness to learn. They engage more, take more from each session, and are more likely to keep coming back. Enjoyment is the foundation that improvement is built on.

That does not mean football should be easy. Young players need to be challenged, they need structure and standards. They need good coaching, to be pushed in the right way, and they need to learn how to compete. But enjoyment has to come first. Without it, everything else becomes harder and kids will drift from the game.

One of the best ways to help young players enjoy football and improve at the same time is to make them think for themselves. As coaches, it is tempting to give players all the answers. They are told where to stand, where to run, when to pass, what they should have done, and how to solve every other problem they face on the pitch. If we do all the thinking for them, we take away an important part of learning.

Young players need opportunities and time to work things out. They need to explore, make mistakes, try again and find solutions. That is how confidence grows, and real understanding develops.

Before reading any further, take thirty seconds to think about the answer to this question. What is the largest state in the United States? You might already know the answer, that’s fine if you do.

Taking time to think of the answer is important. Once your brain starts searching, learning becomes proactive. Research shows that when we have to think about an answer, we are more likely to remember it later than if we were simply told what it was. The answer is Alaska.

That same principle applies in coaching. If young players are always told what to do, their learning becomes passive. If they are asked the right question and given time to think about the answer, the learning is deeper and more memorable.

In many ways, good coaching is no different from good teaching. In the classroom, teachers ask questions because it helps children think, remember and understand more deeply. On the pitch, the same applies. If a young player is asked how could you create space to receive a pass, or how could you protect the ball from a defender, they have to engage with the problem rather than just being told what to do. They may not always get it right, but that still has value. When they do work it out, or are guided towards the answer, what they learn is more likely to stay with them.

At our academy, with our Little Kickers group of four and five year olds, we try to do that in simple ways. Recently we asked the kids to work out how to get the ball off the ground without using their hands. Straight away, you could see the thinking begin. Some tried to flick it up, while others trapped it and scooped it with their feet. They were learning, solving a problem and enjoying it at the same time. To them, it was fun. It was also helping them become more creative, more confident and more engaged. At training the following week, the kids wanted to show how they had been practicing getting the ball off the ground. Some of the flicks and techniques they used were brilliant to watch and they were so pleased with themselves at learning a new skill.

For me, that is a very important part of coaching young players. Sometimes the best thing we can do is ask the right question instead of rushing in with the answer. Good coaching is not always about giving information. A lot of the time, it’s about asking the right question at the right time.

There are many excellent local coaches doing this every week with young players. Across different clubs and age groups, they are creating positive environments where children can enjoy the game, learn properly and grow in confidence. They deserves real credit for that.

Enjoyment also gives young players the confidence to take risks. A child who feels relaxed and supported is more likely to try a pass, a dribble or a movement that stretches them. If they are worried about criticism, they will usually play safe. Safe football may reduce mistakes, but it won’t lead to growth.

The reality is that players rarely excel because they were forced to. They excel because they enjoy the game, learn through it, and keep improving over time, even during the most challenging of times.

If we want young players to excel, we must make sure they enjoy their football now. If we want that learning to last, we should also give them the chance to think for themselves. Can you remember the largest state in the US? There is a good chance you can, because you had to stop and think before you were given the answer.