Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Our U8's team is strictly inclusive and in our 2 matches of 30mins 7-a-side format I ensure we have mixed ability teams and everyone gets a game. We work on our passing, first touch and movement, and sometimes it really works.
We then come up against sides that have an exclusive policy, have trials, and basically pick the biggest and best kids. They don't play anymore attractive football, but it's like playing a team from an age group above. I'm not sure what anyone gains from this approach - especially for 7 and 8 year olds, telling kids of that age they're not good enough just doesn't work for me. FOOTBALL SHOULD BE FUN. A lot of parents and teams need to be reminded of this. The more fun it is, the more touches of the ball they get, the better our players will be in the future.
We then come up against sides that have an exclusive policy, have trials, and basically pick the biggest and best kids. They don't play anymore attractive football, but it's like playing a team from an age group above. I'm not sure what anyone gains from this approach - especially for 7 and 8 year olds, telling kids of that age they're not good enough just doesn't work for me. FOOTBALL SHOULD BE FUN. A lot of parents and teams need to be reminded of this. The more fun it is, the more touches of the ball they get, the better our players will be in the future.