Explore how our program looks to change the game by providing solutions to some of the issues we’ve observed in traditional grassroots football that are holding back the average local girl.
One of the biggest obstacles to the football development and enjoyment of children is simply sharing a field with too many opponents and teammates. Too many inexperienced players rarely get the time and space they require to improve their execution of core skills. This then leads to them learning a reactive brand of the game, with lots of bunching of players chasing a ball that is ricocheting around the field without any proactive control to enjoy.
Our program introduces children to 2v2 and 3v3 versions of the game to provide them with the time, space, and more touches they need to develop a love for the ball and having control of it. We only graduate a group to a bigger format when we’re confident the players can still maintain control with the added pressure of more players on the field. We don’t want to rob children of key developmental touches to provide challenges they’re not ready for.
When inexperienced children are introduced to a field with only one goal to attack and one goal to defend, the only parts of the field they’re systemically encouraged to see are the narrow corridors between wherever the ball is and the goal on each side, naturally leading to bunching in those limited areas and their peripheral vision not improving. Too often any action around a solitary goal mouth is just a desperate swarm of bodies attacking or defending.
Our program introduces children to versions of the game where they are attacking two separate goals and defending another two. This systemically encourages players to not bunch up, to see and use more of the field, and to make more proactive decisions with more options being available. We want to develop intelligent players who can make good decisions based upon what they’ve learned to see, rather than what’s shouted from sidelines.
Every couple of years children are being asked to play on fields twice the size of the previous one, even if many haven’t gained the physical capacity to actually play productively on them. Too often players are expending most of their limited energy in back and forth transition in the middle of the field, while not having enough left to execute core skills anywhere near the best of their ability, especially in the key enjoyable attacking and defensive zones.
Our program introduces children to field sizes that are small enough for the players involved to develop their physical capacity from productive and rewarding movement. We only graduate an age group to a bigger field size if they have the capacity to make the supportive runs to attack and defend that promote the kind of creative and energetic football that is both exciting for all participants to play and for the rest of us all to watch.
With every increase in field size and player numbers, more and more children are finding themselves unfulfilled in either excessively static roles dictated by the formation and positional instructions of their coaches, or excessively exhausting transitional roles required to cover the vast remaining spaces. Too many are quitting the sport within a couple years of reaching the full field game simply due to the failure of adults to prepare them by then.
Our program introduces children to positional roles and responsibilities gradually via different versions of the game. We want as many of our roles to be as fluid as possible to empower players to make an impact where they see opportunities to do so, rather than not take advantage of a situation because of a restrictive label. Teams are not set up to win or avoid losing, but to ensure as many players as possible are getting as many quality involvements.
Too many teams of players are formed with little consideration. They often contain children with so diverse a range of values, capabilities and interest, that volunteer coaches end up struggling to run even remotely productive training sessions. Players who are more capable and interested in bettering themselves often aren’t challenged enough to improve because challenging activities often dent the confidence and interest of the rest, leading to disruption.
Our program is open to applications from any child from any local family that supports our values and objectives. The establishment of a culture to empower girls is not open to those who’d look to undermine it by not being available to attend, by not having an enthusiasm to be active, by not having the appetite for a challenge, and by not respecting the rights of other girls to have access to a fun, inspiring, productive, and caring environment.
No child playing football has the inherent right to receive a decent football education, to build meaningful friendships, to form a proud identity etc., and no one is monitoring whether the environment a child is in is supporting them to at least have a good chance. Parents who’d like such for their child are expected to wait until U10’s, and be prepared to pay $1,500+ per season for regional GSAP programs with more accountability.
Our program is designed with a focus on the quality of experience for each individual participant. Our committee members have direct oversight of all activities and are monitoring the progress of all children in their journeys of achieving a wide range of positive outcomes. We welcome respectful communication with families to better achieve specific outcomes they want within the framework of our values and objectives.
There is no evidence of a culture that connects players from different teams to enhance a sense of identity and belonging among children who play the sport. There are no proactive steps being taken to support local senior women develop a fanbase and support network for themselves and future generations from local juniors.
Our program has a strong focus on supporting girls to contribute towards the establishment and maintenance of a positive culture that helps them and future generations thrive. We want to develop the kind of fun and caring role models that inspire their peers and younger children to be more active and to potentially build their own proud identity via team sport. We also want to grow a rewarding support base for our senior local heroes.
Many children miss out on team sport because some parents understandably can’t find a manageable way to juggle the ever-changing schedules and locations of training and matches from year to year, especially those with older siblings with their own more established sport or other commitments.
Our program is committed to making it easier for local children and their families to fit in a quality sporting and social experience. A semester’s training and matches for an age group will be on the same days year after year at a local location, with such convenience and consistency making it easier for families to efficiently schedule other activities around a comprehensive year-round football program.
ABOUT US
Valley Football Community is a not-for-profit organisation.
CONTACT
Email: admin@valleyfc.com.au
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