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1441. PHILOSOPHY OF AFC GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT

AFC fully supports FIFA’s grassroots football development philosophy that targets boys and girls aged 6-12 years through school, club, community, partners and MA initiatives.

The key concept of the Grassroots Development Program is to bring together as many people as possible through football. It advocates exchanges and sharing of values and promotes the pleasure of playing and practising our beautiful game.

For some, grassroots football is a recreational activity, while for others it is the organised practice of the game with training and matches, within a school, club or community framework.

Not every child will be a future star and they might not have the qualities required to become professional players. So intensive training sessions and complicated tactics are not appropriate for this age group. Talented player development and specific training activities should be presented at a later age.

Play is the best means of learning. Children should have fun.

The essential elements of grassroots football are relationships, involvement, learning, growing and having fun.

The concept of learning through play while being guided by a coach-leader is a specific approach designed to reach out to the young and create a process to connect to the future.

The Grassroots coach must be friendly, supportive, dynamic, passionate, motivational and must always respect the children’s physical, physiological and psychological level of development and maturation.

The AFC Grassroots Development philosophy can be summarised as:

- Everyone has the opportunity to play
- Football can be played anywhere and by everyone
- Football is non-discriminatory
- The game must be fun, simple, exciting and rewarding
- Fair play must be respected and encouraged at all times
- Age and ability appropriate activities should be provided to all

2. WHY DO CHILDREN PARTICIPATE?

Coaches must always remember why children participate in football. The purpose of grassroots football is to develop a love and excitement for the game by the children, not to prepare a child to become the next world superstar.
Coaches of children of this age group should strive to see children running with smiles on their faces, kicking a football and wanting to know when the next training session or game will be.

Children want to play football for three main reasons. They want to:

- Enjoy the experience with their friends
- Improve their physical competence in activities and drills
- Attain social acceptance and approval of their friends, peers, parents and coaches

As coaches, we have an obligation to achieve these goals, so that they will commit to participating in the game as long term contributors.

Young children also dream of being the best player in the world by imitating individual moves and pretending to be high profile football players.
Their imagination takes them to all the major world football events as they actively take part in representing their club, region or even country. Coaches should never crush these dreams but nurture their imagination and let their love of the sport grow.

We must continually encourage each individual child to grow “their love and enthusiasm” for the game of football.

3. HOW TO USE THIS CURRICULUM

The AFC Grassroots Curriculum is divided into three levels: 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12 years old.

For each of these levels we have selected some skills to focus on, and for each of the skills we have created a set of ready-made training sessions.
These sessions are only examples. You are, of course, free to select your own exercises and compose your own training sessions to complete the curriculum.

All the ready-made sessions can be inserted into the team's calendar.

4. ORGANIZING FUN/KIDS FOOTBALL - Training Methodology

Grassroots football can be played everywhere, by everyone, involving everybody.
In the AFC Grassroots Curriculum each session plan has been divided into four main areas: Fun Play, Discovery Play, Learning Play and Finishing Play.

FUN PLAY (Warm Up)
Introductory Activities
These activities give the grassroots coach the opportunity to provide Fun start up activities to set the basis of the session. The activities should include warming up the children both physically and psychologically for the fun session ahead of them.
It is an ideal time for the coach to observe the skill levels and interaction of all participants.

DISCOVERY PLAY (Skill play)
Skill Development
These activities relate to the football development of each child through their own Discovery. This can be achieved by allowing each child to discover their own abilities and challenges, in a self-paced learning environment, with minimum input by the grassroots coach.
These sessions set parameters in which each child can attempt, experiment and create various types of football skills and decision making by allowing a certain amount of free play.

LEARNING PLAY (Fun games)
Skill Development Reinforcement through Games
These activities relate to the grassroots coach helping the development of motor skills development through football movement (Invasion games) and small sided games.
Gross motor skills encompass the abilities required to control the large muscles of the body for walking, running, kicking, catching, throwing and other activities. The muscles required to perform gross motor skills are generally found in the arms, legs, back, abdomen, and torso.
Generally the development of basic football skills and tactics will not only develop these gross motor skills but also the child’s psychological skills associated with the basic strategies and tactics of football that are used within small sided games.

FINISHING PLAY (Cool down)
Motor Skill Activities/Concluding Activities
These activities give the grassroots coach the opportunity to allow each child the time to replay or experiment with new concepts that have been facilitated during the session. It is also an ideal time for fun games and activities to be presented so that each child leaves the session with a smile wanting to know when the next session will be.
For many children all around the world, football is the main form of entertainment, social integration and free expression. The game is the best teacher, and the enjoyment of the players should always be the main focus in the development of this program.
The action of the grassroots coach must be dynamic, simple, exciting and rewarding, and the physical, physiological and psychological characteristics of the children must always be respected.

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ALWAYS REMEMBER:
A grassroots coach supervises children playing football;
a grassroots coach does not train footballers.

To read more about grassroots activities in Asia, please go to
AFC Grassroots