GRASSROOTS COACH LAB

Football drills for grassroots coaches

Drills that work with real kids.

One ready-to-run drill per video, shown as a clear animated pitch diagram. See the set-up, how it runs, what to coach, and how to make it easier or harder. Watch it on Thursday, run it on Saturday.

Watch on YouTube See the first drills
Player with ball Defender Gate cone Grid: 20 × 20 yds

The first three drills

Start here: our first three drills

Each one comes with a free printable session card, linked in the video description.

U7–U12Watch now

The Only Warm-Up Your U10s Need

A 15-minute warm-up where every player has a ball from minute one. Four phases, no laps and no static stretching.

Kit: 20 × 20 yd grid, 6 gates, a ball each, 3 bibs

U8–U14Watch now

Fix Frozen Players: 1v1 Gates Drill

An attacker picks one of three cone gates to dribble through while a defender reacts. Builds brave players who take people on.

Kit: cones for 3 gates, balls, bibs

U9–U16Watch now

Passing Squares That Transfer to Matches

Pass and follow around four corners, then add a defender in the middle so passes have to be quick and well weighted.

Kit: 4 corner cones, 2 balls per square, 1 bib

How every video works

Same format, every drill

You always know where to find what you need, even when you're skimming the night before training.

  1. Set-up

    Grid size, cones, bibs and player numbers, drawn to scale.

  2. How it runs

    Animated player and ball movement, phase by phase, with timings.

  3. Coaching points

    The three things to look for and praise. No more.

  4. Easier and harder

    Adjust it so your group succeeds about seven times out of ten.

Free session cards

Print it, fold it, take it to training

  • One A4 page per drill
  • Pitch diagram, set-up and timings
  • Coaching points and progressions
  • Linked free in every video description

About

Made for the coach with a day job

Most grassroots coaches are volunteers. You've got a group of kids, a bag of cones and about ten minutes to plan. Grassroots Coach Lab gives you drills that work on a real Saturday morning, with real kids, in all weathers.

Every video is short, clear and ready to use. There's no filming, no talking head and no fluff: just the drill on a pitch diagram and what to coach.

U7–U8U9–U10U11–U12U13–U16