Soccer training by age
These are general guides, not rules. Children develop at different rates, and a confident nine-year-old may be better suited to an older group than a cautious eleven-year-old. A good coach will place your child on what they can do, not on their birth year.
Ages 6–8
- What matters most
- Ball familiarity and enjoyment. Lots of touches, small games, minimal queuing, minimal drills that involve standing in a line.
- What to look for
- Sessions where every child has a ball for most of the hour, and where the coach is teaching rather than refereeing.
- What to be wary of
- Anything positioned as elite, selective or pathway-focused at this age. Also anything with long tactical explanations — attention spans are the binding constraint.
Ages 9–11
- What matters most
- Technique under light pressure. First touch, striking the ball properly, dribbling and changing direction, starting to use the weak foot deliberately.
- What to look for
- A coach who corrects individuals by name, and sessions with a clear technical theme rather than a general kickabout.
- What to be wary of
- Sessions that are mostly scrimmage. Games are valuable, but a paid session that is 45 minutes of match play is a paid match.
Ages 12–14
- What matters most
- Technique under real pressure, decision-making, and physical development. This is where the gap between players who have had technical coaching and players who have not becomes visible.
- What to look for
- Position-relevant work, honest feedback, and a coach who will tell your child what they are not good at yet.
- What to be wary of
- Programs that promise selection, scouting exposure or a professional pathway. Be sceptical of anything sold on outcomes rather than on coaching.
Older and younger than this
We also match for ages 3–5 and 15–18, and the form covers both. They are left out of the detail above because the useful advice at those ages is mostly not about training: under-fives benefit far more from unstructured play than from coaching, and by sixteen the decisions are usually being driven by the player rather than the parent.
When you are ready, the five-question form asks for an age range rather than a date of birth — we do not need to know exactly how old your child is to match them well.
Working out what your child needs
Soccer training for kids
What training actually involves, and when it helps.
Extra training alongside club
For children already playing who want more touches on the ball.
Private & 1-to-1 coaching
When individual sessions are worth it, and when they are not.
How to choose
The questions worth asking before you commit.
What it costs
How training is usually priced, and what drives the difference.
Ready to find training?
Tell us your postcode, your child’s age range and what they need. It takes about a minute.
- Free for parents
- Takes about a minute
- We never ask for your child’s name, school or date of birth