Training Planning Throughout the Season

A typical training session for a boys' under-13 team should last 75-90 minutes, with at least 60 minutes of active playing time with the ball. Start each session with a 10-minute warm-up that includes the ball – for example, rondo in groups of four players in an 8×8 metre square. Plan the main exercise around one or two learning points, not four. If the focus is passing under pressure, build three progressive exercises: first passing in a square without opponents, then with one passive defender, finally in game form 4 versus 4 on half a pitch.

Create a season plan in Excel or in your app showing which weeks focus on technique, game understanding, and match preparation respectively. For age groups under 13, NFF recommends minimum 70% of training time devoted to game forms rather than isolated drills. Document what you actually complete, so you can see over time whether players receive varied training.

Playing Time and Team Selection

NFF's guidelines state that all players on age-determined teams should receive regular playing time in matches. In practice, this means that for a boys' under-14 team with 16 players and 11-a-side football, you must substitute actively: if the match lasts 2×30 minutes, no one should sit out the entire first half. Divide the halves into three blocks of 20 minutes each, and rotate the entire team in the middle of each half, not just one substitution. This requires a sheet where you note who has played for how long.

If you want to invest extra in players with potential, do it at Tuesday training with an additional session, not by giving them 55 minutes in a match while others get 15. Parents see who plays, and unfair distribution destroys team environment quickly. Be clear about criteria before the season: attendance at training, effort, and attitude count when you must choose who starts.

Communication with Parents and Guardians

Hold one parent meeting before the season and one at midpoint. At the first meeting, distribute one A4 sheet with season plan, training days, expectations for attendance, and their responsibility for drinks and equipment. Say explicitly that you don't discuss playing time or tactics by email – such conversations you have face to face after training, not five minutes before a match.

Create an information channel for practical messages (match schedules, cancellations, travel information) and keep it free from discussions. If parents begin discussing team selection there, politely close the thread and say you'll address it at next training. Define one team manager who handles logistics, so you can focus on the football. Enter the team manager's phone number in your phone with full name, so you don't have to search when the bus to an away match is delayed.

Age-Appropriate Development in Norwegian Youth Football

For players under 10 years (7-a-side football), the main goal is ball contact and enjoyment, not positions. Don't stand shouting "hold your position" at an 8-year-old – let the whole team move toward the ball, that's normal. Introduce basic roles ("someone must stay back when we attack") from age 10-11, but first in training through game forms, not by stopping the match constantly.

From age 13 you can begin discussing systems like 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, but still with flexibility: players swap positions during the match. NFF recommends that no one specialises in one position before age 15-16. Let your goalkeeper play outfield sometimes in training, and let the fast striker try themselves as centre-back – it provides better football understanding.

When Results and Development Collide

Your team sits second-last in the league, and you know you can win the next match by playing counter-attacking football with long balls to the one fast striker. But players learn more from building from the goalkeeper and taking risks in build-up play, even if it concedes goals. Choose development. Talk with players after losses: "We trained on playing out from the back, and it worked for ten minutes before we lost the ball. What must we do differently next time?" That's better learning than "good match, unlucky with the result".

Set sub-goals independent of the table: "Today we shall manage five successful build-ups from goalkeeper", "Today each player shall win at least one duel". Discuss these in the changing room before the match, and evaluate them afterwards. Parents who complain about league position need to hear what players are actually developing in – give concrete examples from the match just played.

Tools That Save Time in Everyday Life

Record attendance on paper or in an app like MyTeams, where you see over several weeks who misses often. If a player has been absent three of four Tuesdays, have a brief conversation: "What happens on Tuesdays – is it homework, or something else?" Perhaps the family can solve it, perhaps not, but at least you know the reason.

Create templates for training sessions that work: when you find a good warm-up exercise for passing accuracy, note it down with drawing and time, so you use it again in two months without thinking anew. Many coaches create new sessions each week and burn out by October. Repeat sessions with small variations – players learn more from repetitions than from constant novelty.