: Swagger is Back

I have had a brilliant summer watching hundreds of games as part of the Give Us Back Our Game fun days.
Although the main fun day was back in June, most weekends since have seen at least one event staged.
The idea is very simple;

Mixed teams
4v4 where possible, but the main consideration is all the kids are involved
No subs – every child = every moment
Short ten minute games
Kids ref themselves
Round robin format
Parents hang back and enjoy the fun

The main things I have noticed are children’s voices heard above everything else and a high level of creativity as children are in an environment where they have freedom to fail.
This is a great opportunity for them to try out the tricks and moves they have learnt at their clubs or from each other.
The kids look different and their movement and body language change as the day lengthens.
They have a swagger about them that which I guess is when imagination and creativity meets confidence and freedom.

We had a generation of footballers back in the 1970s that had that swagger. (I am concentrating on the swagger on the pitch and not off it with birds, booze and dodgy barnets!)
English football had the magnificent seven in Alan Hudson, Peter Osgood, Tony Currie, Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, Charlie George and Frank Worthington. This was at a time when England had failed to reach the 1974 and 78 World Cup finals.

Sadly the biggest crime in English football was that these wonderful players got so few caps. They were not trusted and seen as luxury players.
Currie managed 17 caps, Marsh 9, Worthington 8, Bowles 5, Osgood 2 and Charlie George just 60 minutes.
Oh how we would love to see these players now and especially the greatest player to come from these shores, George Best, although he wore the green of Northern Ireland.

With the new football season for kids starting this weekend we will all be preoccupied with kit washing rotas, car pools, team sheets and registration forms.
But can you make room for some fun days this season?

They can be just small events with four teams done over an hour or so on a Saturday morning, either in- house or with some nearby clubs.
All kids at whatever level they play at need a dose of this medicine, freedom to express themselves as part of a match day programme.
Can you organise this as we will support you wherever you are in the country?

Last weekend I was at Chippenham, Wiltshire, where the town council have 13 such events planned over the season and at Sandhurst Town Boys & Girls FC.
This was a great event. In the morning the children played for their teams and at lunchtime we asked them if they would like mixed teams. The kids punched the air in approval while a couple of the watching coaches looked rather uneasy at the prospect of losing control.
As we had been able to watch the morning games we had an idea of their ability and were able to make the team roughly equal.
The difference between the club team games and the mixed games was markedly different. The quality was much improved in the later and the game much more competitive. The stronger players were taken out of their comfort zone and had to think more and take on more responsibility. The weaker players revelled in the closer games, which pulled their game up and gave them an opportunity for success.

Here are a few of the comments from other coaches sent to Keith, the organiser of the Sandown event:

“Just wanted to say thank you for such an enjoyable day. Both the kids and the parents had a great time. We appreciate being invited to participate and all of the effort that went into organising the event. Probably the most telling comment was made as we were walking back to the car park and one of the kids said "Why can't we play football like this all the time?"

“A quick word to say how much my boys enjoyed the football on Sunday. They loved the idea of being allowed to do anything they wanted and they certainly enjoyed trying out all their favourite tricks. I think the bit they enjoyed best was watching me having to be quiet on the sidelines. Looking forward to the next one.”

Also the feedback from the Finchampstead players and parents alike was that it was one of the best days of football they had ever had

Can you get some swagger into your players this season?

George Best (on playmakers)
“The game’s changed so much. For instance, whatever happened to the playmakers? Johnny Haynes was the first, but then you had Glenn Hoddle, Stan Bowles, Trevor Brooking, Tony Currie, Alan Hudson, the creative types. Teams were geared to attack, to create, to score. It’s terribly sad, where’s that lovely type of passing player now?”