Over 100 enthusiastic football coaches showed their passion for supporting young players and developing their own skills when The FA’s Pete Sturgess delivered two showcase ‘Foundation Phase (5-12s)’ presentations in Northampton this week.

Pete Sturgess, FA Technical Lead for the Foundation Phase, was at Moulton College on Monday 8 April to provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to individuals currently coaching 5-12-year-olds. The evening was an opportunity for Pete to share his knowledge and passion around the development of young players. 

The evening centred around the England DNA. This is the starting point for elite player development, which in turn will lead to more success for England teams; something demonstrated by the performances at U17s and U20s level. Pete reiterated, though, that there isn’t an overnight fix; things take time to embed and he highlighted the importance of both coaches and parents showing understanding and patience while allowing their children to learn and develop their own game at their own pace – something very important at Foundation Stage.

Embedded within this England DNA sits the FA ‘Four-Corner’ Player Development Model, which includes Technical/Tactical, Psychological, Physical and Social elements. All FA Level 1 coaches will be familiar with the ‘‘Four-Corner’ model, but to have full benefit it is imperative that the information is presented in an age-appropriate format and this is certainly essential with our very youngest players. Pete’s masterclass helped demonstrate this with both a classroom discussion and practical demonstration. 

Debbie Preston, Northants FA Development Officer, explained: ‘’The feedback both on the night and since has been extremely positive and supportive and I can’t thank Pete enough for taking the time to come and work with some of our forward-thinking grassroots coaches. I get the feeling there’s a lot of support for the direction we’re asking coaches to go in and the help, support and guidance provided via Pete and the DNA resource is being very positively received. 

“Thanks go to all coaches and players of Kettering Futsal Club, Brixworth Juniors & NFA ACC, who were a credit to their clubs. Without their effort and enthusiasm, the evening wouldn’t have been such a success.”

Coaching guidance can be found at www.hivelearning.com/thefa. Once signed-up, search for ‘Foundation Phase DNA’ to access this specific resource.