The Playbook
Football decisions, explained.
Short reads for parents, players and coaches — on scanning, confidence, matchday nerves, and playing with your head up.
Featured
How can I help my child keep the ball under pressure in football?
Losing the ball under pressure is common for young players. Help them by focusing on looking before the ball arrives, simple body positioning, and encouraging good decisions over avoiding mistakes.
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How to Help Your Child Learn From Football Matches with Become Unplayable Cards
The journey home doesn't need to be another coaching session. Use one Become Unplayable card to help your child talk about what they saw, explore their options and learn from the match.
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What Football Drills Can My Child Do at Home in the Garden?
Discover simple, fun football drills your child can practise alone in the garden to improve their ball control, movement, and awareness with minimal equipment.
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When is 'Free' Really Free? The Challenge of Seeing Space on the Pitch
We've all seen it: our child with the ball, looking up, and then perhaps making a pass that doesn't quite seem to make sense to us on the touchline. But what were they actually seeing in that moment?
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Why the Overlapping Run is Trickier Than it Looks
You've seen it: a teammate makes a surging run down the wing, creating a perfect opportunity, but your child keeps the ball or passes backwards. Why does this happen so often?
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How Coaches Can Develop Better Decision-Makers Between Training Sessions
How grassroots coaches can use Become Unplayable cards between training sessions to develop thinking players and better football conversations.
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How to Teach Young Footballers to Scan Before Receiving the Ball
Learn how to teach young players the crucial habit of scanning, with age-appropriate drills and coaching cues for U9s to U12s.
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When to Press and When to Hold: The Defensive Dilemma
Ever watched your child in defence, wondering if they should rush in or hold their ground? It's a tricky choice, even for grown-ups.
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When the Ball is Lost: Why Young Players Get Caught Upfield
It's a common sight: your child's team loses the ball up front, and suddenly, they're miles from their own goal, watching the opposition sprint away.
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Why Kids Chase the Ball: The Thrill of the Swarm
Ever watched your child's team and wondered why everyone seems to gravitate towards the ball? It's a common sight, and there's more to it than just 'being out of position'.
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Why That Wide Cross Is Trickier Than It Looks
It's a common sight on a Sunday morning: a player out wide, the ball at their feet, poised to send it into the box. Why do young players sometimes seem a bit unsure about what to do next?
Read →How to Help Your Child Make Better Decisions on the Pitch
Simple ways to use Become Unplayable cards before and after football to help your child see more, think quicker and make better decisions.
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When the Touchline Narrows Options: Reaching the Byline
Watching from the touchline, you might see your child dribble with purpose all the way to the byline, only for the chance to fizzle out. What's happening in their head in those moments?
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How to Improve Decision-Making in Youth Football
Learn practical, age-appropriate ways to help young players (U9-U12) improve their football decision-making through game-realistic practice and guided questions.
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What Are Small-Sided Games in Football and Why Do They Work?
Small-sided games are scaled-down versions of football with fewer players on a smaller pitch. They are used in youth football to increase player involvement and accelerate development.
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Why Young Players Don't Always 'See' the Whole Pitch
Watching from the touchline, it's easy to spot the wide-open space on the far side of the pitch, but for young players, it's not always so clear.
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Why Switching Play Isn't Always Obvious for Young Footballers
You've seen it: the ball is on one side of the pitch, defenders swarm, and there's a teammate all alone on the other flank, just waiting for the pass.
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Why Tracking a Runner Can Feel Like Chasing Ghosts
It's a common sight on a Sunday morning: an opponent makes a darting run, and your child seems caught between two minds, watching the ball and the disappearing player.
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The Open Goal Dilemma: Why Shooting is Harder Than It Looks
We've all seen it: the ball breaks free, the defence is nowhere to be seen, and the goal is gaping. It looks like an easy finish, but often, the moment passes.
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When Two Against One Isn't As Simple As It Sounds
You're watching from the touchline, your child's teammate has the ball, and there's just one defender nearby. A clear chance to create an advantage, right?
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Good Football Drills for U12 Players on a 9v9 Pitch
The best drills for U12s focus on decision-making in the larger spaces of a 9v9 pitch. Discover how to coach switching play, scanning, and receiving on the half-turn.
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The Invisible Wall: Why Blocking a Pass is Harder Than it Looks
We've all seen it: a moment where our child seems to have two jobs at once, unsure whether to chase the ball or stick with a tricky opponent. It's a common dilemma that’s tougher than it seems.
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Why Tracking a Runner is Harder Than It Looks
It's a common sight on the pitch: a quick through-ball, a sudden burst of speed, and before you know it, an attacker is free on goal. But why is it so tough for young defenders to keep up?
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Why Staying 'Goal Side' Isn't Always Obvious for Young Defenders
We've all seen it: an attacker sprints towards goal, your child is the closest defender, and for a split second, it's hard to tell what they'll do next.
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When Their Back is to Goal: Why Support Can Be Tricky
We've all seen it: your child's teammate has the ball, back to goal, a defender breathing down their neck. What happens next from your child often determines if the attack continues or breaks down.
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When is the right time to cross the ball?
It's a familiar sight: your child with the ball wide, nearing the touchline, and two teammates rushing into the box. What happens next isn't always what you'd expect.
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What Are the Best Football Drills for U10 Players?
The most effective drills for U9 and U10 players are small-sided games that mirror real match situations, focusing on decision-making over static, repetitive actions.
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Why 'Cover Behind' is More Than Just Standing Still
Ever watched your child's team defend, and wondered why a player wasn't quite where you expected them to be? That 'cover behind' position is trickier than it looks.
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Why Moving After a Pass Isn't Always Easy for Young Players
You've seen it: your child makes a great pass, then seems to freeze. It's a common moment on the pitch, and there's more going on than meets the eye.
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What Are the Best Football Drills for U7 and U8 Players?
Discover fun, age-appropriate football drills for U7s and U8s. Focus on ball mastery, 1v1s, and small-sided games to build confidence and a love for the game.
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What Are the Best Football Drills for Kids?
Discover the best football drills for kids are not drills at all, but fun, game-like practices that promote decision-making and a love for the game.
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When is the right moment? The mystery of timed runs
We've all seen it: our child makes a run a little too early, or a little too late, and the perfect pass never quite connects. It's one of those moments that makes you wonder what they were thinking.
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Why Moving the Ball Across the Pitch is Harder Than it Looks
You've seen it countless times: your child has the ball, there's a sea of opponents in front of them, but a teammate is wide open on the other side of the pitch. Why don't they just pass it over there?
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Making the Numbers Count: When Your Child Sees a 2v1
We've all seen it: your child's team has an advantage, two attackers against one defender, and yet the moment fizzles out. It often looks so simple from the touchline.
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When Your Child is 'Next to' the Ball, But Not in the Play
We've all seen it: our child's teammate has the ball, and our child is standing right beside them, a little too close for comfort.
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The 'Extra Pass' Dilemma: Why Sharing the Ball Can Be So Hard
We've all seen it: a child with the ball, a teammate wide open, but they try to score anyway. It's a common moment on the pitch, and often, a really difficult one for young players.
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Why Playing It Safe Can Be The Smartest Move
It can be confusing when your child doesn't win the ball, but sometimes preventing danger is a bigger win.
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The Lonely Journey: Why Taking on the Last Defender is So Tricky
That moment when your child has the ball, there's just one defender left, and a sea of green grass to the goal. What happens next isn't always what you expect.
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Why That Two-On-One Pass Is So Tricky
We've all seen it: two defenders close in on our child, and a teammate is completely free nearby, but the pass just doesn't happen.
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Why That Empty Space Isn't Always Obvious To A Young Player
You see it from the touchline, that inviting patch of green ahead. But for a young player with the ball, seeing and seizing that space isn't always straightforward.
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When the Game Opens Up: Understanding Counter Attacks
That moment when your child's team wins the ball and suddenly there's space all over the pitch. It looks like a golden opportunity, but it doesn't always play out as you'd expect.
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How to Teach a Child to See the Whole Pitch in Football
Practical advice for parents and coaches on how to help young players improve their pitch vision, scanning, and spatial awareness to make better decisions.
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Could Grassroots Football Sponsorship Do More Than Put a Logo on a Shirt?
Grassroots football sponsorship matters. But could your business go further than a logo on a shirt and put something directly into young players' hands?
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Why Fast Breaks Aren't Always That 'Fast' for Young Players
You've seen it: your child's team wins the ball, the opposition looks a bit disorganised, and a big chance feels like it's on. But then, the moment passes.
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Why Young Players Bunch Up Around The Ball
It's a common sight on a Sunday morning: your child's team all chasing the ball in a big cluster, or two players standing right next to each other when one has possession.
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When is 'the extra pass' the right pass?
We’ve all watched from the touchline as our child has the ball in a promising position, only to either force a shot or turn away from goal when a teammate was in a better spot. Why does this happen so often?
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When a pass goes begging: Why spotting an attacking run is harder than it looks
We've all seen it: the striker making a fantastic run, but the pass just doesn't come. What's happening in your child's head at that moment?
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Why Forcing Players Inside Isn't Always a Mistake
Sometimes, watching our kids defend, we might see them 'invite' an attacker into what looks like a dangerous area. What's really going on?
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When a Teammate Runs Around the Outside
Ever wonder why your child makes the run they do when a teammate has the ball near the touchline, and there's a defender right there?
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Why spotting the open player isn't always obvious
We've all seen it: our child with the ball, a teammate free nearby, and somehow that pass just doesn't happen.
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The Invisible Stretch: Why Pitch Size Matters to Young Players
Ever wonder why your child seems to gravitate towards the centre of the pitch? It's a common sight in junior football, and understanding why can shed a lot of light on how young players see the game.
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Why Keeping Attackers Wide Isn't Always Easy
You've seen it countless times: an opponent driving towards your child's goal. As parents, we often instinctively want them to 'stop them!' but what does that actually mean on the pitch?
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When a Teammate is Open: Why Drawing a Defender is Harder Than It Looks
It can be baffling when your child passes the ball straight to an opponent, or misses an obvious opportunity. But there's a lot going on in those split-second decisions.
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Why Confidence Can Change From Training to Matchday
Watching your child light up in training, only to seem a little quieter on matchday, is a common thing for parents to see.
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Why We Created Become Unplayable
Ever wondered why some moments on the pitch seem trickier for young players than they appear to us? We certainly did.
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Asking Better Questions After a Football Match
That drive home after a match can be a tricky time. How do you talk about what happened on the pitch without it feeling like a debrief or an interrogation?
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Two Against One: Making the Best Decision
Learn how to make the smartest choices in 2v1 attacking situations in youth football. It's about using your teammate wisely.
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Delaying the Attacker: Buying Time and Protecting the Goal
When an attacker is running at your child, their first instinct might be to win the ball. But often, the best defence is to slow things down. Read why delaying an attacker can be the smartest move on the pitch.
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Why Do Some Players Always Seem to Have More Time?
Watching from the touchline, some young players just seem to glide, making everything look effortless, as if they have an extra second or two with the ball.
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What Does Decision-Making in Football Actually Mean?
When we talk about 'decision-making' in football, what are we really talking about? It's more than just what to do with the ball.
Read →The card game that teaches kids how to think like a footballer.
Help young players improve their decision-making, positioning, teamwork and football intelligence through fun match-day scenarios. Designed for ages 7–13. No coaching experience required.
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