Boys Teams
Cottingham Rangers operates boys teams from U7-U16.
Younger children are encouraged to join the Mini Academy sessions for 4-6-year-olds. If you need to contact a team manager urgently regarding a fixture please see managers list.
Foundation Stage
Age 5-8
We concentrate on developing body movement and fitness using basic fun games, we promote communication and social interaction skills in a safe inclusive environment.
During this Foundation stage, we focus on providing the children with basic footballing skills and techniques helping them to build a secure and confident connection with the ball – we encourage them to experiment and make mistakes, to promote creativity and confidence. We keep our sessions fun, short and not too serious.
At this stage we expect players not to play as a team, as each player thinks they can do everything themselves, they will chase the ball in matches and will not pass, as coaches we try not discourage this as it is natural and part of the learning and development process.
We will start to educate the players about basic footballing terms like positions, throw-ins and penalties. Occasionally we will set up friendlies between other teams or clubs which are non-competitive.
Age 9-11
At this age, we will focus on developing a greater sense of how their team works together, we will concentrate on improving learned skills and improve technical ability to play in different positions.
We will work hard on improving mastery of the ball and help the player understand how their unique ability fits into the team.
Dean Richmond
Youth Development Stage
Age 12-16
During the Youth Development stage, we will focus on helping the children to become proficient in each phase of the game, In Possession, Transition and Out of Possession.
We will coach skills and techniques so players become comfortable staying on the ball, encourage players to be creative when outnumbered and under pressure. Provide guidance on what to do when they lose the ball and when they win back the ball, how the tempo of the game can affect their decisions. Work on defensive skills like timing, supportive cover and playing out from the back.
The youth stage will see our players naturally move into positions which complement their playing style and temperament, players also stop chasing the ball and realise that the team must play together as a whole. At this stage games now become competitive, so as a Coach/Manager it’s a fine balancing act between developing the whole player/Team and managing Players/Parents desire to win.
Eventually, the format of the game moves to 11-a-Side with full-sized goals, requiring an extra level of fitness and commitment to play, training usually ramps up to twice a week for some coaches as the game becomes much bigger and faster.
Growth spurts also occur during this stage, which can frustrate some players as they become temporarily clumsy and seem to lose technical ability because of physical growth. Concentration. Personality and their spacial awareness can also be affected due to hormones and the growing process all which can affect their performance and confidence.
Thankfully these growth spurts are short-lived, and the players are usually back to normal within a few weeks.
