Session design is a crucial part of the coaching process, but what do coaches need to consider and plan for when designing sessions for children in the foundation phase? To answer those questions and more, we are thrilled to present part one of this expert panel, comprising three coaches with a depth of knowledge on the topic.

Hosted by Georgie Bingham, part one of this webinar features three presentations on different aspects of session design for young players. We begin with Pete Sturgess, who has been England’s leading light in foundation-phase coaching for many years, courtesy of his work with the Football Association. In his presentation, Pete gives some general guidelines for foundation-phase coaches, as well as some messages about the bigger picture. Then it is over to Southampton’s academy coach-analyst manager, Andrew Douglas, who will really make you think about considerations around coaching behaviour when designing your sessions. And finally we have Gary McDermott – upper foundation-phase/lower youth-development phase lead at Brentford – who gives a fascinating insight into how it works at a club that has been doing outstanding work in recent years.

We hope you enjoy watching part one of this webinar, and that it helps with your session design for this age group. Look out for part two, to be released at a later date, in which the panel will discuss a series of key questions on this topic.