In academy football, the transition from Under-11 to Under-12 also represents a graduation from the foundation phase to the youth development phase. With this comes another major change: the shift from playing 9v9 to 11v11 football.

This transition brings challenges for coaches, parents and, not least, the young players themselves. These include a shift in focus from technique to tactics, playing with four extra players on a larger pitch, significantly different growth rates within the same age group, and managing the added pressures and emotions that come with these challenges.

In this special and exclusive behind-the-scenes feature with Arsenal Football Club, some of the key figures at the academy give detailed and fascinating insights into how they support coaches and parents, and help their young players find solutions to the tactical, psychological and physical challenges facing them.

These insights allow us a privileged look at how one of the world’s leading academies approaches such a formative time in the lives of the young players passing through its doors. At the same time, however, they introduce processes and ideas that can be adapted for coaches working with young players of the same age at all levels of football. We hope you enjoy it!