Why this matters
On a Sunday you cannot make the decisions for them. Ownership in training is what makes a team that can solve problems at 1-0 down without looking at the touchline.
The common problem
Coaches organise everything: teams, restarts, rules, who plays where. Players become excellent at following instructions and poor at making choices.
Try this instead
- Let players pick the teams for the final game — you set the rule that they must be fair.
- Ask the group to choose the rule for a conditioned game: 'Two touch, or three passes before you score?'
- Give a captain per phase, responsible for the restart and the kit.
- Let players choose their own challenge: five nutmegs, ten forward passes, no square passes.
- After a game, ask the players — not you — what to work on next week.
On the pitch
In the last twelve minutes, hand over: 'You've got 5v5, you pick the teams and one rule that makes it harder.' You referee and observe. Nine times out of ten the intensity goes up.
Questions to ask
- What decisions did I make today that a player could have made?
- Who never gets to choose anything?
- What would happen if I said nothing for the last game?
Your coaching challenge
Hand one real decision to your players in the next session and stick with it.
Reflect afterwards
How did they handle it? What did you learn about your group?