Session planning
Football Session Plans for Grassroots Coaches
Choose your age group, ability, player numbers, session length and the kit in your bag. You get a timed plan from warm up to cool down, with coaching points and pitch diagrams for every phase.
A good football session plan does one job well: it keeps a single theme running from the first warm-up touch to the last minute of the game. Football Coach Hub builds that plan for you from a library of 800+ drills, so the practices progress in difficulty, the timings add up to the session length you actually have, and nothing needs kit you have not got.
What every session plan includes
Six timed phases
Arrival activity, warm up, technical practice, skill practice, small-sided game and cool down, with minutes allocated to each.
Coaching points for every phase
What to look for, what to say and the common mistakes to correct — written in language you can use with players.
Progressions and regressions
Every practice can be made harder or easier without stopping the session, so mixed-ability groups stay engaged.
Print, share and save
Save plans to your dashboard, print a pitch-side PDF or share the plan text with other coaches at your club.
Example football session plans
These are real plans generated by the session builder. Open the builder to create one for your own age group and kit.
U8 · Dribbling
U8 dribbling and running with the ball
- 8 min · Warm Up: Traffic lights dribble
- 12 min · Technical Practice: Cone gates dribble
- 14 min · Skill Practice: 1v1 to a line
- 14 min · Small-Sided Game: 4v4 dribble-in goals
U12 · Passing
U12 passing, receiving and playing forward
- 10 min · Warm Up: Diamond passing rondo
- 15 min · Technical Practice: Third man runs
- 18 min · Skill Practice: 4v2 to 4v4 transition
- 18 min · Small-Sided Game: 7v7 two-touch zones
U16 · Finishing
U16 finishing in and around the box
- 12 min · Warm Up: Movement and strike prep
- 15 min · Technical Practice: Cross, cut-back, finish
- 20 min · Skill Practice: 2v1 into the box
- 22 min · Small-Sided Game: 8v8 finishing-zone game
Session plans by age group
Session plans by coaching topic
Pick the theme first, then build the session around it. The builder covers every objective below: passing & receiving, dribbling & 1v1, finishing, defending, possession, playing out from the back and more.
Football session plan FAQs
How long should a football training session be?
For U5 to U8, 45 to 60 minutes is plenty. U9 to U12 works well at 60 to 75 minutes, and U13 upwards can handle 75 to 90 minutes. Football Coach Hub builds the plan to the length you choose and splits the time across the phases for you.
What should a football session plan include?
A ball-based warm up, a technical practice on one theme, the same theme under pressure or in a skill practice, a small-sided game, a match phase and a short cool down with a review. Every generated plan follows that six-phase structure.
How many drills should be in one session plan?
Three or four practices plus a game. Fewer practices with more repetitions beats a long list of drills that players never master.
Can I print or share a session plan?
Yes. Every saved plan can be printed as a pitch-side PDF or shared as text, so you can take it to training on paper or on your phone.
Do I need to pay for session plans?
A free account includes one session plan every calendar month. Paid plans raise that to 20 plans a month on Coach and 200 on Club, with full access to the drill library.
Build your next session plan
Free accounts include one plan a month. Coach and Club plans unlock the full drill library and the season planner.