Planning a football training session takes about five minutes once you have a structure. Choose one theme, check the numbers, space and kit you will actually have, then build six phases that move from a ball each on arrival to the game at the end. The steps below give you that structure, the timings for a 45, 60, 75 or 90-minute slot, and a worked example you can run this week with any age group from U8 to U16.
Six steps to a session plan
1. Pick one theme for the session
Choose a single topic from what you saw at the weekend, such as first touch, pressing the ball, finishing from cutbacks or playing out from the back. One theme, coached in every phase, beats four unrelated drills.
- Write the theme as a sentence: 'we want to receive facing forward under pressure'.
- Pick two or three coaching points you will repeat all session.
- Keep the same theme for two or three weeks so it actually sticks.
2. Check the practicalities before you plan drills
Space, numbers, kit and weather decide what is realistic. Half a 3G pitch with nine players and no goals needs a very different plan to a full grass pitch with 16 players.
- How many players will you actually have, including likely late arrivals?
- How much space, and is it grass, 3G or a sports hall?
- What kit is available: balls, cones, bibs, mini goals, rebound boards?
- How long is the slot, and how much of it will setup and packing away eat?
3. Build the session in six phases
A reliable structure runs arrival activity, warm up, technical practice, skill practice with opposition, small-sided game, then the game itself. Each phase gets closer to Saturday.
- Arrival: a ball each, no queues, players can join as they arrive.
- Warm up: dynamic movement plus a ball-based game or rondo.
- Technical: the theme unopposed or with light pressure, high repetitions.
- Skill practice: the same theme with a defender, direction and a target.
- Small-sided game: 3v3 to 5v5 with one condition linked to the theme.
- Game: 7v7, 9v9 or 11v11 with minimal interruptions.
4. Set the timings to fit your slot
Work backwards from the end time and protect the game. Players remember the football they played, not the drill they queued for.
- 45 minutes: 8 warm up, 12 technical, 10 skill practice, 15 game.
- 60 minutes: 10 warm up, 15 technical, 15 skill practice, 20 game.
- 75 minutes: 12 warm up, 18 technical, 20 skill practice, 25 game.
- 90 minutes: 15 warm up, 20 technical, 20 skill practice, 15 small-sided, 20 game.
5. Plan the progressions and regressions
Every practice needs a way up and a way down, written before you get to the pitch. That way you adjust in seconds instead of losing the group.
- Make it harder: fewer touches, smaller area, add a defender, add a time limit.
- Make it easier: bigger area, extra attacker, remove pressure, allow more touches.
- Change the scoring rather than the drill when a team is dominating.
6. Decide how you will coach it
Plan your interventions, not just your drills. Grassroots sessions are short, so coach in short bursts and let the practice do most of the teaching.
- Use questions: 'where was the space?', 'what did you see before you received?'.
- Freeze the practice at most twice per phase, for under 30 seconds each time.
- Finish with two minutes of review so players can say what they worked on.
Example 70-minute session plan
Theme: receiving facing forward under pressure. Suitable for U11 upwards with 12 to 16 players, half a pitch, balls, cones, bibs and two goals.
| Phase | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | 8 min | Ball mastery in a box, one ball each, coach calls turns |
| Warm up | 10 min | Pass and move through gates, then a 4v1 rondo |
| Technical | 15 min | Receiving on the back foot in a three-player Y-shape |
| Skill practice | 15 min | 4v4 to end zones, must receive facing forward to score |
| Game | 20 min | 7v7, one point extra for a forward pass into the front player |
| Review | 2 min | Two questions to the players, then finish on time |
Common session planning mistakes
- Too many drills, so players spend the session listening to instructions instead of playing.
- Long queues. If more than three players are waiting, split into two areas running the same practice.
- No link between practices, so the theme never carries into the game.
- Planning for 16 players and getting nine, with no plan B for small numbers.
- Cutting the game short to squeeze in one more drill.
- Coaching six points at once rather than repeating two all session.
Session planning FAQs
How do you plan a football training session?
Pick one theme, check your numbers, space and equipment, then build six phases: arrival activity, warm up, technical practice, skill practice with opposition, a small-sided game and the game itself. Set timings backwards from the end of your slot, write a progression and regression for each practice, and plan how you will coach rather than just what you will run.
How long should a football training session be?
Grassroots sessions usually run 45 to 90 minutes. U6 to U9 do best with 45 to 60 minutes in short blocks, U10 to U12 with 60 to 75 minutes, and U13 upwards can handle 75 to 90 minutes. Always protect the game at the end.
What should a session plan include?
The theme, coaching points, timings, a diagram or description of each practice, the space and equipment needed, and the progressions and regressions. Anything more than one page tends not to get read on a wet Tuesday night.
How many drills should be in one session?
Three to five activities is plenty. Fewer practices with more time on each means more repetitions, less standing around and fewer long explanations.
Do I need to write a session plan every week?
Yes, but keep it short. A one-page plan with a theme, four practices and timings takes five minutes to produce and completely changes how a session flows. Football Coach Hub will build and save the plan for you, and you can print it or download it as a PDF.
More coaching guides
- Ready-made football session plans
- Football training drills by topic and age
- Football warm up drills
- 60-minute football training session
- Football drills for 8 year olds
- Football drills for 10 year olds
- Grassroots football coaching guide
Let the session plan write itself
Football Coach Hub builds a complete six-phase session from warm up to game, filtered by age group, ability, player numbers and equipment across 1,000+ drills, then saves it, prints it or exports a PDF.