Curriculum

curriculum

The Element79 Player Development Curriculum

Building confident, creative and intelligent footballers

Our curriculum provides a progressive development pathway from U7 through to U10.

We recognise that every child develops at a different rate. The abilities below are therefore development expectations rather than selection criteria. Players are encouraged to progress at their own pace while our coaches provide the appropriate level of challenge.

Our aim is not simply to teach children football techniques. We want players to become confident on the ball, capable of making their own decisions, comfortable making mistakes and excited about learning.

Ball mastery remains central throughout the Foundation Phase, which aligns with England Football's emphasis on giving young players lots of contact with the ball and opportunities to manipulate it in different directions and at different speeds.

DISCOVER

U7 | Discover

Building a relationship with the ball At U7, football should be exciting. Players are beginning their journey and our priority is creating confidence, coordination and a genuine love of having the ball at their feet.

DEVELOP

U8 | Develop

Building confidence and control At U8, players begin turning basic techniques into football skills. We introduce more decisions and encourage players to experiment rather than always telling them what to do.

UNDERSTAND

U9 | Understand

Turning technique into intelligent football U9 represents an important progression. Players are increasingly capable of understanding why and when different actions should be used. The game also develops from the smaller U7/U8 format towards 7v7 football, creating more opportunities to introduce team relationships and positional concepts.

PERFORM

U10 | Perform

Playing with intelligence, confidence and purpose At U10, we begin asking players to execute their technical ability within increasingly realistic football situations. Players should not simply demonstrate a technique because a coach has asked them to. We want them to recognise the problem, make a decision and execute their own solution.