Football is growing. More and more people are playing or involved in football. To be exact, there are 1.42 million active participants in Australia. This is the latest report from Football Federation Australia: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/national-participation-reports

Why do we play football? It’s simple. To have fun. It’s the most beautiful game of all!

But how do we best enjoy it?

Is it just being a participant? Just turning up to the field and football will do magic? Yes, it may initially. However, there’s more to it. The game is inclusive, fun, and positively infectious in so many ways. It’s no wonder 211 countries play the beautiful game!

However, to continually enjoy, one requires meaningful interaction. One needs to learn. Or else it’s an uphill battle to remain active.

Football is a technical sport.

If you get the basics right then you’re on the pedestal to continuous learning and growth.

I’m very fortunate to be working with many communities and thousands of children across Sydney and Melbourne. Through many hours, and lots of hair loss I’ve been fortunate to build experience from coaching. The number one question I get asked by parents is “What can I do to develop my child’s skills”.

The answer to the question can either push a parent forward or backward. When I mean backward, we’re talking in the context of time. And time is of the essence.

One answer that remains true from the beginning of football is the best form of development starts at home. This concept has yet to be articulated well by anyone other than Tom Byer.

Tom is a global renown grassroots development expert. Residing in Japan over the last 30 years, Tom has played an instrumental role in establishing hundreds of football schools, numerous TV shows, events, books, and DVDs to impact Japanese football.

Tom is a dear friend and mentor of mine with our friendship beginning in 2012. He’s one of the, if not most, knowledgeable football brains in the world. His experience has allowed him to see football from a 360-degree perspective. From grassroots to elite to the administration, he’s experienced a lot.

But most importantly, Tom has developed Football Starts At Home ™.

“What can I do to develop my child’s skills?”.

The answer is Football Starts At Home™.

Tom’s philosophy is centered around the notion of having children introduced to play football as soon as they can walk.

As Tom says;

“Technical ability is like reading and writing or adding and subtracting. It’s a basic building block of knowledge that, if learned early enough, can change the whole dynamic of a child’s development. Time and patience are needed in order to give young kids the proper tools to succeed.”

Tom’s message stands out clearly. And no wonder some of the leading football clubs and federations in the world have worked with him.

If parents can get this message earlier, they will have the best opportunity to provide their child with the greatest gift; a life-long positive experience with the round ball. Football Starts At Home™ is most impactful for children aged 5 years and younger, however, I believe it also has a message for older children.

Development at home has an impact like no other.

If you study, and look closely at the best football cultures in the world you’ll find the best players in the world attribute their success to their home environment.

“My father always told me I like the ball more than I like playing soccer: since I was a young kid, I was always skilled with it, dribbling around furniture around the house. That’s how I see football — fun and dynamic — and this goes beyond me; it’s a characteristic of Brazilian football.” Neymar

Coaching and attending organised training sessions and matches have a very positive impact on development. However, the impact of the child and the ball is so profound. Coaches spend much time correcting players' basic techniques and skills. It’s one of the biggest challenges coaches have in the training sessions, “ how do I manage the different abilities within a session”. If most children spend more time practicing at home and from an early age, coaching would be far easier. A great explanation of this is from the great Argentinian footballer, Hernan Crespo, who in this video articulates how self-practice can greatly assist in development.

Crespo’s message has a hidden gem awaiting coaches. Most often coaches at junior levels (12 and below) are frustrated with spatial awareness and positional or tactical challenges. Coaches can only do so much. And if coaches can understand the following message then more understanding will emerge rather than frustration:

“The difference between coaching tactics and technical skills couldn’t be more different. Tactics rely heavily on what a Coach wants, interprets then teaches, while Technical skills take a long time to acquire and hours of ball work by the individual player themselves”

My focus in this blog is to educate parents on understanding true objective development. Football can be biased, but development is neutral. With the rapid rise of academies, development programs, and so-called elite programs for kids aged as young as 7–8 the focus on development at home has shifted immensely. It’s no secret the football ecosystem is built in an atmosphere of ‘FOMO” (fear of missing out). What we mean by this is that parents feel obliged to their children to be attending elite academies and train 5–6 days per week. Playing and exercising more is only a good thing. However, the time focused on outcomes, pathways, and selections within academy programs creates a focus away from the essence of football, which is fun.

Philosophies like Football Starts At Home™ enable children to develop in an organic, truthful, and powerful environment. Working with Tom Byer for many years, I’ve implemented this strategy for children of all ages. From hundreds of parent engagement talks, and many development initiatives like our skills sheets, social media, and communication groups, we are constantly relaying the message “Play and practice at home if you truly want to develop”.

I implemented this strategy in many communities and have seen a great impact. From individuals to teams, we’ve seen many children become alumni of “Football Starts At Home”.

Be it the beach, park, or backyard, use the time to play with your children. Teach them a skill or two. Develop small habits that will grow into big gains. The focus should be that the child sees the ball as a toy. For them to cherish it and love the ball. Start with 1–2 minutes per day. Increase to 5–10 minutes per day in the following weeks. Take them to an A-league or W-League game. Take them to watch their local community senior teams play. And you will see all of it come together. Football is powerful. It will wrap its arms warmly around those that give. But most importantly, it all starts at home.

I’ll end with a powerful message from Tom:

“The power of the home is a crucial developmental tool. The gift to parents is understanding your child’s constant need for your attention, approval, and praise, creating an emotionally charged environment where deep learning and long-term memory take place.

This isn’t to say coaches aren’t important, they are. But when it comes to facilitating a love for the ball as early as possible, parents are perhaps most influential”

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