Your child's first trial session: what actually happens
Parents worry about the first session more than kids do. Here's the hour, minute by minute, so nobody has to guess.
Most parents message me the night before a trial with the same three questions. What should they wear? Will they be the only new kid? What if they’re not good enough? The answers are boots or trainers, almost never, and that isn’t really a thing at a trial. Let me explain the last one.
Before you arrive
You book on WhatsApp. Tell us your child’s age and the centre that’s closest, and we’ll send the time and the venue. The trial is free.
Bring water, a snack for after, and clothes they can get dirty in. Football boots are great if they have them. Trainers are fine. Shin pads help but nobody gets turned away without them.
Come 10 minutes early if you can. Not because we’re strict about time, but because walking onto a pitch where everyone’s already playing is harder for a shy kid than walking on while people are still arriving.
The first 10 minutes
A coach says hello, learns your child’s name and puts them straight into a warm-up with the group. We don’t stand new kids at the side to watch. Watching makes nerves worse. Moving makes them go away.
The warm-up is mostly games with a ball. Tag, dribbling in a small square, stealing balls from the coach. Nobody’s being tested. We’re just getting their legs going and letting them see that the other kids are normal kids.
The middle of the session
Then we split into small games, usually three or four a side. This is where I learn the most about a new player, and it’s nothing like what parents expect.
I’m not watching for the kid who scores the most. I’m watching for who looks up before they pass, who chases back when they lose the ball, and who gets up quickly after falling over. Those things tell me more than skill does at this age. Skill comes with time. The rest is attitude, and attitude is what makes coaching easy.
If your child spends the first game hanging back near the corner, that’s fine. Most new kids do. By the second game they’ve usually worked out that nobody is shouting at them, and they start to join in.
The last 10 minutes
A cool-down, a drink, and a quick chat. The coach will come and talk to you about what they saw and which group fits your child’s age and level. If they think a different time or centre suits better, they’ll say so.
There’s no pressure to sign up on the spot. Go home, ask your kid how it felt, and message us when you’ve decided.
The question I get most
“What if they cry?” Some do, usually in the first five minutes, and usually because a parent is still standing right at the edge of the pitch. Wave, step back a little, and give it 10 minutes. I’ve seen the same kid who cried at the start beg to stay for the next group.
What I’d say to a nervous parent
Your child doesn’t need to be good at football to come to a trial. They need to be willing to run around for an hour. We’ll take care of the rest.
