“My son said he wants to do the session again next week!”
When a parent shared this in our community, it captured something every coach should aim for. Not sessions players endure. Sessions they want to repeat.
That request - “can we do that again?” - tells you more than any coaching badge ever could. You’ve created something that engaged them completely.
Here’s how to make that happen consistently, not accidentally.
The Sessions I Got Wrong
Early in my coaching, I designed sessions I thought were good. Technically sound. Developmentally appropriate. Carefully structured.
Players went through the motions. They did what I asked. They improved, sort of. But there was no spark. No energy. No request to do it again.
I was coaching at them, not with them. The sessions served my objectives but ignored their experience.
The shift came when I started asking different questions. Not just “what do they need to learn?” but “how do I make them want to learn it?”
What Creates Buy-In
Challenge at the Right Level
This is the foundation everything else builds on.
Too easy and players get bored. They coast. Their minds wander. Development stalls because there’s nothing to develop against.
Too hard and players get frustrated. They fail repeatedly. Confidence drops. They start avoiding the ball, avoiding risk, avoiding the activity entirely.
The sweet spot is where players have to try, might fail sometimes, but succeed often enough to feel competent. That’s where engagement lives.
Finding this level requires observation. Watch faces. Notice body language. See who’s switched on and who’s checked out. Adjust in real-time.
Competition That Matters
Players care about winning. This isn’t something to fight against - it’s something to use.
- Small-sided games with scores that matter
- Team challenges with genuine stakes
- Individual targets to beat
- Competitive elements woven throughout
Not everything needs to be competitive. Some activities work better without scores. But competitive drive creates engagement that pure instruction never can.
“They seem to all believe they can do it and that belief was shown which created a really good friendly rivalry.”
That friendly rivalry is gold. Protect it when you find it.
Visible Progress
When players can see themselves improving within a single session, engagement increases dramatically.
Build progressions that allow early failure, adjustment, and later success. Let them feel the improvement, not just hear you tell them about it.
“I couldn’t do that at the start and now I can” is more powerful than any praise you can offer.
Relevance to Games
Players know when activities feel like football and when they feel like exercises.
Activities that connect to match situations engage more than abstract drills. When players can see how something applies to Saturday’s game, they invest differently.
“When would I use this?” should have an obvious answer. If it doesn’t, reconsider the activity.
Fun Without Apology
Here’s something I wish I’d understood earlier: fun isn’t the enemy of development. It enables it.
Enjoyment creates presence. Presence enables learning. Players who are having fun are paying attention, trying hard, and retaining more.
Don’t choose between fun and development. Design for both. They’re not opposites - they’re partners.
Session Design That Creates Engagement
Start Strong
The first five minutes set the tone for everything that follows.
Get them moving immediately. Ball at feet within 60 seconds. Energy and activity from the moment they arrive.
Boring starts create disengaged sessions. By the time you get to the good stuff, you’ve already lost them.
Minimise Standing
Every second standing is a second not developing - and a second losing engagement.
Watch your session from a player’s perspective. How much time are they actually active? How much time are they waiting, watching, standing in lines?
Design activities where everyone is involved. Restructure immediately if you notice waiting.
Create Stakes
Appropriate consequences for outcomes create investment:
- Losing team does an extra fitness activity
- Winners choose the next game
- Points carry across weeks into a season-long competition
- Individual challenges with recognition for achievement
Stakes make activities matter. When nothing is on the line, nothing feels important.
Build Toward the Highlight
Structure your session so the best activity comes in the final third.
Players should be excited about what’s coming, not relieved the session is ending. The anticipation of something good maintains engagement through the necessary but less exciting parts.
End on a High
The last activity creates the lasting memory.
End with something players enjoy and can succeed at. Send them home feeling good, not exhausted or demoralised.
The feeling they leave with is the feeling they arrive with next time.
When It Clicks
“That was one of the best sessions we have done in terms of the buy-in from the lads and effort.”
You’ll know when you’ve got it right. The signs are unmistakable:
- Players encouraging each other without prompting
- Competitive energy without conflict
- Requests to continue when time runs out
- Minimal need for motivation from you
- Genuine effort and concentration throughout
- Reluctance to leave
When these appear, pay attention. Document what you did. Understand why it worked. This is your template for future sessions.
When It Doesn’t Click
Not every session creates magic. Some fall flat despite your best intentions.
When engagement is low, diagnose before reacting:
- Were players tired from school or other activities?
- Was the activity too hard or too easy for this group today?
- Was it too similar to recent sessions?
- Did something happen before training that affected mood?
- Was the energy wrong from the very start?
Don’t persist with failing activities out of stubbornness. Pivot to something that works. Having backup options ready enables this flexibility.
And learn from it. What specifically didn’t work? How will you adjust next time? Even failed sessions teach something.
The Compound Effect
Consistent engagement creates culture.
Players who regularly experience sessions they enjoy:
- Arrive eagerly, ready to start
- Bring energy that lifts the whole group
- Tolerate occasional less-fun activities because they trust you
- Tell friends, who want to join
- Keep playing football longer
Culture compounds over time. Every engaging session builds it. Every boring session erodes it.
Start building.
The Real Measure
Forget what sessions look like on your planning sheet. Forget whether they tick developmental boxes. Those things matter, but they’re not the measure.
The measure is simple: do players want to come back?
“My son said he wants to do the session again next week!”
That’s the goal. Players who want more.
Design for engagement. Create challenge at the right level. Build competition that matters. Make it enjoyable without apology.
The development follows. The culture builds. The players stay.
Want ready-to-use sessions that create buy-in? The 328 Training Sessions are designed for engagement as much as development.
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