Football
We recommend that all children first attend a development session. These are easy-going, fun-filled zero commitment sessions that give your child a taste of the sport whilst making friends, having fun and working on their skills.
If your child decides they want to continue with the sport and join FC Starz or 5ives, we recommend you speak to your child’s coach to discuss the next steps that are available to you. Your child’s coach would have observed them in each session, know their ability and recommend if they are ready to take the next step in their footballing journey.
For more information on development sessions please click here.
At Starz, we know that a child’s success depends on their enjoyment. If your child isn’t enjoying their football, they won’t be getting the most out of it. It is important that you support them and encourage them to enjoy the sport, rather than seeing it as competition and feeling pressured. Our top tips are:
- don’t put pressure on them: enjoyment is key, and most kids love playing football!
- stay and watch: for their first few sessions, stay until you know they are comfortable, and give them some compliments after the session about what they did well
- avoid negativity – don’t comment on what you think your child could have done better; our coaches are there to help them improve; it’s more important that they know you are proud of them no matter what – avoid negativity!
- kick a ball around: take the time to have some fun outside of Shooting Starz encourages your child to see the sport as a fun, safe activity (plus, extra ball time = more development!). It is crucial that you separate your time with them from the time they spend with their coaches, keep it simple, and keep it fun!
Our coaches are there to do the rest. They are experienced and trained to deliver sessions and communicate with children in a way that helps them improve without knocking their confidence. They are the best at putting on fun, engaging sessions, so don’t be afraid to leave them to it – but if you do have concerns, make sure to chat to them; they are there to help!
We recommend that before a child joins a team, they first attend a development session to see if they enjoy it and to allow our coaches to assess their ability. If you know your child wants to join a team, please chat with your coach about the following two options to see which one best fits your child:
FC Starz:
- play in a variety of leagues
- currently over 25 teams
- ages U7-U15 (yr2 – yr10)
- trials are held in the summer for the coming season – we occasionally have space throughout the season for more players.
Visit the teams page for more information.
5ives League:
- internal 5-a-side league every Friday night
- approximately 50 teams across 7 leagues
- the best way to enter is to gather a team of 6-8 children
- to enquire about an individual child, please get in touch
- each team can choose to have a coach provided by Starz or to have a parent coach
- new league starts every term
Visit the 5ives page for more information.
FA guidance is that results should not be published for under 7 to under 11s. According to their website, this is because “children are competitive by nature, they want to win and don’t need a league table or results section on a website to confirm this.”
We too, believe that children shouldn’t play football for the results, but instead because they enjoy it!
At Shooting Starz our ethos is to encourage youth participation in sport. We do this by providing engaging, fun sessions that lead children to love sports. For us, a child’s happiness is more important than any dream to play football as a career. We will always put children’s happiness and enjoyment first.
However, we do provide an exceptionally high standard of coaching. We also have lots of extremely talented children. This, paired with our contacts in the industry, has meant that we have had multiple children join elite academy clubs after successful trials, including clubs like Fulham, QPR, and Arsenal. If your child is ready to begin their journey into an academy, we will work with you on a one-to-one basis to ensure the process is as smooth as possible, providing support to not only your child but also you during this exciting time.
We also run elite sessions and camps internally for exceptionally talented players. If we believe your child is ready to begin to bridge the gap between FC Starz and Academy-level football, we will contact you and ensure that your child is happy every step of the way.
Firstly, what an exciting time! We are always pleased to hear of positive opportunities for your children!
However, it is important not to jump feet first into a decision. It is extremely important to understand what exactly is being offered to your child to decide what is best. But don’t panic; we are here to help.
Most professional clubs offer both Academies and Development Centres. Whilst both can be an exciting prospect, it is essential to understand the differences.
Academies will typically run one team for each age group. Your child will not have to pay and will be signed on a contract for the duration of the season, if not longer. Most clubs only have one academy side that will train at the club’s training HQ.
Development Centres (*also known as elite / satellite centers) are normally run by the community section of the club – not the academy. Your child will have to pay to play, and they are much bigger, with up to 200 children per year group.
Often, the lure of a club’s name encourages parents to place their children into development programs where they do not understand what is being presented to them. Whilst development centres may still provide a route into the academy, they are separate.
We know that at Shooting Starz, we offer just as many, if not more, opportunities than development centres.
It is important to consider your child’s happiness, the process of uprooting them, and what they are developmentally ready for before making your decision.
We recommend that if your child has been offered an opportunity at an academy or development centre that you contact us/ your coach directly to arrange a meeting where we can discuss the options, Luke and Yusuf can be present for these meetings and will always be happy to impart their wisdom and advice, alongside your child’s coach to decide what decision is best for your child. You can find contact details for members of staff here.
