Oldham Athletic Community Trust are delighted to announce a brand new training night in addition to their existing community football nights.
The new session is aimed at those who are playing under 8s football this season and are interested in gaining some additional training alongside their training for the grassroots team they play for. The new 'Community 8s' training will focus on futsal, a hugely popular skill due to its slightly heavier ball and emphasis on tricks, skills and creativity.During every session, the Community Trust staff endeavours to create a fun environment within the boundaries of discipline that allows the children to demonstrate flair and individualism without fear of criticism and aim they to work towards five key points:
• We encourage flair and creativity and create an environment in which mistakes are seen as learning opportunities and are not something to be afraid of.
• We strive to use more positive language, even the smallest of changes in our language can make a big difference to a child.
• We use a guide and discovery delivery style, we encourage questions and encourage the children to get to the answer themselves through demos and prompting from the coach.
• We aim not to coach from the side-lines. Sometimes the best sessions can look chaotic and messy. It does not matter how it looks to others as long as there are clear learning outcomes and objectives and they are being fulfilled.
• Our coaches are constantly set new challenges – for example during a small sided game add in different challenges, ways to score, odd numbers on teams etc. Always, however, explain why such a challenge has been put into the game.
The under 8s training will start on Tuesday, September 16, 5-6pm at a cost of only £10 per month based at Oldham Academy North school.
Martin Vose, OACT Participation Manager, added: "I'm keen to stress that as a Community Trust we aim to work alongside grassroots clubs and look to offer this training as an additional training night. This is not a team training session it is purely for those who want to develop their football skills.
"Each night we can guarantee that every child will receive hundreds of touches of the ball – the proven pathways on offer and the high standard of coaching certainly do not match the £10 monthly fee, however, we want to make this training as accessible as possible for everyone to enjoy."
For more information on the training please email martin.vose@oldhamathletic.co.uk or ring 07927 312929.
Here are some comments made by parents about our sessions:
• "My son enjoys the high standard of coaching, the emphasis on ball skills and the relaxed atmosphere. He has improved as a player, made new friends and bought old friends to join in. This is an excellent example of junior coaching."
• "My son Dominic started attending training with OACT 18 months ago. His individual skill, ball control, discipline and attitude have all improved dramatically. His development while training has given him a fantastic experience in the academy, but most of all he really loves it and has made a number of new friends. One of the best training sessions around ran by professional coaches who know how to get best from everyone and its shown in the respect the boys give to the coaches."
• "I could not speak highly enough of the coaching Finlay has received through the OACT. A keen goalkeeper, the sessions were the only ones that were aimed at developing outfield skills, where he would fully engage which is testament to the excellent coaches and the fun sessions. The positive environment has been key to massive improvements in his footballing technique, confidence and all round development."