How to Build a Pre-Season That Actually Develops Players
Most grassroots pre-seasons are three weeks of fitness work and a couple of friendlies. Here's how to do it properly.
Pre-season is the most underused window in grassroots football. Most clubs treat it as a fitness block. The clubs that improve fastest treat it as a development block.
Week 1: Foundation
Establish the coaching environment. Technical work in low-pressure settings. Focus on players who struggled last season — give them early wins.
Week 2: Intensity
Add opposition. Introduce the game model — how the team will defend, transition, and attack. Opposed practices that replicate match conditions.
Week 3: Application
Friendlies with purpose. Set a specific team focus before each one. Brief debrief after — what did we execute? What do we work on?
The individual layer
Pre-season is when coaches should set individual development targets for each player. Documented, shared with the player, revisited monthly. Not positions — development targets: what does this player need to improve in the next 12 months?
