The Irish FA Foundation is continuing to meet with coaches, both in person and online, to explain the ‘why’ of the Irish FA’s new Youth Football Framework.
The foundation’s Game Development Team has developed workshops to explain the rationale behind the framework, which aims to revolutionise youth football in Northern Ireland.
Since launching the framework ‘why’ workshops at the start of March the foundation has delivered 36 sessions to more than 400 people.
The workshops are a mixture of online information sessions/webinars and face to face practical sessions.
The Youth Football Framework online sessions are open to anyone interested in youth football provision in Northern Ireland – coaches, club officials, teachers and parents.
They provide an opportunity for the Foundation’s Game Development Officers to highlight the roadmap and timelines for implementation, some of the changes in rules and formats, as well as the ‘why’ of the evolution of youth football and ‘how’ to implement.
The framework is built around four key pillars - Game, Education, Environment and Governance – and the webinars explain the pillars as well as provide coaches and others with a better understanding of how the youth game will evolve in the coming years.
There are also face to face workshops for coaches working at age groups that will deliver 3v3 and 5v5 formats in line with the first phase of implementations within the framework; these implementations are due to be rolled out next season.
These sessions provide practical examples of ‘why’ and ‘how’ to implement the formats on the pitch. Coaches learn about the new rules, the format of football festivals and ways to link training to matchdays.
The foundation will be staging workshops throughout the rest of this month and in May, with more to follow in June, to inform interested parties about the Youth Football Framework ahead of the 2025-26 season.
More than 60 online information sessions will be held, with dates and times available to suit everyone.
Sign up to a free information session/webinar below.
The foundation is also offering a free module on its Coach Education portal to help coaches of every age and stage to navigate the new framework, which aims to maximise enjoyment and technical development for every child and young person here.
It also enables coaches to reflect on how to create a good environment for their players and teams. Click here for further information.
You can learn more about the Youth Football Framework at the Irish FA Foundation’s dedicated microsite here.
