It’s very easy for parents to worry when watching their child play football

Are they improving fast enough?

Are they as good as the other kids?

Are they making too many mistakes?

The reality is that development in football rarely follows a straight line.

Here are a few things parents really don’t need to worry about:

Your child not being the best player
Children develop at different speeds.

Making mistakes

Mistakes are how children learn to make better decisions

Losing the ball

Players improve by trying things, and trying things means sometimes losing the ball.

Not scoring goals
Development is about far more than goals.

Progress taking time
Some children improve quickly. Others take longer.

The most important thing adults can do is be patient and give children the freedom to try things and learn the game.