The ultimate defensive cheat code for grassroots football
From It's Only Kids Football by Ben Welch and Mike Clark
March 23, 2026 · 1h 7m · Season 1 · Episode 87
About this episode
Ben and Mike discuss defensive strategies for grassroots football with coach Mac Smith.
Every grassroots coach faces the same nightmare: a defence that’s "all over the place" and young players who just want to be on the ball. In this episode, Ben and Mike, chat with Mac Smith, a football director and coach at Moreton City Excelsior FC in Australia’s Queensland NPL, who reveals why traditional tactical plans fail young players and how to instead build "defensive habits" that stick. Learn the high-reward scoring game that makes kids love winning the ball back, the "Gabriel & Saliba" method for teaching positioning, and the "click moment" for stopping ball-watching. Mac explains how to stop treating defending like a boring chore and start building a solid foundation. Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/ Get FREE delivery when you spend over £100 at https://www.discountfootballkits.com/ using code IOKFFD — but hurry, it ends at midnight on March 31st, 2026. Power your grassroots team with effortless payments — sign up with GoCardless today at https://gocardless.com/g/payments-sports-clubs/ and spend less time chasing fees, more time developing your players. LoveAdmin takes the admin off your…
People in this episode
Hosts: Ben Welch, Mike Clark
Guest: Mac Smith
Topics covered
- defensive strategies
- grassroots football
- youth coaching
- tactical training
- player development
Keywords
- defense
- youth football
- coaching
- tactics
- player habits
Sponsors
Discount Football Kits, GoCardless, LoveAdmin, Veo Cam 3, Veo Go
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Moreton City Excelsior FC, Football DNA
Products: Veo Cam 3, Veo Go
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