About this episode

Ben and Mike address listener questions about grassroots football, discussing key issues and celebrating the emotional highs of the game.

In this bonus episode, Ben and Mike tackle the realities of grassroots football through listener questions and stories from the community. They explore key debates like competition vs development, managing long losing streaks and what to do when training sessions fall apart. They reflect on the pressures volunteer coaches face, the importance of parent support, and the risk of burnout, while also celebrating the emotional highs — last-minute winners, promotions, and proud dad moments. From sideline behaviour to player development and grassroots chaos, it’s always worth it. Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/ 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. Football Discount Kits supplies quality football kits at prices that actually work for grassroots clubs — no nonsense, no hard sell, just reliable teamwear that arrives on time and looks the part on matchday: https://www.discountfootballkits.com/ LoveAdmin takes the admin off your plate so you can spend…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ben Welch, Mike Clark

Topics covered

• grassroots football
• coaching
• parent support
• player development
• competition vs development
• burnout
• community stories

Keywords

• kids football
• grassroots
• coaching
• parenting
• competition
• development
• burnout
• community

Sponsors

GoCardless, Football Discount Kits, LoveAdmin

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Football DNA

More episodes of It's Only Kids Football

• Why your child plays like two different footballers · April 27, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Why separating players by ability doesn’t work · April 20, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Should kids have set positions in grassroots football? Our response sparked a backlash · April 13, 2026 · 1h 16m
• 6 lessons from a pro goalkeeper that will transform your child’s confidence · April 6, 2026 · 1h 2m
• When adults go too far at kids football… Do you step in? · March 30, 2026 · 1h 7m
• The ultimate defensive cheat code for grassroots football · March 23, 2026 · 1h 7m

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