Kev Weir - PE & Sports Coach

End of season awards are meant to be a celebration of everything the children and volunteers have put into a season.

Yet every year they seem to cause so much debate.

The top scorer award is one of them. At younger ages, where children should be rotating positions and experiencing different roles, should goals really be the thing we value most?

Then there's the coach's child.

If they win an award, some people instantly assume bias.

If they don't win an award, sometimes it's because the coach is worried about being seen as biased, despite the child deserving it.

Either way, it's the child that loses out.

I've seen coaches tie themselves in knots trying to make sure nobody can question their decisions.

The reality is that no matter what awards you give out, someone will disagree with them.

For me, the bigger question is whether we've lost sight of what these events are actually about.

They're not there to create comparisons between children.

They're there to celebrate them.

What awards does your club give out at the end of the season?

We are all aware of the benefits of children playing in different positions in the foundation phase and that should apply to the goalkeeper as well.

People say it's the hardest position and as a goalkeeper I agree however we can help ourselves and our teams by trying all children in goal.

If we allow one player to don the gloves the majority of the time, we often become stuck later on when they move on, become unavailable or no longer want to play in the position.

Children also develop empathy with the position. I bet you have had players on your team make a comment when conceding a goal, "you should have saved that" yet never played in goal themselves.

Similarly to other positions children should experiment then as they get older start to focus on one or two positions moving forward.

It's Sunday, so you know what that means.

I am looking to help 5 football coaches who are part of my community ⚽

If you’re stuck planning a session or want a fresh idea:

👉 Join our community (link in comments)
👉 Follow the post to request a session.

I’ll reply by sharing 5 session videos today based on what you ask for.

Does anyone else's child play a sport other than football?

Mine have just joined cricket, with the youngest taking part in the ECB All Stars programme. The kit comes included, and it's been a fantastic introduction to the game.

I'm a big believer that children benefit from trying lots of different sports rather than specialising too early.

What sports are your children involved in?

Every child wants to win and thats not an issue. The issue is when adults want to win so badly that only a handful of children get their fair share of play time.

Because if we are truly stepping forward to develop children to have a love for the game, opportunities need to be shared.

You can't develop from the sidelines.

It's amazing what happens when you bring together coaches and teams who genuinely prioritise development.

Two hours of competitive football played in a positive environment, with encouragement from every touchline.

A great reminder that competition and development can go hand in hand.

Shoutout to Andy at Combe Martin for organising a fantastic festival of football.