How it works

Six steps, one season

This checklist puts the six steps from our volunteer coach guide into the order a club does them. Your ticks are saved in this browser, so you can come back to it.

01Make coaching a priorityName one person to lead it.
02Write down the dealWhat the club gives coaches, and what it asks.
03Give every coach a planA ready-to-run session every week.
04Check in, don't check upFriendly contact, plus club coaching nights.
05Run a recruitment eveningNext season's coaches are this season's parents.
06Review and go againKeep what worked, fix what didn't.

Roles

Who does what

Three roles cover everything. In a small club, one person can hold the first two.

Coaching lead

1–2 hours a month

Owns this plan, runs the check-ins, organises coaching nights and the recruitment evening. Ideally an experienced coach or committee member.

Mentors

30 minutes a month

Experienced coaches, or whoever gets the most out of the session plans. Each looks after one or two newer coaches and leads a coaching night now and then.

Every coach

One Friday every couple of months

Signs up to the deal, runs the plan for their age group, and comes to coaching nights.

The checklist

Your season, month by month

July to AugustPre-season

Get the foundations in place before the first session.

Make coaching a priority

Name a coaching lead and tell every coach who it is
Put coaching on the committee agenda as a standing item

Write down the deal

Agree what the club gives every coach (for example: a plan for every week, kit, a mentor, coaching nights, someone to ask when stuck)
Agree what the club asks of every coach (for example: turn up with a plan, complete safeguarding, come to coaching nights, a few hours of learning each term)
Write both on one page and share it with every coach
Check every coach has up-to-date safeguarding and their introductory course booked or done

Give every coach a plan

Choose where weekly session plans will come from, matched to each age group
Make sure every coach can open this week's session on their phone
Show coaches how a session runs: Play, Practice, Play

Pair up

Pair every new coach with an experienced one
Ask each mentor to watch or help at their partner's first session

Book the year

Put the season's coaching nights in the calendar now, roughly every two months
Pencil in a date for the recruitment evening in February or March

SeptemberFirst month

The first few weeks decide whether new coaches stay. Keep the contact frequent and friendly.

Coaching lead checks in with every coach in the first two weeks: how's it going, and what would help?
Mentors watch or help at one session with their partner coach
Fix anything coaches flag straight away: missing kit, pitch times, can't access plans
Run the first club coaching night

How to run a club coaching night. Pick a Friday evening and a pitch. Choose one topic from the sessions coaches will run in the coming weeks. One experienced coach leads 30 minutes on the grass, with every coach watching and joining in. Then head inside for a drink. The social matters as much as the session: it's where coaches swap ideas and stop feeling like they're on their own.

October to JanuaryThrough the season

Keep the rhythm going through the winter, when it's easiest to let it slip.

Run a club coaching night every couple of months, rotating who leads it
Coaching lead checks in with every coach at least once a month
Each mentor watches one of their partner's sessions, gives two pieces of honest feedback, and agrees one thing to work on
Plan for winter: indoor or small-space sessions ready for when pitches close
Ask coaches which topics they'd like at the next coaching night
Thank coaches in public: the club newsletter, social posts or at a match

Check in, don't check up. The aim is to find out what coaches need, not to mark them. Questions that work: What's going well? What's been hard? What would make next week easier?

February to MarchRecruitment

Next season's coaches are this season's parents. Recruit with the offer, not guilt.

Confirm the date, time and venue for the recruitment evening
Invite parents from every team, especially the youngest age groups, where most new coaches come from
Ask two or three current coaches to speak for a few minutes each about what they get from the club: the support, the plans, the people
Show the one-page deal so parents know exactly what's expected and what they'll get
Let parents try part of a session on the grass, if you can
Collect names of anyone interested before they leave
Follow up within a week, and pair each new volunteer with a mentor before the season starts
Ask current coaches whether they're staying on, and what would make it easier

April to JuneEnd of season

Look back honestly, say thank you, and set up next season.

Ask every coach three questions: what worked, what didn't, and what one thing the club should change
Review the measures below with the committee
Update the one-page deal for next season
Thank every coach properly, in person and in public
Recognise coaches who've grown, for example by inviting them to mentor or lead a coaching night next season
Confirm the coaching lead for next season, or find their successor
Start next season's pre-season checklist

Starting now?

Starting mid-season

Mid-season is a good time to start. Your coaches already know what's hard, and the recruitment evening is only a few months away. Do a short version of pre-season in your first month, then join the calendar wherever you are.

Weeks 1 to 2The essentials

Name a coaching lead and tell every coach who it is
Check every coach has up-to-date safeguarding. This can't wait for next season
Make sure every coach has a plan for this week's session, and next week's
Pair any new or struggling coaches with an experienced one

Weeks 3 to 4Get going

Coaching lead checks in with every coach: what's going well, what's been hard, what would help
Ask every coach how confident they feel running sessions, from 1 to 5, so you have a starting point
Run your first club coaching night. In winter, use a floodlit or 3G pitch, or a sports hall
Book the recruitment evening date

Then pick up the calendar. Starting October to January? Join Through the season. Starting February or March? Go straight to Recruitment: it pays off soonest. Starting April or later? Use End of season to set up a full pre-season.

Go easy on the deal. Changing expectations halfway through a season can feel like moving the goalposts on people who are already giving their time. Write down what the club will give coaches now, and introduce what it asks of them as "from next season".

Is it working?

What to track

Five simple measures. A spreadsheet or a page in a notebook is enough.

Measure	How to check	What good looks like
Coaches staying on	Count coaches who return next season	Most stay, and those who leave do so for life reasons, not because they felt unsupported
Coaches with a plan	Ask at check-ins whether they ran a planned session this week	Every coach, every week
Coaching night attendance	Count who comes to each night	Most coaches at most nights
New coaches recruited	Count sign-ups from the recruitment evening	Enough to cover next season's teams without last-minute asks
Coach confidence	Ask "How confident do you feel running sessions?" from 1 to 5, at the start and end of the season	The score goes up over the season

The volunteer coach checklist