By Carrie Symes

So he (or she) wants to play for Arsenal, for England, to take on the world. He announces himself as “a fan”, the skirting boards begin to take a bashing from balls being kicked around, you find football cards from the sweet shop hiding under his duvet and you find him scanning the Sports section of the newspaper for match results. The school doesn’t offer football coaching until Year 5 or so. Clearly it is time to investigate the possibility of an after-school or weekend club. But where do you start to look? And how do you find a good one?

As ever, word of mouth is an excellent source of information. Talk to other parents in the playground. Scour the PTA noticeboards at school, in libraries, in local magazines etc.

The local park is probably the best starting point for an aspiring Beckham. Our’s has at least 6 different footy sessions for ages 5 and up every week, including local Junior League teams on Saturdays, regular and informal knockabouts with Dads/Uncles, and local authority coaching after school. These kinds of things tend to be run on a pay and play basis which suits many families who may go away some weekends or who struggle to cater for several childrens’ diverse activities on a Saturday morning (that’s us). If you want a more formal arrangement, there are plenty of options. Sports clubs and local leisure centres are awash with football training classes, most starting at around age 4 or 5. You may find that you have to pay up front for a whole course – most will let your son/ daughter have a trial week for free.

According to friends with keen teenagers, later on they can join a league and play at weekends in more serious matches, but apparently these tend to be further out of London where there is more space. Luckily(?) for me, I am married to Football-mad Dad who suggested that we try out several local options and see which the kids liked best and which one Football Dad thought offered the best coaching. There really is no substitute for actually standing and watching the session progress. Just wear warm clothes, grab a coffee from the nearest caff and if possible don’t bring the baby (mine ran away).

Ask yourself:

How is it organised?
Do they practise skills and have a match at the end (standard fare) or are they just playing matches?

Are all the coaches qualified?
Everyone I spoke to assured me that their coaches were FA qualified, from Level 1 up. Some of the sports clubs also said they were police checked. Worth asking but hard to check up on.

How many children/coaches are there?
Too many children and it becomes unmanageable. Unless there are lots of coaches and space/pitches, your child may well be sitting out and watching for too long. Too few children and they get intensive training but there aren’t enough to have a proper match.

Do they divide the children into appropriate age ranges?
This proved our biggest issue. At the sports club where our children used to go, the age ranges were too wide so that our 7 year old boy who looks and plays like a 9 or 10 year old and our physically much smaller 5 year old (looks and plays like a 5 year old) were in the same group with marked differences in their ability.

Are they having fun?
Sounds obvious but not always easy to spot. All the trainers I spoke to were keen to emphasise that the children are learning how to interact with other, unfamiliar children, being part of a team and having fun at the same time as improving their footy skills

The good news is that the training is not going to burn a big hole in your wallet. Nor does the kit (initially). We got away with sporty looking t-shirt, PE shorts and trainers for years. The more informal sessions cost from around £1 to £2 per hour while the clubs charge a bit more, from £3/4 per hour but often with a maximum class size.

Brentford Leisure Centre
658 Chiswick High Road TW8
Tel 08454 562 935
After-school course starts Jan. Age 5

Chelsea Football Club
Tel 020 7957 8220
Half term and holiday camps in Battersea Park and Barn Elm Sports Centre, Barnes.

Duke’s Meadows
Sat ams 9.30am–11am

Football Academy
Tel Roy Colman 07957 327322
(based at the Moberly Sports Centre Tel 020 7641 4807)
Various after school/Sat am classes. From 3+

Fulham Football Club
Tel 0870 4421222
website
Sat am, holiday and half term classes in Bishops Park.

Holland Park
Tel 020 7602 2226
Football bookings in Holland Park and the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Gallen Soccer Schools
Acton Park (Churchfield Road Entrance), W3
Tel 020 8743 6043
QPR family run school (Kevin Gallen is Captain of QPR). Every Sat including half terms and holidays throughout the year.

Kensington Sports Centre
Walmer Rd, W11
Tel 020 7727 9747
After-school clubs.

Kickit Fun Soccer
Tel 01895 435571
After-school clubs, Sat sessions and holiday camps in Holland Park.

Little Kickers
Tel 01235 833854
website
Pre-school classes for ages 2–4 in Battersea, Fulham, Highgate, Chiswick and Hammersmith. Year round in blocks of 12 weeks (£81 per term). They also have a franchises elsewhere in London.

Regents Park
Tel 020 7486 7905
Also for Primrose Hill

Rocks Lane Tennis and Football Centre
Barnes SW13
Tel 020 8876 8330
website
After-school, Sat and holiday classes throughout the year.

Queen’s Park
Sats 11am-2pm, from 6 yrs
Also half term/holiday clubs.

QPR Soccer School
Tel 020 8740 2509
website
Half term and holiday courses at the Westway Sports Centre and Marylebone Green, Regents Park.

Sports Galore
Tel 01285 656098
website
Sundays 9-11am at the Paddington Rec and Battersea Park. Ages 4-14

Virgin Active
36 Bromyard Avenue
Acton W3 7AU
website
Tel Gitan on 020 8600 9678
After-school, weekend clubs plus half term/holiday camps.

Westway Sports Centre
Crowthorne Rd, W10
Tel 020 8969 0992
website
After-school and Sat clubs.