Trial day playbookFive things that earn the coach's respectAfter all claims: what you'll actually payCan''t afford registration this year?Concussion: the first week explainedSelection email decoded: what they really meanWhat selectors actually watch at trialsJDL, club academies, private academies explainedWhat to watch at U7 footballYour kid watched the World CupFootball Australia complaints: four steps before you lodgeFour signs your kid's coach is qualifiedFive ways to help your first-time coachMoving house mid-season: stay or switch clubs?The claim order after a football injuryThe MPIO at your clubYour daughter wants to playFive coach red flags: act this weekWhen to leave a club NOWThe four-part test before you emailAthletic daughter underfueled? Four signsFive signs your kid is ready for footballNPL1 vs NPL2: names changed 2022Played poorly but the team wonThe U12 header ruleFive habits for running team WhatsApp wellRamadan and football trainingRED-S in teenage girls explainedYour kid's team chat feels brokenGirls ACL risk: 3 to 6 times higher

Life Events, Demographics, Deep Niches

Football through family disruption, relocation, cultural background, disability, LGBTQ+ inclusion, balancing education with football, and how to manage the transition out of the game when the time comes.

A parent listens with calm focused attention as a child speaks at a kitchen table in the evening at home.

A racist incident at the game yesterday: immediate response

Something happened at yesterdays game. Your child came home different. The first instinct is to call someone. The next is to write something on social media. The next is to find out who said it and confront the family. Almost every one of those instincts weakens what comes next. The 24 hour, 72 hour, one week sequence that protects your child and gets the formal pathway working.

Read article →
A family mid-move on a suburban Australian street with cardboard boxes on the verge and a child in football kit watching as a parent carries a box.

Moving house mid-season: change clubs or stay

You are moving in three weeks. Same suburb in name, different in practice. The drive becomes 25 minutes instead of 5. The Dutch and European research is unambiguous that travel distance and broken peer continuity are real dropout predictors. Three options, the question that decides between them, the formal transfer rules, and what to ask the new club.

Read article →
An early-teenage player in football kit takes a water break with a parent on the sideline of a community pitch at sunset.

Ramadan and football training: how to adapt without opting out

Ramadan starts on Sunday. Your 13 year old has decided to fast for the first time. Training and games continue. The 2013 young soccer players research is unambiguous that the four conditions (training, fluids, calories, sleep) determine whether the month is manageable. The practical adjustments, what to tell the coach, and the framework with teeth.

Read article →
A young teenage girl in a sports hijab and football kit takes a controlled touch on the ball during a community football match.

Your daughter wears a hijab to play football

Your daughter wants to wear a hijab when she plays. Or someone has told her she cannot. The rule has been settled for twelve years. IFAB Law 4, the script that works on the day, the formal pathway when it does not, what gear actually works, and the conversation to have with the coach.

Read article →
Unlock everything