Parent Question: Should my child move up football group ?

There may come a time when your child is asked to move up an age group or move up to an ‘A’ team etc.

It’s a nice feeling when you’re asked if they’d like to move up, but is it always a good thing?

The POSSIBLE benefits are:

Better development by playing with higher ability players

Make new friends

More enjoyment because they are getting the right level of challenge

The POSSIBLE downsides:

Enjoy it less because they aren’t with their friends anymore

Development plateaus because they don’t get the ball as much

Physically too much for them which can increase the risk of injuries

Our advice is to always ask them what they would like to do and be led by them.

Empowering them to make the decision themselves is a positive thing to do.

We’d say it’s not a bad thing for them to at least try a session or two in the new group. That can be a big help in deciding which way to go and is often the best starting point.

In our experience it often works out fine but the worst thing to do is push them to move up because we think it’ll help them improve, only to find they then want to quit because they don’t enjoy it anymore.

If any parents want more in-depth advice in this area please let us know.