FFA Coaching Courses
The FFA offers a comprehensive range of courses to develop coaches throughout implementation of the FFA curriculum, details of which can be found below.
The Grassroots course is mandatory for all coaches at The Gap FC and is free of charge.
Please use the search tool at top of the FFA Coaching Resource website home page to locate a course and location or contact one of the Junior Coaching staff if you would like assistance with doing so.
Please see the FFA Coaching Resource website for an interesting and comprehensive article by the FFA on why coach education and curriculum is so important for the development of Australian football.
Course Information Summary - Community
Below is a summary table of FFA's Community Coaching Courses.
| Course | Player age | Phase of learning | Duration | Content themes | Coaching tips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grassroots Coaching Course | 5-9-year-olds | Discovery | 3 hours | Basic rules of the game | No 'coaching'; learning by playing Fun football exercises |
| Skill Training Certificate | 9-13-year-olds | Skill acquisition | 14 hours | Technical skill Development of functional game skills | Demonstration Repetition Enforcing use of both feet |
| Game Training Certificate | 13-17-year-olds | Game training | 14 hours | Decision making Build up, attack, transitioning, defending | Modifying game situations Ensuring the application of functional game skills |
| Senior Coaching Certificate | 17 years and above | Performance | 14 hours | Football conditioning Solving football problems from match analysis | Only game-related exercises Focus on performance |
Grassroots football certificate – discovery phase
For coaches training 5-9 year old players
The 3 hour course is fully practical and encourages the coach to develop practices that are based on FUN. The emphasis is on natural development i.e. learning by PLAYING football. No coaching but organising FUN football exercises is the key to helping players build a love for the game. Another highlight of the course is that the coaches are exposed to basic rules of the game as well as tips and hints on building a football culture in a completely practical setting.
Skill training certificate – skill acquisition phase
For coaches training 9-13 year old players
In the Skill Acquisition Phase the coach MUST focus on building a solid foundation of Technical Skill. The course is conducted over 14 hours, is fully practical and deals with the development of the 4 Functional Game Skills:
- First Touch
- Striking the Ball
- Running with the Ball
- 1 v 1
These four Core Skills make up 95% of the actions of any outfield player during a game of football which is why it is critical to train these actions repeatedly so that the players have the opportunity to develop their ability to perform them more effectively during a game.
Game training certificate – game training phase
For coaches training 13-17 year old players
In the Game Training Phase the coach’s aim will be the development of tactical awareness, perception and decision making through a game related approach to training. The course is conducted over 14 hours, is fully practical and provides the coach with training sessions designed to help the players apply the Functional Game Skills in a team setting using the FFA endorsed ‘1-4-3-3’ formation.