Youth Coaching Series : Part I - The Environment

For many coaches, The FA Youth Award was one of the most influential courses they ever attended. It challenged coaches to think differently about working with young players, and its focus on creating an “effective environment for learning” left a lasting impression on a generation of coaches.

Now, we’re bringing some of that back.

Youth Coaching Series Part I: The Environment explores one of the most important responsibilities of a youth coach: creating an environment in which young players feel safe, motivated and supported to learn. Led by FA tutor, Marking Haining, we’ll look beyond the football practice itself to consider how motivation, self-esteem, mistakes, individual differences and the way players learn can shape their development. These were central themes of the original Youth Award Module 1 – and remain just as relevant today.

Across four online lessons, you will explore:

• How young players learn – and how coaches can create environments that encourage curiosity, engagement and genuine learning.
• Motivation and self-esteem – understanding how the coach can influence confidence, enjoyment and a player's desire to improve.
• Managing mistakes & individual differences – helping players feel comfortable making mistakes & recognising differences in physical, technical, social and psychological development.
• Creating an effective learning environment – bringing these ideas together to create a positive, player-centred environment where young people can develop and enjoy their football.

Course Format:

• Lesson 1 - available for participants 20 Sept 2026
• Lesson 2 - available for participants 27 Sept
• Lesson 3 - available for participants 4 Oct
• Lesson 4 - LIVE (& recorded) Zoom Q&A workshop with Mark & Ray - 11 Oct, 6:30-7:30pm (UK)

Led by Mark Haining

Part I will be led by Mark Haining, an experienced FA coach educator with extensive experience of developing and supporting coaches. Mark's background in coach education and youth development makes him ideally placed to revisit the principles that sat at the heart of the original Youth Award and explore what they mean for coaches today.

Part I of a three-part series

The Environment is just the beginning.

Part I – The Environment (September - October 2026)

Creating the conditions for young players to learn.

Part II – The Players (2027 TBC)

Understanding the individual young people we are coaching.

Part III – The Sessions (2027 - 2028 TBC)

Designing and delivering effective learning experiences.

Together, the three parts aim to provide a modern, accessible online reincarnation of the thinking that made the old FA Youth Award so popular.

The Youth Award may have disappeared, but the ideas behind it haven't. This series brings some of those ideas back to life – updated for today's youth coaches and delivered in a flexible online course.