NOW CLOSED: If your child has been to a FREE Football Association Tesco Skills course this half term - please add your feedback: £400 of England kit to be won

[AnnMumsnet]

Hello, over the next few months we're pleased to be working with The Football Association to promote their FA Tesco Skills coaching programme for children aged 5-11.

They say "Our unique football coaching programme gives boys and girls of all abilities the opportunity to get active, learn new football skills and enjoy the game. Our specially qualified FA coaches will help your child to develop more than just football skills, we'll help them to make friends, gain confidence, build self-esteem and learn to work as team. Our October holiday sessions are perfect for children who have never played before and also for those who regularly enjoy football."

The FA wants to encourage everyone to go along to a session and to add their feedback on it to this thread. Please note the sessions are subject to availability and open to ALL children regardless of ability.

The next lot of sessions are running this October half term and are free!

This is for the English FA so with regret it's England only (there are plans for similar sessions to be expanded under the Scottish and Welsh FA's)

If you'd like to take part you need to book a session by following the link below.

tescoskills.thefa.com/

Do post on this thread to let us know that you're going along (or bookmark it/ add to threads you're watching) and then report back and share with MN how your DD or DS got on. If you've already been to a session or your child attends an after school FA Tesco Skills Centre please do add your feedback below.

Everyone who adds feedback on the sessions (after school or the October half term sessions) will be entered into a prize draw where TWO winners will each get their choice of £200 of England football kit.

So please let us know...

~ Overall impressions
~ Coach: what your DC thought of the coach and how he/she compared to others you may have seen/ experience
~ Skills: what skills your DC learnt/ practised
~ Plus anything else you or your DC thought about the session - would you try to book again? Would you recommend to other parents?

Thanks, MNHQ

The one in our area, is not in half term week for us. I presume that's why there are still a lot of spaces left.

Not interested in soccer schools but mumsnet - you might want to add the word free into the title. On my browser, the last words are "£400 of". Makes it look like it is going to be very pricy. I only clicked because I'm nosy and bored.

goldenllama - thanks - done!

Nothing within a 25 mile radius of us, which is a great shame

None in Merseyside at all.

Live right next to Tesco head office but no courses at all around here!

I've signed my two up for half term. Will report back later

Hi...thanks to everyone who has managed to find a session. A few of you have commented that there are none near you. The Football Association have asked me to pass on the following to you "We?re very sorry if we are not currently offering an FA Tesco Skills coaching session near to you this October half term. Our aim is to give as many children as possible the opportunity to take part in the programme and our 106 coaches run the sessions in different locations during each holiday period to reach as many communities as possible. We are hoping to expand the programme in the near future so that we can offer even more coaching opportunities for children across the country"

funnily enough when they said ALL children, they didnt mean it. Not children in wheelchairs according to our local one.

wheelchair football is a completely different sport thought really, and would require a full team of players using wheelchairs.

My son is disabled and uses a wheelchair at times, but he has always been welcome at the training sessions. He just plays to the best of his ability (or lack of it!)

football is football. This child plays at school with non disabled kids. She just has someone to push her. This means everyone is accomodated. Its meant to be fun.

freetoanyhome - I am sending you a message as my contact would like to look into this.

I have just booked my 9 yr old ds on.

At one of the venues I looked at they had a specific session for children with disabilities. Are you in the NW?

I've just booked my DS 8yo. We have a few around here and it looks like he can do them all but I've just booked the 1.

Also just arranged to take my friends DD with DS. She's a MN and we met through MN!

Have booked ds1 on. Marking place.

My 2 DSs did this in the summer. It was good, the coach did a good job. The children enjoyed themselves and I think they learned a little.

They are not very good at telling you anything special up front e.g. exactly which part of a large indoor/ outdoor sports complex you'll find them in. Or advice about what kind of surface they'll be playing on (i.e. astroturf = trainers, grass = boots).

It did feel like a taster session so that we would sign up for the (chargeable) term time lessons and to be fair, it was good enough that we would have signed up to them if it wasn't a 35 minute drive in each direction after school.

So if the FA wants feedback, then I'd advise opening more centres and preparing a better standard email when confirming the booking.

Just looked for my dss, we have 3 local ones but they are only for children aged 5-7, dss is 9 so cant attend which is a shame as he would love it

We went on Friday, the venue was excellent. An indoor pitch which was great as it was freezing on Friday. The coach was good, really enthusiastic and knew her stuff. My boys are pretty good at football so not sure they picked up many more new skills but they enjoyed it nevertheless. They practiced passing and shooting. As I said they had a great time and want the next birthday party held their. We will be looking out for more training sessions in the future. Thanks for the heads up

Hi, we are just back from our session.

Ds was neutral about the whole thing. He said the coaches were good but they had to do things he didn't understand instead of just playing a game like the younger ones were allowed to do and that lots of the other boys (it was all boys) were really good so they got to do everything and he didn't.

I thought the session was well organised and the boys were under control and very attentive.

I am not sure we would book it again because ds has plenty of opportunities to play football, he really wants to try gymnastics and things that aren't normally accessible to boys iyswim.

Thanks though for flagging it up.

My son attended weekly sessions before the summer (paid for), after really enjoying the couple of free holiday ones he had attended. Very difficult to get a space locally, but when his space finally came up he was made to feel very welcome, coaches were extremely friendly and considerate. Sadly the rushing around to get him there after school (30 min drive) became a bit much for him so he gave up. If they decide to do some nearer he would def like to go again. So I agree about the not enough venues part, I would recommend them though if they are close enough.

We have our taster session later today, so I'll report back after. But as someone mentioned, I wish there was a bit more information in the standard mail. It's 2 hours, are parents expected to stay? Is there a break with a snack? Do we provide one and water, or is this provided?

At ours parents weren't expected to stay and they need a drink. Ours was AstroTurf so trainers or AstroTurf boots.

Thanks for that. Right now DS is shouting that she's not going and will NEVER go. Although I can force her and she was keen before, it doesn't really bode well.