GUIDES
Children start here at four and groups run to sixteen. That is the simple answer. The more useful one is that groups are split by level as well as age, so the question is rarely whether a child is old enough and usually which group they belong in.
THE DETAIL
Short sessions, a lot of repetition, and coaching that is mostly about listening, taking turns and finishing what was started. Skill at this age is a by-product. What a parent should look for is whether the child is tired and pleased at the end.
This is where a sport starts to stick or stops sticking. Children notice whether they are keeping up, so being in a group at their own level matters more here than at any other age. A beginner of ten belongs with beginners, not with children who started at five.
Most have chosen by now. The groups get more demanding and more specific — position, tactics, real matches — and the coaching is closer to what an adult would recognise as training.
Where a child sits near the edge of a band, the coach decides on ability rather than date of birth. A strong nine-year-old is not held back and a nervous beginner is not pushed up.
Common questions
