FAQs

FA Tesco Skills Holiday Sessions

Where can I find out more information on The FA Tesco Skills Programme?

The FA Tesco Skills Programme is led by The FA and supported by Tesco and Sport England. The Programme employs 90 specially trained FA Skills Coaches who help children develop a wide range of football skills. Click on www.TheFA.com/Skills to find out more.

Can you describe a typical FA Tesco Skills session?

Sessions have been developed by The FA to suit the learning needs of young players. They will include activities to help children’s movement and coordination skills, learn basic techniques and improve their football skills. Sessions will be delivered through mini-games and activities that enable children to make new friends, learn from mistakes and have lots of fun.

What is the difference between The FA Tesco Holiday Skills sessions (in school holidays) and after school Skills Centres which run in 18 counties across the country?

The FA Tesco Skills Holiday sessions are free introductory sessions (normally two hours), run in school holidays where children can obtain a flavour of The FA Tesco Skills Programme. Skills Centres are after-school coaching sessions run in 6-10 week blocks during school term times for 5-11 year-old boys and girls of all abilities. Specialist Skills coaching at Tesco Holiday Skills sessions is free, but there may be a minimal charge of £2 at Skills Centres to cover facility hire. All FA Tesco Holiday Skills sessions and Skills Centres are run by The FA’s full-time specialist Skills Coaches. Children are split into groups of children of the same year group so the coaching is relevant to their age. To find out more about Skills Centres visit www.TheFA.com/Skillscentre.

Will there be any other Tesco Holiday Skills sessions later in the year that my child can participate?

We hope to arrange additional FA Tesco Holiday Skills sessions in all school holidays and half terms except the Christmas holidays. Please refer to this website or www.TheFA.com/Skills for updates on 2009/10 holiday sessions. Registering for the website will ensure you are sent regular updates on future coaching. Alternatively check out the Skills website for free coaching videos, fun games and details of after school Skills Centres in your local area.

The Coaches:

How qualified will the coaches be?

The FA has hand-picked and trained a team of 90 full-time specialist Skills Coaches to become leading experts in all aspects of working with 5-11 year-old children.

The coaches deliver leading edge technical football coaching, and have been trained to focus on children’s learning and individual needs, making the Skills Programme truly child-centred, inclusive and fun for children of any ability.

Skills Coaches include ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa player Mark Walters, current and former England Women’s Internationals Fara Williams and Marianne Spacey, England Futsal players, ex-professional players from the Championship and The Football League, as well as recognised experts in child development and youth football coaching.

All FA Tesco Skills Coaches have an existing FA coaching qualification, or one of the following, and have a personal portfolio with copies available:

• minimum FA Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Football
• FA Level 3 / UEFA B’ Licence
• FA Level 4 / UEFA A’ Licence

All coaches have completed the FA Curriculum course, many coaches will have further coaching qualifications in other sports, sports-based degrees and have all completed an age-appropriate coaching course for working with 5-11 year olds (three weeks of training).

All FA Tesco Skills Coaches have a minimum:

• First Aid for Sport qualification
• FA Emergency Aid
• FA Child Protection workshop attendance certificate
• FA Criminal Records Bureau check

Will the coaches have Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) certification?

All coaches are fully CRB checked by The FA and have attended a FA Child Protection workshop.

Will the coaches be one of the FA Tesco Skills Ambassador Team (Frank Lampard and Kelly Smith)?

No, the coaches will be official FA professional coaches but you can see Frank and Kelly giving tips on the FA Skills website at www.TheFA.com/Skills.

How many coaches will there be in each session?

We aim to have a minimum of 2 FA Skills Coaches at each session, each coach working with a maximum of 16 children per coach.

Where can I find out more information on FA Tesco Skills Coaches?

Click on www.TheFA.com/Skills/coaches to obtain more information about the coaches.

The Sessions:

How old do you have to be to attend a session?

Children (boys or girls) aged between 5 and 11 years can attend the sessions (with a guardian/parent). It is advised that children under the age of 8 only attend one session each day, due to the physical demands of each session.

What is the cost of each session?

Sessions are free of charge.

Will the session take place indoors or outdoors?

Depending upon the venue, each session will take place outdoors (weather permitting) or indoors. This depends on what facility they have got booked for the course.

What should my child wear for each session?

Football boots or trainers can be worn depending on surface - please dress your child in appropriate clothing and bring something warm if needed. Shin pads MUST be worn by EVERY player for safety reasons.

What will my child need for each session?

Football boots or trainers can be worn - please dress your child in appropriate clothing. Shin pads MUST be worn by EVERY player for safety reasons. They will also need to be properly equipped for the weather, with warm clothing including hat and gloves if the session is outside and if the weather is very hot, a hat and suncream. Also please ensure your child has plenty to drink.

Will refreshments be available at the sessions?

Although water may be available, it is advisable to bring your own drink.

What time should he/she arrive for each session?

Sessions start at either 10am or 1pm and you need to arrive 20 minutes before each session to ensure that your child is registered. Please note: There will be no supervision before that time so parents MUST remain with their children until they have been signed in with the coach. Failure of a parent to sign in with the coach will mean the child is excluded from the sessions.

How long is the coaching session?

Coaching sessions are a maximum of two hours long.

Can you describe a typical session?

Sessions will include activities to help children’s movement and coordination skills, learn basic techniques and improve their football skills. Sessions will be delivered through mini-games and activities that enable children to make new friends, learn from mistakes and have lots of fun.

Can I drop my child off for the session and then return at the end of the session to collect them?

We encourage parents/guardians to remain onsite during the session. However, if you do not remain during the session you MUST return before the finish time ready to collect the children. There will be NO coaches or other responsible adults present between sessions. If parents do not return to collect their child in plenty of time, children may be prevented from attending future sessions.

Can I stay and watch my child in the session?

Yes, adults are encouraged to watch the session; however, you must remember to sign in your child in and out of the session.

What if other children are disruptive?

Children are expected to be well behaved during sessions. Children who are unruly or disruptive during sessions may be asked to leave the session and/or prevented from attending future sessions.

I have two children, one aged six and the other 11. Will they be in the same coaching sessions?

The majority of the sessions have mixed age groups within the same session however the age group will be split further at the beginning of each session if there are enough children as this will give them a better quality session.

My children are aged 12 and 13. Can they attend the session?

Sorry unfortunately they cannot attend as they are too old for the scheme. This is due to health and safety regulations. Please visit www.TheFA.com to find out what coaching is available for children aged 12 and over or contact your local County FA for more information on local FA Charter Standard Clubs.

My child is aged 4. Can they attend?

Sorry unfortunately they cannot attend as they are too young for the scheme. This is due to health and safety regulations. However, the programme will be running for the next few years so there will always be an opportunity later once they turn 5.

How many children will there be in the session?

This will vary by venue but we aim to work to a ratio of 16 children per coach maximum, for example there will be either a maximum of 48 children if there are three coaches in the session or 64 children if there are four coaches taking the session.

When booking the session, what information will I be asked for and why?

You will need to provide us with the following information:

• Name, date of birth and gender of child taking part
• Parent/Guardian’s name, address, email and emergency contact number
• A Medical form will be sent to you for you to complete and bring to the session

Why do I have to give my mobile number/email address?

We will be sending the majority of confirmations by email. If no email address is available, then confirmation will be sent by post. If we have mobile numbers, we are able to act more efficiently and keep track of our communication should we need to contact you to update you about the session e.g. cancellations.

Why do I have to fill in the medical form?

A signed medical form needs to be given to the coach prior to the child participating in the session. This is required for health and safety regulations and to let the coaches know so they can act appropriately in any emergency.

What happens if I forget to take the completed medical form to the session?

Spare medical forms will be available for you to fill in at the venue.

What time is The FA Tesco Skills Helpline open?

The helpline is open 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday between Monday 5th and Friday 30th October. Outside these times, the answer-machine will be on and messages can be left. Please make sure you leave a full contact number (including area code) on your message.

If the session is fully booked, can I go on a waiting list?

Yes if the sessions are fully booked, your child’s name will be placed on a waiting list and we will contact you should a place become available.

If the session is fully booked, is there another session available close by?

Check the website for a full list of venues available. We hope to arrange additional sessions later in the year. Please refer to www.TheFA.com/Skills for more details.

I haven’t booked a place on one of the sessions. Can I turn up on the day?

No. Please do not turn up on the day if you have not booked a session as you will not be able to attend a session. We strongly advise you call to book the session in advance.

I have only booked for my child to attend one of the sessions. However he/she would like to bring his/her friend as well – is that possible?

We cannot guarantee your child’s friend will be able to attend the session as he/she has not booked a place. Therefore to avoid disappointment, please ensure the parent/guardian of your child’s friend, books an additional place on the same session subject to availability.

My child cannot attend the session. Can he/she book another session?

If you can’t attend the session for any reason, please immediately contact The FA Tesco Skills hotline 020 8782 3310 or Email faskills@cyborg-group.com to cancel your place so that we can change our records and offer the place to someone else. You may book into another session if there is availability. Please ask about alternative sessions when you contact the booking team.

Booking Process/Confirmation:

What is the process for booking the session?

It’s easy, use this website and follow the online prompts to find out your nearest FA Tesco Skills session and availability. You will be asked to provide details of your child and then you will receive a booking confirmation by email (or post) shortly afterwards.

When will I receive confirmation of my booking?

You will see a confirmation screen on your computer once you have completed the online booking form and then you will receive written confirmation via email or by post within 3 working days.

If you have not heard anything within 5 days of making your booking, please contact The FA Tesco Skills Team 020 8782 3310 or email faskills@cyborg-group.com.

What is the cancellation process?

At Tesco FA Skills, we are always striving to make the programme available to as many children as we have spaces for.

We understand however, that situations arise that make it impossible to attend a booked event and we have therefore provided a 'Cancellation' section on the web-site allowing you to cancel any booking made.

We require that any guardian whose child is unable to attend any session cancel their booking in the 'Cancellation' section.

-If you do not have web access you may call the Tesco FA skills help line on: 02087823310 to cancel a booking

This process is vital in ensuring that we free up spaces and offer them to children on the waiting list for these popular events.

Failure to cancel a booking, for which a child does not attend, may result in any future bookings being unsuccessful.

Beyond the Sessions

How can my child get more coaching beyond these taster sessions?

The FA Tesco Skills Coaches deliver age appropriate, football skills coaching in schools, local clubs, and at FA Skills Centres. There are more than 100 FA Tesco Skills Centres in England. To find out if there’s one near you, go to www.TheFA.com/Skills/coaches. Skills Centres are after-school coaching sessions run in school term times for 5-11 year-old boys and girls of all abilities.

Specialist Skills coaching is free, but there may be a minimal charge to cover facility hire.

All Skills Centres are run by one of The FA’s full-time specialist Skills Coaches. Children are split into 5-7, 7-9 and 9-11 year-old age groups so the coaching is relevant to their age.

At present we don’t have Skills Coaches or Skills Centres in every area of the country. However our website www.TheFA.com/Skills/coaches provides useful resources to help 5-11 year old boys and girls improve their skills.