It's Only Kids Football

• Creating the right environment for player development

  In this episode, Ben and Mike welcome Nick Green, Football DNA ambassador and seasoned youth coach with experience across England and Australia, for a deep dive into the emotional and tactical side of coaching young players.Drawing from his work in academies and grassroots football, Nick shares how to create a positive environment that builds belief and resilience in kids—especially when confidence dips or results don’t go their way. From using reflection and delayed feedback to managing “car-ride emotions” as parent-coaches, the conversation explores how to keep football enjoyable while fostering growth and grit.Nick also offers practical insights on helping smaller players thrive, developing defensive skills, handling positional challenges and creating club-wide coaching plans that align players, parents, and coaches. Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iokfootballInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iokfootball/X (Twitter): https://x.com/iokfootballYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iokfootballFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsonlykidsfootballpodcast/Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• When a sideline flare-up almost ruins our game

  Ben and Mike are back with their most explosive episode yet — a day that should’ve been all about wonder goals and winning football turns into a masterclass in how not to behave on the sidelines.After a brilliant first half, a confrontation between parents spills over, forcing Ben to face the uncomfortable truth: for all his talk about calm and composure, he’s just as capable of losing it when the kids are caught in the crossfire.With the dust barely settled, the pair welcome their fiercest rival, Rhys — the larger-than-life manager everyone has an opinion on — for a brutally honest chat about passion, perception, and why every dad-coach ends up shouting at their own kid.Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iokfootballInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iokfootball/X (Twitter): https://x.com/iokfootballYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iokfootballFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsonlykidsfootballpodcast/Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The superpower all children need

  In this episode, Ben and Mike welcome clinical psychologist, performance coach and author Dr Kate Lund to unpack one of the hardest balancing acts in youth sport—how to build resilience in children without turning them into emotionless robots.Drawing from her work with young athletes and parents, Dr Lund explains why modern resilience goes beyond “toughen up and get on with it.” She shares practical strategies for coaches and parents to help kids manage frustration, recover from mistakes and thrive under pressure—from relaxation and visualisation techniques to the “daily wins” exercise that shifts focus from failure to growth.The trio dive deep into the contrasts between old-school grit and emotionally intelligent resilience, how parental behaviour on the sidelines shapes a child’s response to setbacks and why communication and self-awareness matter as much as skill drills.Dr Kate Lund's new book: https://www.katelundspeaks.com/bookFootball DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iokfootballInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iokfootball/X (Twitter): https://x.com/iokfootballYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iokfootballFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsonlykidsfootballpodcast/Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The brutal truth about wanting your kid to shine

  Ben and Mike return with one of their most honest episodes yet, tackling a feeling every parent-coach knows but few admit: the desperate, irrational need for your child to play well when someone’s watching.What begins as a normal weekend of grassroots football — a couple of big games and the usual sideline chaos — spirals into a raw reflection on pride, pressure, and parenting. When Ben’s son Alfie picks up an injury and struggles through a match with a friend in the crowd, it triggers a wave of guilt, frustration and self-awareness that hits harder than any defeat.Between the laughs, match analysis and familiar coaching highs, the dads ask the real question: are we pushing our kids to enjoy the game — or to protect our own egos?Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iokfootballInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iokfootball/X (Twitter): https://x.com/iokfootballYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iokfootballFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsonlykidsfootballpodcast/Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Dwight Gayle: Getting released by Arsenal saved my career

  What happens when a Premier League goal scorer goes back to where it all started — the grassroots pitches that shaped him? In this heartfelt episode, Dwight Gayle opens up to Ben and Mike about his journey from being a child prodigy at Arsenal’s academy to rediscovering his passion for the game after being released at just 12 years old.He shares powerful insights on identity, rejection, and resilience, explaining why being “Dwight Gayle the footballer” almost cost him his love of the game — and how returning to grassroots football helped him find joy again.Now coaching his son’s under-8s team, Dwight reflects on the joys and struggles of being a football dad, from managing touchline emotions to teaching respect, teamwork and humility.Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iokfootballInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iokfootball/X (Twitter): https://x.com/iokfootballYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iokfootballFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsonlykidsfootballpodcast/Email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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