--- title: "Football Session Planner: Template and Animated Drills" description: "Plan a football session with the template on this page (topic, practices, coaching points), then draw each practice on a board you animate and share." url: "https://www.coachboard.app/football-session-planner" dateModified: "2026-10-26" --- # Football session planner: a template and a board for every practice > Write the plan with the template below, then draw every practice on its own board so players and assistants see the set-up, the runs and the coaching points before they arrive. ## How do you plan a football training session? Pick one topic, choose a structure such as whole-part-whole, plan each practice with its area, numbers, time and coaching points, then draw every practice so players and assistants see it before training. Use the template on this page for the written plan. Coach Board holds the diagrams: one play with a board per practice, each one animated, printed or shared as a link. ## Football session plan template: what to write down Topic: one thing the session improves, written as a game moment. "Beating a defender 1v1" works; "dribbling" is too wide. Objectives: what players should do more often by the end, in their words, such as "take the defender on when there is space behind them". Players, area and equipment: how many players, their age, the space (for example 30 by 20 meters), cones, bibs, balls and goals. Then list each practice with its organization (where players start and how it runs), its time, and two or three coaching points you will actually say. Add player considerations: what makes it easier for a player who is struggling and harder for one who is flying. Finish with a review line: what you saw and what next week needs. Write the plan on paper, in a notes app or on your club's template. Words describe the picture badly, and that is where a board helps. ## Choose a session structure: whole-part-whole, carousel or up the steps England Football's coaching guidance describes three structures. Whole-part-whole opens with a game, splits players into small groups to work on one skill, then finishes with another game. A carousel runs three or four stations on related skills, rotates the groups so everyone tries each one, and ends with a match. Up the steps starts with individual technique and adds opponents and numbers until it finishes in a full game. Whatever the structure, the same guidance asks for practices that look like the game, suit the age group and give players plenty of repetitions. Vary the structure across the weeks so players don't know what is coming every Tuesday. Source: [England Football, How to structure a training session](https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2023/how-to-structure-a-training-session) ## A whole-part-whole session plan example Topic: beating a defender 1v1, for twelve under-9s, 60 minutes. Whole (15 minutes): two 3v3 games on 30 by 20 meter pitches with small goals; you watch who takes players on and who passes sideways. Part (20 minutes): 1v1s through cone gates in 15 by 10 meter grids, with coaching points on a fast first touch, a fake, and speed after the move. Whole (20 minutes): back to 6v6, and a goal scored after beating a defender counts double. End with one question to the group: when did you choose to dribble, and why? Each block is one board, so the session fits in one play. - [1v1 attacking drill](https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/1v1-attacking-drill) - [Dribbling gates drill](https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/dribbling-gates-drill) ## Draw every practice on its own board One play on Coach Board holds up to 12 boards, so the warm-up, each practice and the closing game sit side by side in order. Size each board to the real area in meters, put out the cones, zones and goals, and write the coaching points as notes on the board itself. Then show the movement. Draw curved runs and passes, move the players step by step, and press play. A carousel rotation or the pass that unlocks a rondo makes sense in seconds, where a static diagram needs a paragraph. - [Football tactic board](https://www.coachboard.app/sports/football) ## Print the session or send it to your coaches Each board exports as a PDF to print on one A4 page, so a four-practice session is four pages for the clipboard. Prefer screens? Share the play as a link that opens on any phone, lock it with a passcode, or export an image or video for the group chat. Assistants arrive knowing the set-up. ## Football training sessions to start from Complete sessions and practices with times, areas and coaching points. Use one as it is, or rebuild it on your boards and change it for your group. - https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/u8-training-session.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/u10-training-session.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/u12-training-session.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/playing-out-from-the-back-session.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/dynamic-warm-up.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/football/4v2-rondo.md [Browse the football drills library](https://www.coachboard.app/library/football.md) ## FAQ ### What should a football session plan include? A football session plan should include one topic, the objectives, the players, area and equipment, and each practice with its organization, time and two or three coaching points. Add how to make each practice easier or harder, and a short review line after training. Draw every practice so it can be set up quickly. ### Is there a football session plan template I can use? Yes, the template on this page: topic, objectives, players, area and equipment, practices with organization, time and coaching points, player considerations and review. Write it on paper or in your club's format, and keep the diagrams for each practice on Coach Board boards. ### How many practices should a football session have? Usually three or four. Whole-part-whole has three blocks: a game, a practice and a game. England Football's carousel uses three or four stations before a closing match. On Coach Board one play holds up to 12 boards, so every practice, progression and the final game can sit in one place. ### Can I print my football session plan? Yes. Each board exports as a PDF to print on one A4 page, so you print one page per practice and clip them to your written plan. You can also export images or a video, or share the whole play as a link that opens on any phone. ### How much does the football session planner cost? You can start a 7-day free trial at my.coachboard.app. No card, no commitment, one free trial per person, and no automatic charge when it ends. After the trial, you choose how to pay: $6.99 a month, $49.99 a year, or a $29.99 season pass for 6 months that never renews. Every plan includes unlimited plays, animation, share links, and image, video and PDF export. --- Start a 7-day free trial (no card required): https://my.coachboard.app/?signup=1