Youth Soccer Learning Center

A youth soccer coach demonstrating a passing drill between orange cones on a frosty morning practice field while players wait with balls

9v9 Soccer Practice Plan for Youth Soccer Coaches

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 8, 2026 | Coaches

I coach a 9v9 roster and built this practice plan around a shared warm-up, a seven-exercise bank, and an honest list of what each drill still doesn't teach.

A high school soccer coach on the sideline under stadium lights at night, signaling a substitute into a tournament game

How School Soccer Coaches Can Handle Postseason Playing Time

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 7, 2026 | School Coaches

A fair postseason playing-time policy trades your season-long equal-minutes goal for a flat floor, set before the bracket starts, so a close game doesn't force you to invent the rule on the sideline.

A 9-year-old boy passing a soccer ball against the garage door in his driveway on an overcast afternoon

Soccer Skills for a 9-Year-Old: What They Should Do and Practice at Home

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 6, 2026 | Parents

A 9-year-old's soccer skills come down to both feet, scanning, and good decisions in small spaces. These are the home drills that build them and what changes once the field opens up to 9v9.

A youth soccer coach setting out blue cones on a misty, empty field before sunrise, with a bag of balls and a clipboard on the grass

How Youth Soccer Coaches Can Plan a Practice With Play-Practice-Play

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 5, 2026 | Coaches

How I plan every two-hour practice with U.S. Soccer's Play-Practice-Play, including the three challenge levels and the closing scrimmage I use to check what landed.

A child dribbling a soccer ball around cones on a basement floor

Best Soccer Training Apps for Kids in 2026

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 3, 2026 | Parents

Five soccer training apps for kids compared on price, equipment, and coach tools, checked on each company's own site on October 1, 2026. I co-founded one of them.

A youth soccer club complex at night with several teams training on lit fields while a director in a jacket watches from a covered walkway

How Youth Soccer Clubs Can Get Every Team Training Between Sessions

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 2, 2026 | Club Directors

I'm a head coach, not a club director, so I share what I know about getting every team training between sessions: one format, one record, one owner.

Two young soccer players comparing phone screens in the shade of bleachers beside a practice field on a bright day

Youth Soccer Coaches: Does Competition Between Teammates Help or Hurt?

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 2, 2026 | Coaches

Two players, one team-only leaderboard, and a coach who did nothing. I explain when teammate competition helps youth soccer players and when it hurts.

A young soccer player dribbling around cones in a driveway with a kitchen timer on the ground

How Much Should a Kid Practice Soccer Outside of Team Practice?

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 2, 2026 | Parents

For ages 9 to 11, I plan 15 to 30 minutes of ball mastery on days without team practice. I explain the number, my 75% planning rule, and its limits.

A high school soccer coach with a clipboard on a misty, overcast morning practice field while players pass behind him

How School Soccer Coaches Can Keep Players Touching the Ball When Practice Time is Limited

by Matt McWilliams | Oct 2, 2026 | School Coaches

I coach an 11U homeschool club team, not a high school. This is the 15 to 30 minute ball mastery plan I use between practices, and where my experience stops.