It is hard to think of a better location for kids’ Mini Soccer football sessions in Manchester than Gorton – the historic birthplace of Manchester City FC and noted Manchester United and England footballer Nicky Butt.
Sessions of Mini Soccer in Gorton are perfectly placed to help youngsters aged between five and twelve to follow in the footsteps of footballing heroes such as Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney.
The soccer schools at Wright Robinson College are not just aimed at improving technical football skills, although this is often the outcome. The sessions are also an excellent way of building up young people’s confidence, boosting their social skills and, most importantly, allowing them to have fun.
The sessions feature small-sided matches, allowing for more involvement than traditional association football, along with drills and skills training and plenty of fun games.
Youngsters taking part are not confined to one position and are encouraged to explore all aspects of the game, from defending like Vincent Kompany to striking like Juan Mata.
Each session lasts for one hour, and children are separated into age-related groups. All are supervised and nurtured by qualified FA coaches, who have vast experience in working with young people.
Player Of the Week awards are on offer to players who show good improvement, perform well or demonstrate a particularly positive attitude. The winners are not always the youngsters who score the most goals, but are often those who demonstrate some of the other non-football-specific skills learned at the sessions, such as good teamwork, excellent communication or an ability to rise to a challenge.
The children who attend the kids’ Mini Soccer football sessions in Manchester may want to one day earn the same wages as the City or United stars and enjoy the same levels of fame and respect, but the lessons they learn at the Mini Soccer Centre in Gorton are likely to stand them in good stead regardless of what career they end up pursuing.
The confidence boost they receive can have a positive effect on their home and school life, whilst the training will improve gross motor skills and tactical thinking abilities.
All this can be achieved in an environment that offers so much potential for fun that most children are too busy enjoying themselves to realise that they are actually learning anything at all.