Football development sessions in Brentwood & Shenfield
The next step after Footie Tots. Small, focused Saturday sessions for Year 1 and Year 2 footballers, with a ball at every child's feet and FA-qualified coaches getting them ready for team football.
- Every Saturday, 10:15–11:15
- Long Ridings Primary School, Hutton
- FA-qualified coaches
- Max 16 per age group
Questions first? Email info@compasssports.co.uk
- 130+players moved into grassroots clubs
- 3years of development sessions
- 10girls into one Ingatestone team, who won a tournament in their first season
- FAqualified coaches, every session
From first kicks to team football
Each step builds on the last. Tap a step to see where your child fits.
Footie Tots (ages 3–4)
Indoor, story-led football where little ones learn to listen, move and love the ball. When they're ready, they move up to our Year 1 development group.
Find out about Footie Tots →Year 1 Football Development
Outdoor sessions built around ball mastery. Lots of touches, then pressure added step by step. Children develop the technical principles: passing, receiving and control, dribbling, running with the ball, turning, protecting the ball and shooting.
Book a Year 1 place →Year 2 Football Development
Everything from Year 1, plus the principles of play: creating space, movement, support, penetration and creativity, together with the defending principles. This is where children start thinking like team players.
Book a Year 2 place →Ready for team football
After Year 2, our players join local grassroots clubs such as Brentwood, Billericay, Hutton, Ingatestone and more. Parents tell us their children start technically ahead of the other players.
See our results →Semi-private small group sessions
Small groups for children in Year 3 and above, for more focused coaching on the skills that matter most.
1-to-1 football coaching
Personal sessions for Year 3 and above, built entirely around your child.
Email us for coach availability and pricing for small group and 1-to-1 sessions.
More touches. Better footballers.
England Football Learning (The FA) studied under-9s playing different game formats. The fewer players on the pitch, the more often each child gets the ball.
That's why we design every session to keep players on the ball for as long as possible, starting with a ball at every child's feet.
Source: England Football Learning, "Why you should try 3v3 small-sided games"
In 3v3, each player gets almost double the touches of 7v7.
How many touches can you get in 10 seconds?
Tap the ball as fast as you can. Then imagine that, all session long.
Mastery first. Then we turn up the pressure.
Slide the dial to see how a session builds from no pressure to real game situations.
1. Ball mastery, no pressure
Every player has a ball at their feet. Lots of repetitions on the session's skill, so children master it before anything else.
2. Passive defending
A defender is added who gets in the way but doesn't tackle. Players practise the skill with something to think about.
3. All-in defending
Defenders go for the ball in game-realistic scenarios. Now the skill has to work under real pressure.
4. 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and small-sided games
We finish with small-sided games full of 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 moments, so every child is involved and on the ball.
A curriculum, not random drills
Pick a year group to see what your child will develop. Tap a card to flip it.
Technical principles
Year 2 keeps building every technical principle from Year 1, and adds the principles of play.
Attacking principles of play
Defending principles of play
What, why, where, how, who, when
Every skill is coached through six questions. Tap one to see it applied to turning.
130+ players ready for team football
In three years, we've moved over 130 players from our development sessions into grassroots clubs across Brentwood and the surrounding area.
- Brentwood
- Billericay
- Hutton
- Ingatestone
- and more
Our sessions were the perfect start. When their child joined a team, they could see the difference: technically ahead of the other players.
10 girls. 1 team. A tournament win in their first season.
In our second year, we moved 10 girls from our sessions into an Ingatestone team together. They won their first tournament within their first season.
Girls' football sessions
We also run girls-only football sessions in two age groups, with the same high-touch, FA-qualified coaching.
- Year 1–3Girls-only football
- Year 4–6Girls-only football
Where, when and who
Long Ridings Primary School
Long Ridings Avenue, Hutton, Brentwood CM13 1DU
Every Saturday, 10:15–11:15
Close to Shenfield station, easy to reach from Brentwood, Billericay and Ingatestone.
FA-qualified coaches
All our coaches are FA qualified, DBS checked and trained to coach children at this age, so sessions are challenging, safe and fun.
Small groups
A maximum of 16 children per age group, so every player gets coached, not just supervised.
What parents ask us
What age are the football development sessions for?
Our Saturday football development sessions are for children in Year 1 and Year 2. Children usually join after Footie Tots (ages 3–4). For Year 3 and above, we offer semi-private small group sessions and 1-to-1 coaching.
When and where are the sessions?
Every Saturday, 10:15–11:15, outdoors at Long Ridings Primary School, Long Ridings Avenue, Hutton, Brentwood CM13 1DU. We're close to Shenfield station and easy to reach from Brentwood, Billericay and Ingatestone.
What will my child learn?
In Year 1, children develop ball mastery and the technical principles of football: passing, receiving and control, dribbling, running with the ball, turning, protecting the ball and shooting. In Year 2, we add the attacking principles of play (creating space, movement, support, penetration and creativity) and the defending principles of play.
How is this different from just playing matches?
Every session starts with a ball at every player's feet, so children get lots of touches. We then build pressure step by step, from no pressure to passive defending, then all-in defending in game-realistic scenarios, finishing with 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and small-sided games. Players are on the ball for as long as possible.
Are your coaches qualified?
Yes. All our coaches are FA qualified and DBS checked.
Will this help my child get into a football team?
That's exactly what it's for. Over 130 of our players have moved into grassroots clubs such as Brentwood, Billericay, Hutton and Ingatestone, and parents tell us their children start technically ahead of other players.
Do you run girls-only football sessions?
Yes. We run girls-only football sessions for Year 1–3 and Year 4–6. Email us at info@compasssports.co.uk to find out more.
Do you offer 1-to-1 or small group football coaching?
Yes, for children in Year 3 and above. Email info@compasssports.co.uk for coach availability and pricing.
How many children are in each group?
A maximum of 16 children per age group, so every player gets coached.
Another question? Email info@compasssports.co.uk
Get them ready for team football
Year 1 and Year 2 football development, every Saturday 10:15–11:15 at Long Ridings Primary School, Hutton.
Questions? info@compasssports.co.uk