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HEALTH&FITNESS
300
May15
Got a budding Beckham, Ronaldo or Lampard? Singapore’s
largest youth football programme, JSSL Singapore coaches 1,620
children, many of them potential stars. HARVEY DAVIS answered our
questions about what JSSL offers, and what parents should keep in
mind when choosing a football school.
What is the coach-to-child ratio at JSSL?
Our ratio for most age levels is one coach to 12 to 14 children. For the older and
elite players, this can increase to 16 children. For the under 6s and below, it’s one
coach to around eight or 10 children.
Tell us about the types of training you do.
Our sessions are 90 minutes long, and we break every 15 minutes for a drink.
Sessions are split into four 15-minute technical drills, with the last 30minutes devoted
to small-sided games. Our elite players and teams have a different programme to
our regular soccer school programme – elite teams train three times a week and
play every Sunday, while the soccer school players train once or twice a week and
play every two weeks. We offer children as much or as little soccer as they want,
based on their ability and commitment.
How would you describe the club’s coaching style?
The Arsenal playing style is, and always has been, to pass and play with confidence
from the back. This is something we adhere to while focusing on player technique
from a young age. Our coaches are proactive and instructive, but at the same
time give children the opportunity to express themselves. Arsenal coaches come
to Singapore annually to coach our JSSL coaches and update us with the latest
Arsenal Soccer Coaching modules, which we adapt for our Singapore programme.
How do you structure a match so that each child gets the most out of it?
During training we keep it to small-sided games (seven playing seven). This ensures
players get as many touches as possible and have the freedom and space to express
themselves. During training, coaches will also play three-on-three or four-on-four,
depending on the objective of the drills.
Tournament
opportunities
• 172 teams play in the JSSL
Singapore League, from
September to April.
• Ten elite teams (including one
girls’ team) visit Bangkok for a
tournament in April.
• 142 teams from 13 nations
play the JSSL Singapore
International 7s in May.
• Eight teams from the Soccer
School programme travel to
Bangkok in June.
• Nine teams travel to Sweden in
July for the Gothia Youth Cup.
• Eight teams visit Kuala Lumpur
for the Royal Selangor Cup in
November.
• Over 100 children and families
attend the JSSL Arsenal
Thanyapura Soccer Camp in
Phuket in December.
Football Fun
Size matters
Different sized balls are used at
JSSL for different age groups:
Age group
Ball size
3-4s
2
6s
3
8s, 10s, 12s
4
14s
5
A different colour code is used
for each group, too.
jssl-singaporeleagues.com