The Football parents are constantly being sold speed.
Become faster.
Become stronger.
Improve their technique.
Get academy ready.
Do another session.
The underlying message is:
Your child needs to improve quickly or they'll fall behind.
I don't agree with that approach to youth development.
Development compounds
I like comparing football development to investing.
Nobody sensible expects a good investment to make them rich next Tuesday.
The power comes from small improvements accumulating over a long period.
Football development works in a similar way.
In my Building Champions guide I use the example of doing just 5–10 minutes of ball work regularly rather than forcing a child through an hour because we want faster results.
Those small efforts add up.
But there's another advantage.
They're sustainable.
Trying to squeeze years of development into a short period increases the risk of children becoming physically and mentally exhausted.
Your child doesn't need to be the finished player
They're developing.
Some periods will be quick.
Others will feel like nothing is happening.
Another player might suddenly shoot ahead.
Your child might catch them later.
That's youth development.
Your job isn't to get your 10-year-old to their maximum potential today.
It's to create an environment where they can continue moving towards it for years.
Don't rush the journey so much that they stop enjoying being on it.