Football

Football Strategy at Ballard

Football at Ballard is taught in mixed sex for Years 3 – 8. In Years 9 -11, activities and opportunities are offered for girls and boys’ Football in separate entities.

The basic skills of Football are taught in line with the FA’s guidance. The main philosophy is to develop individual skills of touch, control and pass, and then to develop into games in order to understand techniques.

The phases and emphasis is based on:

Decision Making:

Attack = Can I shoot, can I dribble, can I pass?

Defence = Create a barrier to goal from attack to goalkeeper. Don’t break the barrier!

Phase Development:

Pre-Prep – Skills, touch and control. Ball on foot as much as possible. Control and look to pass to team mates on floor with a push pass.

Lower Prep – Structure and positioning, plus basic skills; shooting, dribbling, then passing.

Upper Prep – Get the ball into shooting positions quickly, ball mainly on the ground, playing through the thirds when possible, attack at pace.

Senior – Get the ball into shooting positions quickly, fast breaking as much as possible, ball mainly on the ground, playing through the thirds when possible, attack at pace.

Opportunities:

Boys:

We offer Football fixtures for all abilities from A and B until U11 then A – D levels in Years 7 & 8 (U13). We then offer A and B in U14 -U16. There are numerous activities on offer and links to the local clubs of Milford, Lymington Sprites, Hordle, Bransgore, Brockenhurst and Sway. We also link in partnership with New Forest Soccer.

Girls:

We are delighted to have been awarded the FA Girls’ Football Partnership Award. This is a pledge for every girl to have equal access for Football in school.

Ballard Sport has developed its Football links to encourage more girls to play in school and also link to local clubs such as Mudeford, Sway and Hythe. This is being developed by our School Voluntary Community Officer, Megan Smith, who has played for Chelsea.

In Years 3 – 8, girls have the opportunity to play Football in their PE lessons as well as in extra-curricular activities offered. Our current crop of players are following the FA initiative that involves extended training for staff and aims to link girls into local clubs to play at the weekends. We have pupils who have made the Pre School Lions team and pupils who play for both Southampton and Bournemouth.

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