13 Insights From Running a Focus Group with Players (ages 10-15)

Players take pride in their progress. Seeing their hard work pay off—whether in skill development or game performance—fuels their motivation. Training should focus on incremental improvement and making growth visible to players.  Celebrate their improvement and you will make them better at improving and drive their desire to be there and give more effort.

Players appreciate learning how to communicate and cooperate effectively, reinforcing the importance of team-based drills and leadership development.  They specifically want teammates that help them when they make mistakes and are struggling.  They want teammates to "lift them up."  Coaches can lead this by modeling the same behavior and reinforcing for the kids that this helps them all play better and helps the team win.

Traveling for tournaments and experiencing new challenges excites young athletes. While this is true, be careful to decide whether this is the purpose of your organization.  Is your goal to give kids who don't have opportunities to travel, the opportunity to explore new places?

Some of the best memories come from off-the-field activities like pool parties, team outings, and pre-game rituals. Coaches and parents should foster these moments to create a more cohesive team environment.  They also should remember that this is what kids love.  When kids focus on what they love, they actually play and develop better too!

Making a great pass, scoring a goal, or executing a key defensive move provides immense satisfaction. Coaches should celebrate these moments to reinforce player confidence and enjoyment and to reward the effort that was put into developing.  Coaches should not rely on outcomes to give these kids this feedback.  Create every opportunity to help the kids feel the reward of their efforts.  Take control of this!

Players experience stress in many ways, from performance pressure to external expectations. Coaches should be aware of this and provide guidance to help players manage stress in a healthy, productive way.  Parents should lower the stress by never tying their own emotional responses to wins and losses.  If you do that, be prepared that you are creating more stress and that will create another thing for the coach to deal with, which will get in they way of better performance.

A strong, supportive team can relieve pressure and keep the game fun. Coaches should cultivate a culture where players uplift and encourage one another.  Coaches should model this and celebrate when players do it.

When coaches believe in their players, those players believe in themselves. Trusting players to make decisions on the field fosters independence and self-assurance.  For the players that aren't as skilled, give them opportunities when the game isn't on the line.  This is what happens when coaches show players that the coach believes in the player: the player sets higher expectations for themselves.  Powerful way to drive player development.

Beyond structured practices and games, players love having the freedom to just play. Whether it’s a pickup game or practicing moves on their own, the sheer joy of playing for fun keeps them engaged. Coaches and organizations should encourage unstructured play opportunities.

Athletes value autonomy in their development. They want coaches to provide guidance and trust them to learn through experience rather than being overly controlling.  They want the coaches to encourage them through the hard times by showing the player that they coach believes in them to eventually "get it".

Three years from now, they see themselves as stronger players benefiting from their hard work. This reinforces the need for structured long-term development plans that help players track their progress.

Players expressed a strong desire for more opportunities to train, including access to private practice areas, indoor spaces, and professional coaching. Investment in infrastructure is critical to meeting these aspirations.