footy4kids football patches - can they really make you a more effective coach?

These are the latest responses to the survey question: 'Have you had any success stories with patches?' (May - June 2009)

"...they provide good motivation and look impressive worn on the arm of the teams shirt. Players work hard to get them because they then stand out as someone who does well."

"I use the blue soccer ball during matches and call it Secret Superstar Soccerball award. I choose a particular player who needs help with certain skills and tell them secretly that if I see them, say make 5 good tackles and win the ball for example, they will earn the patch. It has helped my players develop specific targeted skills and really motivates them into trying hard during matches."

"I thought the parents would laugh at me when I suggested using them [but] the feedback I got was overwhelmingly positive. We won 7 of out 8 league games since using them, and won our first ever tournament - in our previous 5 attempts, we'd only progressed passed the qualifying stage twice. Maybe it's coincidence, but even so, I'm happy to keep using them if they get results like that!"

"Team do not win more matches (only won 1 match out of 16 so far this season), but there has been a definite improvement in performance in all players"

"Attendance is now 100%, focus has increased, the boys are desperate each week to see who is getting a patch. They have an armful of patches are proud, other managers keep asking what they are."

"[Patches have] had an impact on effort, and attention"

"The patches have transformed my players, especially their attitude and willingness to learn, i have seen significant improvements in performance and attitude"

"Attention is better, behaviour is better"

"Yes when the little ones have misbehaved during training we don't give them out and tell them the reason why. The following week there is a vast improvement"

more testimonials

"I just wanted to provide you some feedback on the soccer ball patches! I found your website searching for soccer drills and thought I would place an order to see if my U14 Girls team would think about them. WOW! what a great motivational tool that is very affordable. I use the patches to reward great attitude, passing, assists and goals scoring. I made sure that every girl received at least one patch and they LOVE them!!!!" A Premium Coach

"I have one child on my U6 team who regularly misbehaves even with his parents around...I had a couple of heart to hearts with him, but that didn't seem to help much. I started giving patches at the last practice. He earned one for bravery at the last game for getting up so quickly after falls. I had told him that he would get something for that. He was so excited. After I gave the patches out (game patches and practice patches) I told him about a special patch he could earn for listening and following directions. We worked on a couple more drills and practice games and he reported to me every time he listened. "I've followed directions 3 times in a row!"

It is amazing what a little thing like a patch can do." Lee

"The STAR patches are a great idea, I use them for my 9-10 year-old team. Gold for making every practice, Red for game achievements, Blue for sportsmanship and attitude. I am pleased to say that last night every boy earned a blue star in a 1-0 victory. THANKS!!!" Thomas

"My girl's U-9 team struggled until recently. All of a sudden they are playing much better and I am convinced that they...connect the patches to what they are supposed to do on the pitch. I give them patches for everything from crosses to assists to lucky goals and quick throw-ins. I am sure that these patches have turned my girl’s team around. We only scored 3 goals last season. This season we have scored 20 and we still have several games to go.....thanks!" Dave

"I have been looking for something simple and easy to use as an incentive for my U10 now U12 football team. Thank you very much. Finally, someone has come up with low cost and easy way to help motivate players in a positive way. This season will be the first time I am going to use patches as an incentive and I expect them to do wonders." Ciaran

"My daughters team needed a coach and no one stepped forward. The team was going to fold so I put my hand up - that's how I became a coach!

I now coach two teams each season. [When I awarded] the patches for an assist...the results were amazing. I had 8 kids on the team and we played 4v4. By the third game in the season, we had 100% of the kids scoring a goal in just about every game because our more skilled players WANTED a patch, so they set up the less aggressive players. Once those less aggressive players got the taste of scoring and having the crowd cheer for them, well, I will just say it was exciting!

My parents loved our league games because all their kids scored (we were VERY liberal on determining who had assists so that all the kids had multiple patches before the end of the season). To see 7 year olds passing and assisting astounded me, too - I never would have thought it possible." Kate

"I handed out patches for the 1st time after games at an award ceremony with the parent's participation. What motivation and anticipation the U-11 Players displayed as I asked the parents to help me remember events in the game so that patches were given to the appropriate players. I just about got mugged by the players! Thanks for the idea of awarding the players with patches." Andy

"I have been using the patches for 2 seasons. The football patches are for playing hard, fair and having fun and I give a star patch for red star offensive player of the game, blue star defensive player of the game, and the gold star for goals scored. This year I said for EVERY goal scored you get a gold star. Well, we had 4 different players score 2 or more goals with the final score being 10-1 and it's only our 2nd game. I had to buy more gold stars before our practice this week because I did not have enough. I think they work." Mike L.

"I introduced the patches to my two U12 girls teams at last nights training session.

I must say that I was surprised at the difference they made to their attitude and work rate. I expected them to be a little cynical but they weren't - they thought the patches were 'cool' and really wanted to earn one!

The difference was particularly noticeable among the two or three 'difficult' children. Their attitude was transformed. I only hope it keeps up!

I ironed a couple of the patches to a T shirt printed with the name of my club and wore it so they could see what the patches looked like. During training I explained exactly how they could earn one for themselves. In the warm up (ball juggling) I gave one for three consecutive juggles (they're not very good at them!). In the next exercise (a three person passing game) I gave patches to the team that could go the longest without making a mistake - it went on forever!" Steve

"I can't say enough about the tried and true results of using these patches! This very same team that lost ALL 8 games last year, won 7 out of 8 games this year!! The kids wanted those patches!!" Gayla

"My second order and we have had only one game. I started giving them out for best practice players and if they made every practice. Our team scored 11 goals!" Scott

"Your football patches are brilliant!. I had no idea how much kids would kill themselves on the pitch for a tiny piece of cloth. All I have to say is you have to earn these..., and all of a sudden they’re determined, they hustle and best of all - they pass and score. Truly a wonderful idea. Keep up the website and the incentive patches."

"My kids love the patches! My kids are the envy of every team in our league!" Chris

"I'm so excited to have found you, I've been paying 50p a patch, so this will save me lots of money. Thank you once again." April

“These are fantastic! I've looked for these for years and found your site last year. I use these as post-game awards for my players (black for each goal/assist, green for offensive player of the game, red for defensive, blue for best hustle, and the much coveted gold patch to be given only occasionally for exceptional play or sportsmanship). My kids work really hard for the patches, and they look great on our team jackets. Thanks.”

“Wow! The football Patches have been GREAT. The girls really work hard to get those little patches.”

"I have a team of U9s. It is our first year playing together, except for 2 of our players. Your patches have inspired them all to be much better players. The difference in everyone’s play, since we started with the practice games and patches is amazing. When I started the season... most of the kids were lethargic, unexcited, and bored....the patches arrived in time for the first game, and you would think I was passing out £10 notes after the game. All the kids are very proud of the patches they have earned, and can tell everyone how they earned each patch."

"There's this 10 yr old girl, who did not want to participate very much at practice. These patches sure did the trick. She would just sit & watch, or play with the grass, and beg for a patch at the end of practice. We let her know, she would get one after practicing with us. She was awarded a patch for having a great practice 4 of the last 6 practices. Once, she did not get one, because she decided to "sit-out" for about 5-minutes. I let her know that was why she didn't get a patch. She then earned one the next two practices!"

"I am a second year coach. If we win our games the players get stars and if we lose they get a football ball patch. After the first week's draw, the kids wanted stars and I explained the rules of winning and not giving up, playing hard, etc. We are undefeated since."

"I can't tell you how many smiles these patches put on so many faces each week!"