Coaches and Managers Hub

👋 Welcome to the Saints Family

Thank you for volunteering your time to coach or manage a team this season. To make the job as easy as possible, we’ve gathered the essential resources, rules and match day guides right here.

If this is your first season, work down the page from the top. If you’ve done it before, the sections you probably want are Match day and Rules and formats.

Every team at this club is run by volunteers. Nobody expects you to know all of this in round one, and there’s always someone to ask.

1. Before the season starts

Register as a team official. Every coach, manager and assistant must be registered through PlayFootball and hold a valid Working with Children Check before they can be on the field or on a match sheet. How to register as a coach or manager

Read the Code of Conduct. It sets out what is expected of coaches and managers as well as players and parents. Code of Conduct

Consider a coaching course. The club and Football Canterbury run MiniRoos and Foundation of Football courses each pre-season, and we cover the cost for our volunteers. You do not need any prior qualification to coach a junior team, and most of our coaches started with none. Football Canterbury Coaching Courses

2. Club policies you need to know

These are the ones that come up. Worth reading before round one rather than mid-argument on the sideline.

• Game Time and Rotation – each player’s share across the season, who sits out when the squad is bigger than the match sheet, and what changes in finals
• Heading and Concussion Policy – heading limits by age group, and the return to play process after a head knock
• Grading Policy – how teams are graded, and what to tell a parent who asks
• Uniform and Equipment Policy – what players must wear, and the rules on jewellery and eyewear
• Wet Weather and Ground Closures – where to check, and who makes the call

If a parent raises a concern you cannot resolve, it goes to your Age Coordinator first, then the Committee. Contact us

3. Match day

Match sheets (Under 8 and older). Dribl match sheet overview

Borrowing players. There are limits on how often a player can play up an age group or fill in for another team. Borrowing Player Rules

Ground officials. Every team supplies a ground official for its own home games. It is not a hard job and you still get to watch the match. Ground Official Guidelines

Game Leaders. Matches from Under 6 to Under 12 are officiated by Game Leaders, many of them juniors from our own club. Support them, and remind your parents to do the same. Game Leader Program

Injuries. All registered players are covered by Football NSW insurance. Accident and Injury Support

Washouts. Match day closures are published on Dribl, not on the Council website. Wet Weather and Ground Closures

4. Rules and formats by age group

Match formats, field sizes and player numbers change as players move up. Age Groups and Season Dates has the full breakdown.

• Under 6 and Under 7 – U6–U7 Format & Rules
• Under 8 to Under 12 (Small Sided Football) – Under 8 – Under 12 SSG – Format and Rules
• Under 13 and above – played under the full Laws of the Game (IFAB)
• Competition rules – Football Canterbury Rules

Field maps for each of our grounds are on the Home Grounds and Directions page.

5. Coaching resources

You do not need to invent sessions from scratch. Football Canterbury and Football NSW both publish free material built for community coaches.

• Skill Acquisition Manual: A specialised resource for youth coaches working with players 9 to 12 years old, focusing on core skill development.

• Football Canterbury Coaching Resources: Access a wider library of session plans, videos, and Association specific coaching updates.

• Football NSW Coaching Newsletter: Coaches can subscribe to “The Technical Area” to receive regular drills, articles, and coaching updates directly.

• Football NSW Coaches Hub: Provides a comprehensive suite of registration links, technical manuals, safety policies, and injury prevention resources designed to support football coaches at all levels.

A good junior session is mostly small-sided games with a ball each. If you take one thing from all of the above, make it that.

6. Who to ask

Your Age Coordinator is your first stop for anything to do with your team, your age group or a parent question you would rather not handle alone.

The Technical Director can help with sessions, drills and anything technical.

The Competition Secretary handles fixtures, draws, forfeits and anything to do with Football Canterbury.

All contacts are on the Contact Us page.