Sponsored Guest Post
Football is the most popular sport in the world with over 3.5 billion people worldwide professing to be a fan of the sport. With over half of the entire planets population enjoying the sport it comes as no surprise that football has the highest participation rates amongst children.
Like a lot of children who play football, I grew up dreaming of becoming a professional football player and playing in the premier league alongside my idols. And, like a lot of children, I always thought that being a footballer and the journey that you go on from an Under 7’s team all the way to signing for your favourite team would, be and sounded like, the greatest experience you could hope for.
Whilst children and even parents may think that this is the opportunity of a lifetime and is not to be missed, do our hopes match reality?
The founders of Football Fun Factory, James Cutting and Jonny Martin know firsthand that in many circumstances it does not. Having both worked together within a professional football club they know the stark reality regarding children undertaking the journey to professionalism.
One of the major problems within academy and football development settings is that children can be viewed as players or development pet projects by the coaches. Professional football is all about results, winning and finding the very best players. What this means is that children as young as 7 can be subjected to fitness regimes and training drills that have been designed for professional athletes and modified for their age.
The amount of pressure that each child is under to develop their technical ability and reach that next step is astronomical. Each child’s dream can be cut at any second if they are not deemed good enough and they are often at the mercy of their coaches.
When only 0.012% of children who play football make it professionally should we not just focus on letting children be children and have fun? That is exactly why James Cutting and Jonny Martin created the Football Fun Factory.
At FFF our ethos is to ensure that we create incredible environments where children can express themselves, play, make friends and have fun. We always strive to make sure that each child who attends our unique experiences leaves with a massive smile on their face.
Each Football Fun Factory ‘superstar head coach’ is highly trained in the art of making unforgettable experiences for children. These wondrous experiences come in the form of our weekly sessions for children aged 2-12, school holiday football fun camps and birthday parties &events.
One thing that really makes our experiences one of a kind is the usage of our inflatables. We use our inflatable pitch, goal and dartboard to create truly unique memories that will last a lifetime for every child who uses them.
FFF offers a range of experiences in locations across the UK and is always expanding. We have 6 ‘superstar head coaches’ in Norwich and across Norfolk so if you would like to try out the FFF you can register for our exclusive free 3-week trial HERE
Mark
Head Coach