Football in deepest, darkest winter presents many issues for grassroots clubs, coaches and players, with keeping young players warm close to the top of the list of priorities. Whether it is a training session or matchday, keeping warm is a must which is sometimes easier said than done.
In the middle of winter, temperatures can drop below freezing which makes conditions tough. Junior players, especially, will feel the cold and must be kept as warm as possible to avoid injury, as well as to enjoy themselves.
When players become cold their muscles tighten, which is a recipe for disaster. As football is a game of intense intervals, where players routinely burst into sprints, if muscles are tight and not loose then there is a high possibility of a painful injury that can keep them out of action for a prolonged period.
Who is Responsible for Keeping Players Warm?
It is a shared responsibility between the club, coaches, parents and the players themselves to keep warm. Parents should ensure that children attend training sessions and matches with suitable clothing. Some good winter football clothing options include:
- Baselayers that can be worn underneath their kit
- Woolly hat
- Gloves
- Tracksuit top/jacket
- Tracksuit bottoms
- Thick jacket (to arrive and leave wearing)
Coaches should always ensure that players are wearing layers, especially if they are not moving (more on reducing waiting times later). Many clubs, on top of offering playing kits, also offer training kits intending to keep players warm in the winter months. Often, clubs and/or their coaches will seek out sponsorship from local businesses to fund training kits for players in exchange for printing a logo on the front or back of the kit.
Training
At training, players do not have to have their kits on show, so can participate wearing long-sleeve tracksuit tops and tracksuit bottoms. As players begin to move and their body temperature increases, they may wish to remove a layer for their comfort – you may want to encourage the player to keep the additional layer on, depending on the session plan/point of the session you are in. During a game, normally at the end of the session, outfield players are likely to be moving and so removing a tracksuit top may be beneficial.
As a rule of thumb, coaches should always try to avoid having players waiting in queues as they soon become bored and disengaged from the session – especially junior age groups. During the winter, it is especially important to ensure that all players attending training are moving and not standing still. Coaches should plan sessions where players regularly have the ball at their feet (which is what they want) and remain mobile, keeping waiting times to a minimum.
Matchdays
Keeping players warm on matchdays is a challenge, especially those not on the pitch. When warming up before kick-off, players should be encouraged to keep training tops on – the warm-up will not be as intense as a normal training session, meaning that players will become colder much quicker.
You may also wish to consider how early you ask parents and players to arrive before matches. During the warmer months, you may ask that everyone arrives an hour before kick-off, effectively fitting in a near-full training session before the game. In the winter, you may wish to consider putting back the time you ask for players to arrive to reduce the time they are out in the cold. There should always be enough time for a warm-up before the game to avoid injury.
During the game, the players on the field are running around and keeping warm, however, your substitutes are bystanders watching on. Substitutes have to keep themselves warm anyway so that they are ready to enter the field of play, especially in the case of an injury when a quick change is needed.
Space allowing, encourage your substitutes to take a ball and pass amongst themselves – if there isn’t enough room for that, then you can ask them to keep moving by walking, jogging or stretching to keep them active. Investing in a foldaway subs bench is another good means of keeping your substitutes warm as they can sit side-by-side creating a huddle effect, distributing body warmth to one another. Substitutes should make sure to wear a training top until they are asked to come on and players leaving the pitch should put a training top on immediately to maintain their warmth.
Goalkeepers
Up until now, most of what we have said only applies to outfield players. As anyone who has ever played as a goalkeeper before knows, there isn’t that much running involved – that means there is little opportunity to warm up. Goalkeepers, usually, have a long-sleeved shirt as part of their match kit and so it is easy to wear a second shirt or baselayer underneath. We would also recommend goalkeepers, especially juniors, wear a knitted hat to keep warm.
When not involved in the play, coaches should encourage the goalkeeper to keep active by stretching, jogging on the spot and other movements while focusing on the game. By doing this, the goalkeeper not only keeps warm but muscles remain loose which is important for making jaw-dropping reflex saves!
Hydration
You may not realise it, but keeping hydrated helps you to keep warm. Players are encouraged to maintain good levels of hydration during training and matches anyway, but a bonus to this is that water helps the body to regulate its temperature.
Water also helps to maintain muscle suppleness, which will help your players to avoid injury as the cold weather causes muscles to tighten. You may also wish to consider investing in insulated flasks and filling them with hot chocolate for the players to sip on when not playing on matchdays.
Motivation in the Cold
The crisp cold weather can be a major cause of demotivation for players, so providing them with something to aim for will help to keep them focused and engaged. Small football trophies for kids, such as trainer of the week and player of the match, give them something to aim for every week. Not only does this motivate them to impress the coach so that they are recognised in front of their teammates, but they will be more likely to put in extra effort which will help to keep them warm.
Fen Regis Trophies have been supplying and engraving awards and trophies for over 40 years, meaning that we can make sure that your players take home something to be proud of and willing to go the extra mile for. Please view our range of awards and trophies on our website, or get in touch with us today.