For youth footballers aspiring to reach the highest level, strength and conditioning (S&C) has become a fundamental pillar of success in today’s more athletically demanding game. It helps players to develop the strength, speed, and stamina required to compete against other high level players week-in, week-out, and stay injury-free.
However, many young players and parents with the best of intentions fall into the trap of thinking that (like with additional technical sessions) one in-person S&C session per week is also enough to start seeing progress. Unfortunately however, the reality is that it’s not even close. Even the best in-person coaches can’t change the basic requirements of athletic development:
Multiple sessions per week
Consistent progression
Long-term planning
Unless your child is full time at a professional club which provides multiple in-person S&C sessions per week, relying on a weekly group or one-to-one session, even with a qualified S&C coach, is unlikely to produce any meaningful, lasting progress. Below I breakdown the various principles of training and obstacles which this strategy fails to meet and overcome, ultimately leaving many players and parents feeling frustrated.
I write this from experience having delivered both in-person group and 1-1 S&C sessions with youth footballers for many years, before arriving at the realisation that both strategies fell well short of what was becoming increasingly possible through online coaching and truly setting young players up for success.
Why In-Person S&C Sessions For Youth Footballers Are Hugely Flawed
Whilst ticking the S&C box with a weekly training session may seem like a step in the right direction for many parents of talented youth footballers, the truth is that it’s simply not enough to trigger the progressive adaptations needed for consistent improvements in strength, speed, and injury resilience.
Youth footballers relying on one session per week often fail to make progress because the adaptations gained during the session diminish before the next session begins. Without the consistency of multiple weekly sessions, players simply don’t accumulate enough training stimulus to trigger lasting improvements.
One common misconception is also that multiple S&C sessions per week mean exhausting the player. In reality, the goal of every session isn’t to make the player tired. Instead, different sessions target different areas, such as:
Improving strength and power
Developing speed and acceleration
Increasing stamina and endurance
Optimising movement mechanics
Enhancing flexibility and mobility
There’s simply too much to cover in one session per week. Consistent, well-structured training ensures that progress is made across all areas without building up excessive fatigue.
For noticeable gains to be possible with just one session, such an intense level of stress would be required that it could leave the player dealing with prolonged soreness, reduced performance, and an increased risk of injury—negatively affecting their ability to train and play effectively for days afterward.
The Trap of Group-Based S&C Sessions
Group S&C sessions, commonly offered at clubs or local academies, are often marketed as a more affordable training option. However, they come with even more significant limitations, and typically serve as little more than an introduction to gauge whether a youth player enjoys S&C training, rather than a pathway to meaningful, long-term progress. Here's why:
Programming limitations: Group sessions often follow a plan that doesn’t cater to each player’s specific needs or areas for development. If your child has specific weaknesses they’re unlikely to be identified or addressed in a one-size-fits-all session. Additionally, progression towards more challenging or neuromuscularly complex exercises often becomes limited because not every player in the group will be ready to handle the progression at the same time. This leaves coaches stuck between keeping everyone on simpler exercises or trying to manage multiple progressions simultaneously, which dilutes individual instruction and slows progress for everyone.
Poor timing of sessions: Group sessions often don’t align with the player’s training load. For example, if a speed session is scheduled when the player is already fatigued, they won’t adapt or improve. To have maximum impact, the timing of a specific training stimulus is very important, training from home allows youth footballers to train the right session at the right time for maximum progress.
Untracked training load: Group sessions don’t account for or monitor the player’s overall workload from other team training, matches, and extra sessions completed that week, increasing the risk of overtraining, injury or undertraining.
Missed sessions equal missed progress: If the player or coach misses a session due to holidays, off-seasons, or unexpected absences, progress is immediately stalled. Even missing a few sessions can lead to de-training, consistency is absolutely key to building long-term improvements with this type of training.
You Can’t Stand Out by Doing the Same as Everyone Else: If your child is attending the same weekly group session as their teammates, they’re doing the same level of training as everyone else. But to get signed by a pro club, they need to be better than the players already at that club, not just as good. To stand out, they need a more tailored and consistent approach that goes beyond what the average player is doing.
The Cost of Minimal Progress: Money Down the Drain
Next, let’s break down the typical financial investment of just ONE weekly in-person session with a standard qualified S&C coach:
£80 per session x 52 sessions per year = £4,160 per season minimum
Even £20 per weekly group session is going to add up to £1000+ over 12 months.
I’d want some guarantee of results before making an investment like that. But as we’ve discussed, with just one session per week, progress will be minimal—nowhere near enough to guarantee meaningful results within a set timeframe, as the Elite Football Athlete programme does. Essentially, you’re just paying for coaching, but which matters more to you—the coaching itself or the result it delivers?
Specialist S&C coaches understand these constraints, which is why they rarely take on players outside of the professional club environment and will exclusively train full-time pro's. They understand that progress requires multiple sessions per week, consistently scheduled around team training. In a professional setup, the player’s schedule is built entirely around maximising performance, with coaches having daily access to the player and no restrictions from school hours or holidays.
For youth players outside of pro clubs, an online solution such as the Matchfit Elite Football Athlete programme is the only possible way to realistically replicate this level of frequency and tailored programming. It allows players to train multiple times per week while avoiding the cost of repeated in-person sessions and the inconsistency that often comes with them.
Specialised S&C Exercises Need Consistent Guidance
In an in-person setting, a coach can’t simply demonstrate an exercise once and expect the player to remember it perfectly. To ensure proper execution, the coach would need to be present every session, which isn’t realistic or affordable. This means that there needs to be an element of online programming involved.
An app-based training solution like Elite Football Athlete solves this problem by providing video demonstrations with explanations that players can rewatch as many times as needed, ensuring correct form and technique. They can also send a video of them performing the exercise to our coaches any time for specific feedback. This approach unlocks greater training independence while allowing players to get feedback from their coach remotely whenever needed.
The Flexibility and Convenience of Training from Home
One of the biggest challenges for youth footballers is fitting S&C sessions into their busy schedules, which include school, team training, matches, and travel. Even if finances aren't a constraint, in-person sessions are often difficult to attend regularly due to time constraints.
The Elite Football Athlete programme was specifically designed to eliminate this issue for youth footballers, by allowing them to train at any time that suits their schedule. Whether it’s before school, after training, or on weekends, they can fit sessions in when they’re most effective. This flexibility ensures that players can maintain consistent training even during busy periods or school holidays.
Remember, to get signed by a pro club, youth players need to be better than the players already in the club. One session per week won’t make that happen. Multiple, targeted sessions over an extended period are the only way to build the strength, speed, and stamina required to become an elite level football athlete who can compete against the best.
The Hidden Cost of DIY Training: Missed Gains and Added Stress
There are however also many players and parents who understand that multiple sessions per week are required, and then start heading down the next rabbit hole - trying to create their own programme for free from Youtube and Instagram videos. This is another strategy which is doomed from the outset, and doesn’t just limit progress—it can also become increasingly mentally exhausting and stressful for both player and parent.
Players can waste hours searching for the “right” exercises, unsure of how to structure them an constantly second-guessing as to whether they’re actually doing the right thing. This uncertainty can drain motivation, leaving players questioning whether their efforts are in vain. Without clear direction or measurable progress, they often lose confidence, abandon their training, and stall their development altogether.
The Matchfit Elite Football Athlete programme eliminates this guesswork by offering structured guidance, expert feedback, and the assurance that each session is purposefully designed to drive real progress. With this level of support, players can shift their focus from worrying about what to do next to training with confidence and intent.
If you'd like to learn more about how the Elite Football Athlete programme is helping players just like your son or daughter stand out at trials and make pro club and even international selection, click the image below.
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