Team coaches are the backbone of any community football club like Abbotsford Juniors Football Club (AJFC). They teach our kids how to play football starting from the very basics of kicking a ball through to game tactics and strategy as they develop and learn. Their focus is the players and their development. Many of our most successful team coaches started their journey as a parent volunteering to coach their son or daughter’s team. They are ordinary people, volunteers from across our community who often took on one of our Mini-Roos (ages 5 to 7 years) and Junior (ages 8 to 12 years) teams and made it their own.
Any member of our community, male or female, regardless of prior football experience, is encouraged to participate in what can be a very rewarding role as a coach or assistant coach. No experience is necessary but a ‘Give it a Go” attitude means everyone has fun.
Team Coaches at AJFC
Volunteer team coaches at AJFC are offered comprehensive support by the Club in the form of regular training opportunities and instruction, briefings, training equipment and access to online resources along with general coaching support and advice from AJFC Committee Members to ensure that they are successful in the role.
The AJFC Team Coach Responsibilities checklist assists interested coaches in understanding their role and responsibilities of a coach at Abbotsford Juniors Football Club. It provides information about all the activities a coach should undertake from season start to end.
AJFC team coaches and managers should install and configure the Dribl Application on their phones.
Football Canterbury Association competition management activity is conducted via the application.
Abbotsford Juniors Football Club holds a forum for coaches and team managers each year.
The Forum provides important information on changes to rules, processes and operational detail that apply for the upcoming season.
All the football equipment necessary for the team is provided by the Club to be retained and used throughout the season. This includes a full training kit equipped with balls, cones and player bibs. A goalkeeper jersey and gloves plus a match ball as well as Team Official and Ground Official bibs are supplied to the coach and manager of each AJFC team. Finally, portable small training goals, poles along with other training equipment is available for use on official training nights from the AJFC Club Shed located at Campbell Park.
Registering as a Coach
Working With Children Check
ALL team coaches of an AJFC Mini-Roos, Junior or Youth team (ages 7 to 18 years) must hold a valid and current Working With Children Check to be registered with Abbotsford Juniors Football Club.
Find out more at our AJFC Working With Children Check information page.
The first step to becoming a coach of a team at Abbotsford Juniors Football Club during the Winter Season is registration with the Club using Dribl. Registration is at no cost and the Club provides everything you’ll need.
Registration as a coach of a team at AJFC during Summer Season is also via Dribl.
Registration is at no cost and must be renewed each year.
Team Coach Training and Certification
Abbotsford Juniors Football Club provides access to a range of opportunities and resources for a team coach who is interested to developing their skills through training and mentoring.
Abbotsford Juniors supports team coaches who complete the relevant Football Australia accredited “Foundation” coaching courses relevant for the age group they are coaching, by reimbursing the full cost of the course. The Club may also provide financial support for a team coach who wishes to complete additional higher level coaching qualifications upon application. Subsidised access to Football Australia accredited training may be granted in return for assisting the Club with agreed football/coaching development activity for the benefit of its members. A team coach interested in accessing such training should contact the Club at coaching@abbotsfordjuniorsfc.com.au.
Introductory coaching courses, briefings and training events are run regularly each season by Abbotsford Juniors Football Club and Football Canterbury Association.
Upcoming training events will be publicised on the AJFC website and our social media presence.
Football Canterbury Association Events lists upcoming Association training events for players and coaches.
Certified football training courses for Australian football coaches can be found at the Football Australia Learning Centre*.
Coaches are able to access training information, coaching course registrations and coaching resources including online modules and session plans.
* – Registration with Play Football is required for access
A wide a range of football training materials are available online from the Football governing bodies in Australia. Our Training Resources page provides a number of helpful links to external sites with example training sessions, ideas and videos.
These provide a wealth of material and guidance to support coaches planning and implementing their football training sessions.
Season Preparation and Support
During the season, the Club provides important updates to team coaches that are issued by Football Canterbury Association and the Club itself using the Dribl Competition management email system. It is important that a team coach provides a valid email address when registering.
Once a AJFC team is formed, the team coach and manager should work with the team (and parents) to agree two (2) suitable training times. These can be submitted to the Club to request a regular weekly training booking.
The Club will allocate a time and confirm this via return email.
Playing Jerseys for AJFC teams are sorted, assembled and packed for distribution to coaches and managers during the preseason.
Dates and times for jersey collection are published on the website and AJFC social media.
Training kit (balls, cones and bibs) for AJFC teams is assembled and distributed by the Club prior to the start of preseason training.
Dates and times for training kit collection are published on the website and AJFC social media.