My Football Journal (Kids Edition)

The car ride home from training is when you hear everything. The coach said to look up before the ball comes. Someone scored from way out. They almost made a pass with their weaker foot. By the next session, most of it has faded, and the ball goes straight back onto their favorite foot.

My Football Journal gives all of that a place to stay. It's a kids' football journal written for young players, roughly 8 to 13, to read and fill in on their own. The pages are short and the words are simple. They read about one skill, try it at training or in the backyard, then write down what started working, what felt awkward, and what they'll do next time.

Instead of levels, there are three badges to earn. The Touch Badge covers first touch, dribbling, passing, and shooting. The Team Badge is about passing and moving, finding space, defending without diving in, and talking on the pitch. The Player Badge brings in the weaker foot, playing a position, match-day habits, and helping a younger player learn. Each badge ends with a checklist they tick only when it's really true, like twenty keepy-uppies in a row or shaking hands after a tough loss.

Parents will like the safety page up front: shin pads every time, warm up first, stop and tell a grown-up after a bump to the head, and no heading until the coach says they're old enough.

What's inside

• 12 training logs — with a quick rating for how fun and how focused it was
• 12 skill trackers — tries, good ones, and a best score to beat
• 9 match logs — the score, their position, and a spot to draw where they played most
• 6 "Notes From My Coach" pages — what they did well and the fix to try next
• 3 "Somebody Watched Me Play" pages — feedback from a coach, teammate, or parent
• 15 skill pages across three badges, each with a simple drill
• A kid-friendly glossary, goal pages, a progress chart, and a "My Football People" page

It's a good fit for kids on a school team, in a club, or at a summer football camp, and for parents who want practice at home to feel like it counts. A ninong or tita could give it for a birthday or Christmas, packed with new shin pads and a ball of their own.

Someday they'll flip back to the first page and see how far that weaker foot has come.