Kayode Bamgbose
youth coach educator
Encouraging; games teach better than drills
Touchline
Twelve children, pushy parents and a season to survive. Sian learns coaching, child development and safeguarding, and has to decide whether to play to win or to develop every child when the league table and her own son pull her both ways.
Planned · not started yet
Fitness & sport Family duty Ethics & integrity Small town Warm Lightly witty
The premise
Twelve children, pushy parents and a season to survive. Sian learns coaching, child development and safeguarding, and has to decide whether to play to win or to develop every child when the league table and her own son pull her both ways.
The protagonist
Sian Talgarth — Parent who volunteers to coach an under-11s football team
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Dr Helen Maycock
child-development researcher
Thoughtful; children are not mini adults
Gary Penhaligon
safeguarding officer
Strict; procedures protect everyone
How the story moves
One season; a child’s head injury in Book 3 tests Sian’s judgement and changes how the parents behave.
What readers take away
- Planning age-appropriate sessions
- Teaching skills through games
- Long-term athlete development
- Safeguarding duties and reporting
- Concussion recognition and return-to-play
- Managing parents and touchline behaviour
- Inclusion and equal playing time
- Coaching your own child
- Run a fair selection policy
- Communicate with parents effectively
- Handle a safeguarding disclosure correctly
- Get first-aid qualified
The books
- 1Pre-season Planned
- 2The league Planned
- 3The injury Planned
- 4The final Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.