Articles about youth football
Mini-groups: why a child progresses faster in a group of 4
Four children per coach, ages 5–15, indoor sessions: how our mini-groups work and who they suit.
Football school, club or academy — what's the difference
How a club, football school, academy and sports school differ by goals, load and selection — and how to choose a format.
Football academy trials: how to prepare your child
What coaches assess at a trial, how to get your child into shape and an honest look at the odds of getting in.
Ginga: the Brazilian style and where technique comes from
What ginga is in plain words, where it came from — capoeira, samba, street football — and whether you can teach it to a child.
How to choose a football section for a girl: no myths
How football benefits a girl, the myths about girls' football debunked, what to look for when choosing a section and from what age to start.
What a training session at the football academy looks like
Warm-up, technique, game drills and the match: what a session consists of and how it differs from a kickabout.
What a child needs for football: kit, boots, shin pads
What to bring to the first session, how to choose footwear by surface, why shin pads — and what you can skip.
Football in English for kids: why it works and how
How a bilingual session is structured, what it gives your child and why no language preparation is needed.
Football for teens: is 12–14 too late to start?
What starting at 12–14 really gives, an honest word about professional prospects, and four myths that stop teenagers from beginning.
Football for girls: benefits, myths and how to start
What football gives a girl, a breakdown of the main parental myths (rough, injury-prone, alone among boys) and how to start from scratch.
Goalkeeper school for kids: from what age and what they train
From what age a child should go in goal, what a young goalkeeper trains, what kit is needed and how to tell the role suits them. An honest guide.
How to tell your child is improving at football
Why goals and powerful shots show almost nothing, which four signs reveal real progress and how long each one takes to appear.
How a child can get into the Spartak, Dinamo or CSKA academy
At what age clubs recruit children, how a trial works, what coaches really assess and how to prepare — honestly, without promises.
Football for kids aged 3–4: what an early start gives
What playful sessions with a ball really develop in the youngest children, when it makes sense to begin, how sessions for 4-year-olds run and which mistakes parents make with an early start.
A football birthday party for your child: how to throw it
An active celebration instead of a boring party: dynamic football games adapted to the age, where every child is involved. Who it suits and how to organise it in Khimki.
What age to start your child in football: a breakdown by age
What children can do at 4–6, 7–9, 10–13, and 14–16, when to start for a career, and how to tell your child is ready.
The benefits of football for children: 5 key effects
Fitness, quicker thinking, team skills, discipline, and confidence — what football really gives a child.
The GINGA Brazilian method: how young footballers are trained in Brazil
Why Brazilians teach children football through play rather than drills, and how it works at our academy in Khimki.
How to choose a football club for your child: a checklist for parents
What to look for when choosing a club in Khimki: the coach, the group, safety, a trial session. A practical checklist.
Tony Correa: from professional football to a children’s coach in Russia
The story of BAF’s head coach: professional football in Brazil and coaching on five continents.
International football camps: what they give a child
Why a young footballer needs away camps, how the programme works, and why 10 days of camp replace months of regular training.