Maidstone United Pebbles Club started in 2008 to bring fun and structured football to youngsters making their first steps into the game.
Get involved!
The Pebbles currently runs for boys and girls in school year R, as well as children aged four who are not yet in school.
We do not hold trials and any player, boy or girl of any ability, is welcome to come and join us. The Pebbles’ sessions take place at the Gallagher Stadium, the home of all of Maidstone United’s teams and a state-of-the-art £500K synthetic pitch. An unrivaled facility in the area, the synthetic surface is perfect for developing technical, skilled players all year round. The stadium also provides excellent facilities for parents, who are able to watch their child from the elevated main stand or grab a coffee from the Spitfire Lounge.
We train at the Gallagher on Saturday mornings. Registration is at 08:45 for a 09:00 sharp start and training continues until 10:00. It is £3 per session so if you want to come along, simply pop by and we will get your child involved straight away.
What do I need?
Please bring suitable clothing including shin pads, and plenty to drink (preferably water, no fizzy drinks). Your child will also need footwear suitable for use on the Gallagher Stadium’s synthetic surface, we recommend either astroturf trainers or boots with moulded studs. If you are unsure on whether your child has the right footwear, please contact us to seek clarification.
What we do and how we do it
Our fully qualified, CRB-checked and first aid trained coaches are experienced in teaching this age group and have a passion for coaching footballers taking their first steps into the game. They are able to relate and get the best out of children this age, and understand that football at this early juncture is totally about enjoyment and fun.
Our coaches’ primary concern is that your child feels safe, relaxed and has fun while he or she is with us, and despite regularly attracting over fifty players we retain a child to coach ratio of 6:1. Our set up is fully inclusive and our coaches recognise that each child develops at different rates and has their own individual needs, therefore if your child needs someone to hold their hand due to nerves you are more than welcome to join them on the pitch and do so.
Our coaches also understand that children will make mistakes as they learn, and strongly believe young footballers should be able to try new things without fear of criticism or castigation.
Our football philosophy
Our philosophy is based around players having fun and gaining a love for the game whilst developing their skill and technique. We achieve this with a structured coaching plan which takes a long-term view of player development and is specifically tailored for players of this age.
We will initially look to develop ball mastery through fun games, with players getting as many touches on the ball as possible; this method of constant ball-time in a fun context sees players very quickly develop skills such as dribbling, turning, shielding and striking the ball.
We then begin to expose our young players to opposed play (ie defenders/tacklers). We first do this by adding opposition during the fun games outlined above; then we will introduce players to 1v1 and 2v2 games. This method of very small sided games means every child is constantly getting touches on the ball and making decisions, consistently working on both their attacking and defensive play.
We feel that this simple but effective structure develops creative, technical players who are confident in any footballing scenario they face, therefore giving your child the best opportunity to maximise their footballing potential, whilst of course having bags of fun and making new friends.
Contact details
If you have any questions please get in touch with the Pebbles Head Coach, Steve.
Email: sbunn@maidstoneunited.co.uk
Daytime: 07785 621325
Evening: 01622 735122
