OUR FOOTBALL SCHOOL
Football more than just Community
WELCOME TO FOOTYBUGS
FootyBugs is a children grassroots football school, operates in the summer month, between September and April, a Junior Academy for boys and girls aged 7 to 12 years and a Skill Acquisition Program for boys and girls aged from 5 to 12 years of all abilities and skill levels.
Our Football School's Skill Acquisition Program is teaching the fundamental football skills and techniques designed appropriately for each age group with focus on individual skills development and small group play to develop skilled, confident and creative players.
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Through a combination of football and various other general movement-based training sessions children will not only learn the art of football and the core skills needed. They also will develop invaluable motoric and social skills such as skipping, jumping, catching, or listening, sharing, taking turns, teamwork, and having empathy for others.
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Our focus is providing football in a structured, caring and safe environment, allowing children of all abilities and skill levels to have fun and enjoy participating in sport as they grow up!
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From the moment children joining one of our football classes we’ll work with them on developing children’s skills and offer a pathway for them to follow as they get older.​
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ELEVATE YOUR GAME
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New in season 2023/24 FootyBugs newly established Junior Academy is great for football enthusiast aged 7 to 12 years who wants to level up their game and train & play in a U8, U10 or U12 FootyBugs team in the Summer Junior Football City League.
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​Our training methodology in the Junior Academy is inspired by the TOVO (TOtaal VOetbal) methodology, founded by Todd Beane. TOVO is a proven methodology used by professional academies world wide that encourage players to seek effective solutions with vision, precision, and pace.
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The TOVO methodology empowers players to understands the value and elements of Position Play & Principles of Play to become more effective players and in control of spatial relationships and to play more capably and confidently.
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We believe football players who understands the value and elements of Position Play & Principles of Play are more effective players and in control of spatial relationships and to play more capably and confidently. Even the youngest player can effectively acquire this understanding and put it into practice. These concepts they will apply throughout the ages.
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FootyBugs offers children who already enrolled in a FootyBugs class to join the FootyBugs Junior Academy to play in a FootyBugs U8, U10 or U12 team representing FootyBugs in the Summer Football Junior City League.
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FAQ
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Can my child join the Skill Acquisition Program and Junior Academy?
Absolutely, children between 5 and 12 of years of age can join the Skill Acquisition program for technical skill development and Children between 7 and 12 of years can also the Junior Academy. Children who join the Junior Academy can join one of our U8, U10 or U12 FootyBugs teams to train together and play in the City League Junior Football.
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What is the difference between the Skill Acquisition Program and Junior Academy?
Both have different objectives or learning outcomes, but we believe complementary to each other.
The Junior Academy aims on developing the players playing IQ to understand better the values and elements of Position Play & Principles of Play where as the Skill Acquisition Program focuses on technical skill development, teaching necessary fundamental techniques for playing football, i.e. passing, receiving, turns, stops, feints, shooting, 1v1’s, agility, balance and coordination, etc.
OUR MISSION
We want football to be for all and to provide children the opportunity to access to structured football training that would usually only be accessible in academies.
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We want teaching and demonstrating football skills, sportsmanship, honesty, respect, and fair play but also want children excel their football skills and learn the importance of physical fitness and healthy eating from early ages.
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We want to provide an atmosphere where the player’s emotional well-being will be nurtured as they learn the importance of teamwork, determination, persistence, and hard work.
FOOTYBUGS AND
NZ FOOTBALL CURRICULUM
For the gradual progressive development of the children or junior player FootyBugs children’s grassroots football school emphasis on concepts of NZ Football Four Corner Model which is fundamental to their enjoyment, competency, and retention in the game long term.
Technical / Tactical: Focusing on NZF’s 4 attacking core skills like striking the ball, 1v1, Receiving the ball, Running with Ball and for Goalkeeper handling as well as developing children understanding of the game like: Analysing Individuals, Teams and Kiwi Strength.
Physical: Focusing on the physical development of players through warm-ups and conditioning.
Mental: Focusing on the mental development of players such as mental agility.
Social Emotional: Focusing on the individual development of players through playful activities centred on individual development while in a group environment and having as much time using the ball as possible; encourage the individual to explore.
NZ Football defines the objective of every football game is to win. To win a game, a team needs to be able to score goals and prevent goals. To score goals a team must be able to get the ball and a player in a goal scoring position and likewise to prevent goals the team must limit the opponent from getting the ball and a player in a goal scoring position. These are the objective facts of football which also has a clear structure that is called the Four Main Moments.
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The Four Main Moments and its key principles are:
Attacking: Controlled and incisive possession, Combination play, Individual play
Transition to Defend: Press the ball immediately, Prevent forward passing, Quickly into defending position
Defending: Win the ball back as close to the opponent’s goal as possible, Deny time and space, Limit goal scoring opportunities
Transition to Attack: Quick forward passing and movement, Quickly into attacking position