We ask that parents take responsibility for their child arriving in clothing that is appropriate for both the weather conditions; and for taking part in sporting activity.

In colder weather, it is better for a child to come layered up and remove layers as they get warmed up, rather than in too few layers. Waterproof coats are recommended during the winter months; gloves / hats when it is especially cold; equally sun screen is recommended on very sunny days.

Trainers or boots with rubber / moulded studs should be worn at Nottingham Football Centre or Gresham. Boots with metal studs may be worn on the grass pitches at Regatta Way. We ask that ALL players wear shinpads at every session.

We would ask that you don’t just turn up unannounced at a session, but contact us in advance via email. Some sections are full, and there’s nothing worse than a child turning up excited about playing only to be told they can’t (when this does happen we will normally let the child join in on that day rather than send them home – but if we are full and have started a waiting list, they will then have to go on that list, so will still experience disappointment having had a taste of the sessions).

U5s (reception): we currently have spaces for both Saturdays & Sundays

U6s (year one): Saturdays full / spaces on Sundays

U7s (year two): Saturdays full / limited spaces on Sundays

U8s (year 3): Saturdays full / a very limited number of spaces left on Sundays

Girls only group: spaces

U5s 10-11am Saturday / Sunday 9.00-10.00am

U6s 9-10am Saturday or Sunday 9.00-10.00am

Girls only sessions (age 5-9) Sunday 9.00-11.0am

…all sessions at Nottingham Football Centre behind Rushcliffe Leisure Centre / School, Boundary Road NG2 7BW

U7s on both Sats & Suns have a mix of training sessions and friendly matches with other clubs. These are always in the morning, but times can vary, so it is not recommended to have another regular activity for your child during the morning. Some seasons we do introduce an element of week night training for some of our u7s. Currently our Saturday Red Pool train on Wednesday evenings.

U8s train on week nights, and play friendly matches every weekend (standard week night training time is 6-7pm; match ko times vary but are always am; this season we have pools training on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at various venues in WB)

Our home base for u7s & u8s fixtures is Regatta Way (NG2 5AT); on occasions we may use the all weather facilities at Nottingham Football Centre at Rushcliffe Leisure Centre / School (NG2 7BW); or Gresham Sports Park on Wilford Lane (NG2 7YF).

u8s week night training sessions take place at a number of sites in West Bridgford.

Under national FA guidelines, most children start playing matches at u7 (school year 2). These are primarily friendly matches, and to encourage the importance of player development being prioritised over results, matches remain predominantly friendlies or small one off competitions at u8 / 9 / 10, with a slightly increased level of competition at u11/12. WBC supports this approach. The rules do allow year one children to play matches when they have turned 6. We do sometimes consider this if we genuinely feel it will benefit the player.

Some clubs have their u7s playing matches every week; others don’t enter their players into matches til u8 or u9. For the most part WBC u7s will mix training with matches – the size of our club does mean that internal WBC matches can form part of training sessions, so children can develop their match awareness in a pressure-free environment alongside their mates. We review this policy on a season by season basis – if some children are ready for more games, we will find them more games; if some would benefit from more training sessions, this is what we provide.

At u7/8, we register all our children simply as players for West Bridgford Colts rather than in set teams. As a club we helped pioneer this rule in the local Young Elizabethan League (YEL) and YEL supported us in discussions with Notts FA where we argued that children shouldn’t have to be placed in set squads at these age groups. What works for one child may not work for another, so the more fluidity and flexibility we have in the system, the better. The coaching teams meet & correspond regularly to ensure we do all we can for the benefit of all children.

Players need to be registered in set teams at u9 (when they move from 5-a-side to 7-a-side football), and everything we do at u7 & 8 is geared towards having players in a team / environment that works for them at the start of the u9 season. Our coaches are encouraged to think in terms of the whole year group rather than just ‘their team’; and players are encouraged to think of themselves as first & foremost West Bridgford Colts players. We ask parents to support this approach – it makes the necessary merging of teams as the formats change from 5- to 7- to 9- to 11-a-side a whole lot more straightforward for coaches and administrators; and a stress-free process for players.