Wellington Olympic AFC

U12 Ares is in the good hands of Olympic legend Simon George who started with Olympic as a teen, is a former 1st team player, 2009 Chatham Cup winner, Assistant and Head Coach for Olympic, and now heavily involved in bringing through the next generation of football stars whilst also being a Dad now enjoying his daughters' football journey.

The foundations of football and learning skills and techniques is key for Simon, regardless of results on the field. Having a strong foundation can be built on and his players have seen themselves work through each process to perfect each skill and technique in their journey to become better and knowledgeable players for the future.

Ares has already proven to be quite formidible on the field in the Capital Regional A League, finding themselves at the top of the table alongside the Onslow Ambalas in the first round and third in the second round behind the IBU Sharks and Ambalas by one and two points respectively.

With the third round ready to kickoff on the 15th July, Ares is ready to continue progressing on and off the field.

PRINCIPLES

Underpinning the Junior Framework are the following principles which provide a clear structure for programmes to be developed under.

1. Accumulation of hours and number of touches

2. Early engagement

3. Recognising the development age of the player

4. Training emphasis periods

5. Four corners approach (incorporating the Physical / Mental / Social-Emotional / Technical-Tactical abilities of players)

6. Age-appropriate games.

SMALL SIDED GAMES - THE KEY INGREDIENT

Street football across the world has been instrumental in the development of world-class players, and small sided games are the cornerstone of developing technically proficient and creative football players in a New Zealand context.

The benefits of small sided games extend far beyond technical and tactical development. They ensure children develop an innate love for the game and remain in our sport for longer.