Expo
We organise Football Fours and Super Fives festivals, or Expos as we like to call them, throughout the year here at Tynecastle Park and at Oriam (the National Performance Centre based at Heriot Watt University)
The objective is simple – pitch up and let them play.
Remember when you were younger and used to play in the street or up the park with your pals? Sometimes the only grown up you heard from was Mum or Dad shouting you in for dinner. Well that’s the environment we create at our Expos. The kids take on the majority of responsibility for their team while coaches get the chance to stand back more and enjoy watching their players get on with playing.
“Why do we encourage this? Well, back in the day when playing in the street or park, we usually didn’t have an adult providing instruction from the side-line. We picked the teams, the positions, the type of game and how long we played for. Usually we played until the player that owned the ball had to go home!
Society has moved on and today football fours, super fives and soccer sevens are, in my opinion, the modern day replacement for street football. That’s why I feel, as adults, we need to take a step back and allow the kids to make mistakes, to have the confidence to improvise and to make mistakes!
Kids are more creative and imaginative than adults – let’s give them the opportunity to use that imagination on the football pitch and they might just surprise us from time to time.” Ryan Hildersley, Community Football Officer.
Key features of Play the Game Expo:
- 6-7 games at Tynecastle Park or Oriam.
- Football Fours: Squads of 6 players / Super Fives: Squads of 8 players
- Opportunity for young club players to play against other grassroots teams from throughout the South East Region and beyond.
- Spectator areas for friends and family to relax and enjoy the games.
- Play the Game information leaflet for coaches and parents to show how to create the best playing environment for young players.
Keep an eye out on our twitter page @heartscoaching or email ryanhildersley@homplc.co.uk for upcoming Expo dates.