Emeel Mati, FA Safeguarding Lead certified
Present at every camp, on call for every session. The first point of contact for anything safeguarding-related.
Read the full policy →
Parent Handbook
Everything from booking to pickup, what to bring, what to expect, what we provide, and what to do if anything changes.
Feeding the country’s best academies
1:12maximum ratio
FA Level 2+every coach
Enhanced DBSrenewed annually
L3 Paediatricfirst aid certified
DSL on siteevery session
In This Handbook
Jump to what you need
Before
Countdown to your child’s first session
Five timed checkpoints, T-minus to drop-off. Tick each off and the day runs itself.
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T-7
Book your place
Confirmation email arrives instantly. Check your spam folder if it doesn’t, some inboxes filter receipts.
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T-3
Submit the medical form
Allergies, medications, emergency contact, photo consent. One short form, one signed parent. We’ll send a reminder if it’s outstanding.
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T-1
Pack the kit bag
Boots, trainers, shin pads, water bottle, weather kit. Full checklist below. We send a printable version with your booking.
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T-12h
Talk through the day
Five minutes the night before: who’ll be coaching, what the schedule looks like, where you’re dropping them off. Calm = confident.
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T-0
Drop-off
Arrive in the drop-off window. Coach signs your child in personally. You wave. The day starts.
Kit & Lunch
What you bring · what we provide
A clear split, so nothing gets forgotten on either side.
You bring
Kit & personal items
- Football boots (astro-turf options at most venues)
- Trainers for warm-up & indoor breaks
- Shin pads
- Refillable water bottle (a big one)
- Weather-appropriate kit, layers help
- Suncream & hat in summer; gloves & warm layers in winter
- Packed lunch (or pre-order ours for £6)
- Inhalers, EpiPens, prescribed medication if applicable
We provide
Coaching & logistics
- FA-qualified coaching, every minute
- Footballs, cones, bibs, goals, training kit
- Drinking water and structured snack breaks
- First-aid kit & Level 3 paediatric first aider on site
- Designated Safeguarding Lead for every session
- Indoor sports hall option in severe weather
- Coach contact number for the day, sent at booking
- End-of-day photo update (if photo consent given)
Programme Differences
What’s the same, what’s different
All three formats share Matico’s coaches and method. Pick the rhythm that fits your child’s week.
| Holiday Fun Days | Residential | Weekly Training | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | One day | 8 days, 7 nights | 10-week term blocks |
| Ages | 5–12 | 9–15 | 5–14 |
| Hours per session | 6 (9:30am–3:30pm) | ~3.5/day x 7 | 60–90 minutes |
| Coaching contact | ~5 hours | ~25 hours | ~10 hours/term |
| Lunch | Bring or pre-order £6 | Full board included | n/a |
| Best for | First-timers, busy weeks | Deep immersion, mateships | Steady progression |
| Price from | £39/day | £499/camp | £240/term or £28 PAYG |
On The Day
Drop-off, schedule, pickup
A predictable shape, end to end. Your child knows what’s next, and so do you.
1
Drop-off
A coach signs your child in personally. Holiday: 9:15–9:30am. Residential: 11am–1pm Sunday. Weekly: arrive 5 mins before.
2
The session
Same shape every time: warm-up, skills block, applied games, mini-tournament. Plus structured breaks, water, fuel.
3
Reach a coach
A dedicated coach phone number is sent with your booking. Residentials get a 24-hour parent line for the duration of camp.
4
Pickup
Holiday: 3:30–3:45pm. Residential: 11am–1pm Sunday. Weekly: on the dot of session end. Photo handover, quick word with a coach.
“Everything was clear before we got there. Kit list, drop-off, who’d be coaching, what the day looked like. After three other camps where we figured it out as we went, that alone made me book again.”
Hannah, mum of Sienna (8)
After
What you get back
Coaching that doesn’t end at pickup. Three ways feedback reaches you.
Safeguarding
How we keep your child safe
Held by the DSL, shared on a need-to-know basis.
Medication kept in a labelled medical kit at the coach’s side. Every dose logged, every parent updated.
Opt in or opt out at booking.
Update consent any time by emailing info@maticofootball.com.
One standard, applied evenly.
Respect for coaches, teammates and the venue. Persistent issues raised directly with player & parent.
L3 Paediatric First Aid certified coach on site, every session.
For anything serious: venue procedures, immediate parent contact, full debrief afterwards.
Equipment
A quick guide to boots, kit & bag
Useful if your child is new to football and you’re not sure what counts as “good enough.”
Boots
Buy boots that fit, not boots they’ll grow into. Most venues use 3G or astro, moulded studs (FG/AG) work best. Avoid bladed studs for safety.
Replace when toes are pressing the end, usually every 6–9 months at growing ages.
Shin pads
Required at every session. Slip-in or strap-on both work. Cover from below the knee to above the ankle. Many parents under-buy on size, size up if in doubt.
Kit bag essentials
One drawstring or sports bag with: spare socks, a towel, a snack, a refillable bottle. Wet-weather days, add a plastic bag for muddy boots.
Brand snobbery is unnecessary
The £130 boots don’t make a £40 player a £130 one. Decent boots that fit, replaced when grown out of, beat fancy boots that pinch every time.
Glossary
Football coaching terms, demystified
Plain-English definitions for the acronyms you’ll see across the site.
- FA Level 1 / 2 / 3
- The Football Association’s coaching qualification ladder. Level 1 covers basics; Level 2 is the minimum standard for Matico coaches; Level 3 includes coach education for older age groups.
- UEFA B Licence
- A continental-level qualification for coaching at junior to semi-professional level. Eight of our twelve coaches hold this.
- FA Advanced Youth Award
- The FA’s specialist youth coaching qualification, focused on age-appropriate development. Required for all Athletes Club coaches.
- DBS / Enhanced DBS
- Disclosure and Barring Service check, a UK criminal record check. Enhanced DBS is the highest level, required for anyone working with children. Renewed annually for every Matico coach.
- DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead)
- The named person responsible for safeguarding at every session. The DSL holds medical info, addresses concerns, and is the first point of escalation for anything child-welfare-related.
- L3 Paediatric First Aid
- Level 3 first aid certification specifically for working with children. Required for every coach on every Matico session.
- 1:12 ratio
- One coach to every twelve players, maximum. The ratio at every Matico session, and one of the lower numbers in the youth coaching market.
- The four pillars
- The Matico method’s four areas of development: technical (ball skills), tactical (decisions), physical (movement), mental (mindset). Every session covers all four.
Common parent questions
My child is nervous about their first session. What helps?
Tell us at drop-off, coaches keep an extra eye on them in the first hour. Most first-timers settle in by the warm-up. The car ride home is usually a stream of stories.
What if they need medication during the day?
Hand the medication to the lead coach at drop-off, with a quick note on dose and timing. We log every administration and update you at pickup. For residentials, the DSL holds the medical kit and follows your written instructions.
What’s the rain / bad-weather policy?
We run sessions in light rain. For severe weather we move indoors at venues with sports halls. If a session genuinely cannot go ahead, we contact you directly, full refund or transfer to another date.
Do you provide kit if my child forgets something?
We carry spare shin pads, water bottles and a basic first-aid stock. For boots and trainers, we ask you to drop them off if forgotten, we keep boots player-specific for hygiene.
How do you handle disagreements between players?
Coaches address it on the spot, calmly and privately. We brief both children, get them back into the session, and let you know at pickup. For repeated issues we contact you directly to agree next steps.
Can I observe a session?
Yes, parents are welcome to watch from the designated area. We ask that coaching is left to coaches during the session itself, we’ll talk you through anything you saw at pickup.
What happens if my child is sick the day of the session?
Email or phone us as early as you can. Holiday and weekly sessions: we transfer to a future date or credit your account. Residentials: please contact the DSL directly, details are on your booking confirmation.
Do you cater for additional needs?
Yes, tell us at booking via the medical form (or email separately). We brief the coaching team, adjust group ratios where useful, and check in with you after the first session. We coach inclusively and want every player to thrive.
What’s your photo policy on social media?
Photos posted publicly are first-name only, and only of children whose parents have given explicit photo consent. We never tag or identify a child publicly without that consent.
Where do I update photo consent or medical info after booking?
Email info@maticofootball.com with subject “Update consent” or “Update medical”. We confirm any change in writing within 24 hours.
Emergency
If something goes wrong
Save these. The first one is the fastest path; the second is for serious safeguarding concerns.
During a session
Coach contact line
Sent with your booking confirmation, unique to your child’s session. Coach will pick up or call back within 5 minutes.
Question we haven’t covered?
Email or call, we respond within 24 hours, Mon–Sat. The form on the contact page routes straight to the right person.