Week 37

Outcomes

• ✓Players can invent a personal goal celebration.
• ✓Players can join a teammate's celebration enthusiastically.
• ✓Players can keep good sportsmanship while celebrating.

Equipment

• 1 size-3 ball per player
• 6 small flat-cone goals
• 16 cones
• pinnies

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Free Play

   5m

   Set up: Three goals up. Balls everywhere.

   How to run it: Players shoot and when they score they must do a celebration — anything they like. Big ones get a crowd cheer from teammates watching. 'Show me your moves!'

   • ›Encourage wild, expressive celebrations.
   • ›No wrong celebration — sillier is better.

2. 2. Warm-Up Game: Dance Freeze

   8m

   Set up: All players with a ball. Music playing (phone speaker).

   How to run it: Music plays — players dribble freely and groove. Music stops — freeze with foot on ball in a hero pose. Three rounds. On the last freeze, everyone's pose becomes their 'celebration of the day'.

   • ›Encourage full body expression during dancing.
   • ›Hero poses should be BIG and dramatic.
   • ›Remember each player's hero pose for the session.

3. 3. Skill Theme Game: Score and Celebrate

   12m

   Set up: Four shooting stations with small goals. Players rotate. After scoring, they must do their hero celebration before moving on.

   How to run it: Shoot from 7 yards. If you score — do your hero pose while teammates count to 3. Then move to the next station. Count goals and celebrations. No celebration = no count! Play four full rotations.

   • ›Celebrations must happen — it's the rule!
   • ›Full team cheers for each goal.
   • ›Encourage copying each other's celebrations.

4. 4. Small-Sided Games: 3v3 Celebration Rules

   15m

   Set up: Two 3v3 games. Normal rules with one addition: the whole team must celebrate together after every goal.

   How to run it: Play normal 3v3. Every goal = team runs together and does a group celebration (huddle, jump, cheer). Ref doesn't restart until the celebration is complete. Play two 7-minute games.

   • ›Team celebrations build cohesion and joy.
   • ›Coach joins every celebration.
   • ›Sportsmanship: cheer your own goals, not mock the other team.

5. 5. Cool-Down & High-Fives

   5m

   Set up: Players sit in a circle.

   How to run it: Coach awards 'Best Celebration of the Day' — the group votes by cheering for their favourite. Winner teaches it to everyone. Whole group does it together. Finish with that celebration as the club send-off.

   • ›Every child should get cheered for something.
   • ›End on the highest joy possible.

Outcomes

• ✓Players can score goals and express joy in a game context.
• ✓Players can encourage and celebrate with players from opposing teams too.
• ✓Players can play with full intensity and full joy simultaneously.

Equipment

• 1 size-3 ball per player
• 8 small flat-cone goals
• 20 cones
• 2 sets of pinnies

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Free Play

   5m

   Set up: All goals up. Music playing.

   How to run it: Players shoot and celebrate every single goal with full drama. Coach scores one goal and does the most ridiculous celebration possible to set the tone.

   • ›Coach's ridiculous celebration gives permission for full expression.
   • ›Pure joy and silliness from minute one.

2. 2. Warm-Up Game: Celebration Relay

   8m

   Set up: Two teams in lines. Cones as relay markers. One ball per team.

   How to run it: Relay dribble to a cone, then do the team's agreed celebration before dribbling back. Each player adds a move to the celebration until it's a full team sequence. No score — just building the celebration.

   • ›Creative collaboration over speed.
   • ›Laugh at the growing silliness.
   • ›This is actually brilliant social-emotional learning.

3. 3. Skill Theme Game: Shoot and Showboat

   12m

   Set up: Five small goals around the space. All players with a ball, shooting freely.

   How to run it: Every goal = a showboat celebration lasting exactly 5 seconds (coach counts). After 5 seconds, reset. Count goals in 90-second rounds. Best celebration in each round gets a bonus cheer vote from peers.

   • ›5-second countdown keeps the game flowing.
   • ›Peer vote = social learning and appreciation.
   • ›Every celebration attempt gets applause.

4. 4. Small-Sided Games: Mini-Match Festival

   15m

   Set up: Three 3v3 or 4v4 games. One goal each end. No goalkeepers.

   How to run it: Play three 5-minute games. Rule: after every goal, the scoring team celebrates, and the OTHER team claps for them — then does a 'respect handshake' before restart. Rotate teams.

   • ›Respect celebration = sportsmanship habit.
   • ›Model it yourself as coach.
   • ›Keep games flowing even during celebrations.

5. 5. Cool-Down & High-Fives

   5m

   Set up: All players in one big group.

   How to run it: The coach leads the entire group in the 'Austin Hearts FC Super Celebration' — whatever the kids choreograph together right now. Do it three times, getting bigger each time. Final club cheer.

   • ›This is the highlight of their week — make it huge.
   • ›Film it if parents are watching and willing.