Making sessions fun, enjoyable and meaningful with James Riches | S6 Ep22 episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 15, 2026 · 25 MIN

Making sessions fun, enjoyable and meaningful with James Riches | S6 Ep22

from Coachcast · host England Football Learning

Keeping players engaged throughout a session can be one of the biggest challenges coaches face. When energy dips or attention wanders, it can quickly affect outcomes for players. In this episode, James Riches returns to Coachcast to talk about managing training sessions and making them fun. We dive into how coaches can create environments where players are challenged while also enjoying practices. Our conversation explores how coaches can get a better understanding of what players are experiencing outside of football and why it matters. James identifies the signs to look out for when players’ are losing interest, and shares plenty of coaching advice as the season draws to a close. If you want your players leaving training smiling and eager to come back next week, this episode will give you practical ideas to help make that happen. In this episode, we cover: the difference between fun and enjoyment and why both matter.what fun sessions look likethe signs that players’ enthusiasm for a session is waninghow to re-engage players when energy drops recognising the unique needs of each player different types of competition and how to use them positivelyhow to get honest feedback from playersCreating the right level of challenge for mixed-ability groups. common coaching mistakes toward the end of termand more…Transcript on England Football community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - (https://bit.ly/3OqH4N3)—————Do you have any coaching questions you’d like answers to? Or perhaps you’re facing a coaching challenge that you’d like help with? Simply head over to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠England Football Community forum⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://community.thefa.com/coaching/f/youth-club-football-forum) and post them there. Or leave them in the comments below. We can then put them to our guests in future episodes to get their advice!Already listened to this episode or the previous seasons of Coachcast? We’d love to hear from you! Pass on your feedback by contacting us via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.LEARN MORE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠England Football Learning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://learn.englandfootball.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠England Football Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://community.thefa.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠England Football Learning on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCisPO86aEIhWRTnTS1vrSVw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠England Football Learning X/Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://twitter.com/EnglandLearningEmail - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LISTEN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://open.spotify.com/show/4sA9fHoldaH1x5Wn3vdmsB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/coachcast/id159180480⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@EnglandFootballLearningEditing and show notes by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Claricast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.(https://www.clarioncast.com/)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 15, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Making sessions fun, enjoyable and meaningful with James Riches | S6 Ep22

0:00 25:32

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Coachcast?

This episode is 25 minutes long.

When was this Coachcast episode published?

This episode was published on April 15, 2026.

Can I download this Coachcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!