Tell us about DM Football Academy?
DM Football Academy is dedicated to increasing the standards of grassroots football and committed to delivering the best quality training and education for young football players. The programs are created by qualified coaches, professional educators and experienced Australian international footballers.
What do DM Football Academy sessions look like?
When planning a session, we aim to ensure that the sessions are fun, challenging and game related. In addition, sessions should develop the players technically, tactically, physically, socially (interaction with other players, communication) and mentally (improve game awareness, decision making). Each session should provide lots of contact with the ball and game related actions. As much as possible we try to inspire players with the session content, with personality, with energy and with enthusiasm. Our academy coaching manual includes over 100 practices across a variety of coaching themes.
Why do you use Small-Sided Football?
We believe the most educationally effective way is to develop technical skills (execution) and perception skills (decision-making) simultaneously. Currently the rationale of small-sided football is understood and adopted all over the football world as the best way to make the youngest players familiar with our game. It is fast-paced, there is constant ball contact and it requires a high degree of skill, quick decision-making and improvisation. For young footballers to develop they need to play and be truly confident with the ball and the best way to develop this is by maximising their touches on the ball. Small-sided football has been the training ground for some of the world’s greatest footballers. For more information about our version of small-sided football click here.
Tell us about your national and international experiences?
Organised national and international experiences are an important way of challenging the players within our programs and provide us with further data on their capabilities beyond local football. Scheduled for 2026 we have the Sydney International Cup and for 2027 a trip to Japan with Iniesta Academy.
