What to expect at a Pass and Move Holiday Camp
A PARENTS GUIDE
At Pass and Move Football Coaching, our holiday camps are about so much more than football. We believe in helping every child learn, develop, grow and succeed in a positive, encouraging environment where confidence and enjoyment come first.
Whether your child is kicking a ball for the first time or already plays regularly, our camps are designed to make everyone feel welcome. We focus on our core philosophy of Pass, Move and Improve, giving children the freedom to express themselves, try new skills and enjoy the game without fear of making mistakes.
One of the unique aspects of our camps is encouraging children to take ownership of their learning. During activities, we often invite them to lead their own drills and challenges, building leadership skills and the confidence to communicate with others. This was a huge success during our Easter camps, where children proudly demonstrated exercises and encouraged their teammates.
Every day is packed with exciting football games, skill stations, mini matches and fun challenges, all delivered by experienced and enthusiastic coaches who want every child to leave with a smile on their face.
We also love bringing families together. At the end of each camp week, we hold a special awards ceremony where parents and carers are invited to celebrate the children’s achievements. Medals, prizes and certificates are presented, recognising not only football ability but also effort, teamwork, kindness, resilience and positive attitudes.
Alongside our end-of-week celebration, we present daily awards to recognise outstanding behaviour, fantastic effort and those memorable moments that make our camps so special. We believe every child deserves the opportunity to shine and be celebrated.
At Pass and Move, we’re not just developing footballers—we’re helping young people build confidence, make friends, stay active and create lasting memories in a fun, safe and supportive environment. ⚽💛
Morning: Arrivals and Warm-Up
At Pass and Move Football Camps, the day begins with a warm welcome as children arrive and are signed in by our coaching team. We complete a full register to ensure every child is accounted for before activities begin.
Before the session starts, we prepare our designated Health and Safety Area, which is clearly set out and includes water bottles, any required medications or inhalers, our first aid kit, emergency contact information and any other essential equipment that may be needed to support the children’s welfare throughout the day.
On particularly hot days, we take extra precautions by having cool packs readily available and storing packed lunches inside the leisure centre where possible to help keep them fresh and out of direct sunlight.
Once everyone has arrived, our coaches deliver a short safety briefing, explain the day’s activities and lead an enjoyable warm-up to get the children moving, engaged and ready for a fantastic day of football.
Warm-Up and Ball Mastery
At Pass and Move, we base our coaching on the FA Four Corner Development Model, which focuses on developing children technically, physically, psychologically and socially. This holistic approach helps young players grow not only as footballers but also as confident, resilient individuals. For more information on the FA Four Corner Model, please visit our Home Page.
The first part of each session is designed to get children settled, engaged and comfortable with the ball at their feet. Rather than spending long periods standing in queues or listening to lengthy explanations, we believe children learn best by playing, exploring and making lots of touches on the ball.
Coach James recently completed the UEFA C Licence, where a key principle reinforced throughout the course was to limit unnecessary interventions and maximise ball rolling time. Our aim is to keep children active, learning and enjoying themselves from the moment they arrive.
We carefully plan our activities and have drills set up in advance to minimise waiting around and maintain a smooth flow throughout the session. Every child is encouraged to participate, stay involved and develop at their own pace in a positive and supportive environment.
By creating fun, engaging sessions with plenty of movement and decision-making opportunities, we help children build confidence while embracing our philosophy to Pass, Move and Improve.
Skill Challenges and Player-Led Learning
Following our warm-up, we move into a variety of exciting football activities designed to keep children engaged, active and constantly learning. Throughout the day, we introduce different themes and challenges, which may include dribbling, passing, shooting, defending, goalkeeping, movement, decision-making and teamwork.
Rather than repeating the same activities, we vary our sessions to ensure every child remains motivated and has the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills in a fun and enjoyable environment.
One of the things that makes Pass and Move unique is that we encourage children to become leaders as well as learners. We regularly ask if anyone has ideas for games or drills and give them the opportunity to step into the role of coach for a short activity. This not only builds football knowledge but also helps develop confidence, communication skills and creativity.
During our Easter Football Camp, several children volunteered to lead activities, and the results were fantastic. It was wonderful to see them grow in confidence and take ownership of the session while their teammates enthusiastically joined in.
Pictured below is Maddie leading our popular “Numbers Game” drill, confidently taking charge of the activity and helping create a brilliant experience for everyone involved. Moments like these perfectly reflect our philosophy of encouraging children to Pass, Move and Improve both on and off the pitch.
Lunchtime, Rest and Recharge
Lunchtime at Pass and Move is an opportunity for children to relax, refuel and spend time with their friends before the afternoon activities begin.
When it’s time for lunch, the group is escorted by our coaches to collect their lunch boxes from the nearby leisure centre. This also provides an ideal opportunity for a supervised toilet break before everyone returns to the pitch together. The leisure centre is approximately 20 seconds away on foot, with no roads to cross, making the journey straightforward and safe.
Back on the pitch, children enjoy their lunch together on our large tarpaulin picnic area, creating a comfortable space to sit, chat and recharge. To keep everyone entertained, our coaches often run fun lunchtime quizzes, football challenges and interactive games, helping to create a friendly atmosphere where children can make new friends and enjoy being part of the Pass and Move community.
Lunch typically lasts between 45 minutes and one hour, depending on how quickly everyone finishes eating. We want children to have plenty of time to relax rather than feel rushed.
Following lunch, we carefully plan the next activity to ensure it is less physically demanding, allowing children time for their food to settle before returning to more energetic football games and challenges. This helps keep everyone comfortable while maintaining a fun and enjoyable day for all.
Creative Games and Match Play
There’s no doubt about it – children love matches! That’s why we always aim to finish our camp days with fun, engaging games where everyone has the chance to put their skills into practice. However, at Pass and Move, we like to add our own creative twists to keep sessions fresh, exciting and full of surprises.
During our Easter Football Camp, one of the biggest highlights was our Mystery Ball Match. Before each game, the children rolled a giant dice to decide which ball would be used. The choices ranged from a traditional football to a rugby ball, ping pong ball and several other unusual options. The rugby ball challenge in particular created plenty of laughter and unforgettable moments, with its unpredictable bounces keeping everyone entertained!
We also encourage children to contribute their own ideas. If they come up with a new game or challenge, we’ll often give it a try, helping them feel involved and building confidence by allowing their creativity to shape the session.
Our camps are held on the excellent 3G pitch at Cotswold Leisure Centre, giving us plenty of flexibility. Depending on numbers, we can run two matches at the same time or set up one larger game using goals positioned in the centre of the pitch. This ensures children stay active and spend as much time playing as possible.
While matches are always enjoyable, our focus remains on learning and development rather than simply winning. If a child is finding something difficult or lacking confidence, our coaches will often provide them with an individual challenge—perhaps encouraging them to try a new skill, complete a certain number of passes or make a positive run with the ball. These personalised goals help every child experience success and leave the session feeling proud of their progress.
By combining exciting games, creative ideas and positive encouragement, we create an environment where children can truly Pass, Move and Improve while making memories they’ll want to come back for week after week.
Celebration, Reflection and Safe Collection
We believe every camp should finish on a positive note. At the end of each day, we gather the children together for a short debrief, where we reflect on what we’ve learned, celebrate memorable moments and discuss the skills we’ve developed throughout the session.
Recognising effort and positive behaviour is an important part of the Pass and Move experience. We regularly present medals, certificates and special awards to children who have demonstrated excellent listening, outstanding teamwork, resilience, kindness or a fantastic attitude. While football skills are celebrated, we place just as much value on children who support their teammates, respect others and help our coaches make the day enjoyable for everyone.
At the beginning of every camp, we clearly explain our expectations so that all children understand how to stay safe, have fun and contribute positively to the group. This helps create an environment where everyone can learn, develop and enjoy themselves.
When it’s time to go home, our priority is making sure every child is safely reunited with their parent or guardian( if it is not the same person as the one dropping off please let us know). If a collection is delayed, a member of our coaching team will always remain with the child, keeping them entertained and reassured while we contact their parent or emergency contact if necessary.
Before leaving the venue, our coaches carry out a final check of the playing areas for any belongings left behind, such as water bottles, clothing or lunch boxes. These items are safely stored so they can be returned to their owners as quickly as possible—because, as we know from experience, there’s almost always at least one forgotten item at the end of the day!
By ending with celebration, reflection and safe collection procedures, we ensure every child leaves with a smile, a sense of achievement and excitement for the next Pass and Move adventure.
Friday Celebration Day – Finishing the Week with a Smile
At Pass and Move, Fridays are all about celebrating the children and saying thank you to our families for being part of another fantastic week.
At the end of the day, we gather everyone together to reflect on the week’s achievements, share some memorable moments and recognise the incredible effort shown by the children. With music playing and plenty of applause, we present medals, certificates and special awards for qualities such as excellent behaviour, teamwork, resilience, kindness, listening skills and outstanding effort both on and off the pitch.
One of the highlights of Celebration Day is getting the parents involved too! Those who wish to take part are invited to join in the fun, creating a brilliant atmosphere where families can share the experience together. We often finish with a Parents vs Kids match or another exciting challenge that brings plenty of laughter and unforgettable memories.
During our Easter Camp, for example, parents and children competed in our Speed Gun Challenge, testing the power of their shots and cheering each other on. Even the coaches couldn’t resist getting involved! It was a fantastic way to end the week and created some brilliant moments for everyone watching.
If the weather is on our side, we’ll also bring out our inflatable Velcro Dartboard, giving children, parents and coaches another fun activity to enjoy together.
For us, Celebration Day is about much more than football. It’s about recognising progress, building confidence, strengthening our community and ensuring every child leaves camp with a smile, feeling proud of what they’ve achieved and excited to come back again.
