Reading the Game — Vol. 1
The Developing Winger · Paperback & Kindle
£12.99Buy the Book
You watch every weekend, you do every drop-off, and you want to help — without pretending to be a coach. This book is written so you can support the part of the game that actually holds young wingers back: how they see it.
As the level rises, the game stops rewarding effort and touch alone. The players who keep progressing are the ones who read the picture earlier — where to look, where to stand, when to move.
It's a learnable skill, and it grows through observation and good questions far more than through more sprints in the garden. That's something a parent can genuinely support, whatever your own football background.
You can't coach the touch. You can absolutely help them notice more.
This book gives you the words. Every chapter ends with "In the Changing Room" — plain-English translations of what a coach means — so the car ride home becomes a conversation about the right things.
You don't run drills. You help your child notice — and the book hands you exactly how.
Each chapter has a short Elite Lens clip. Watch the player off the ball and ask, "what's he doing before the pass comes?"
One short section per chapter, written for you — no jargon. Now you know what the coach is actually asking for.
Use the chapter's reflection question on the way home. The goal is your child doing the thinking — not you giving the answer.
Each chapter has a match observation challenge — a few things to spot in a real game. It keeps them watching the right way.
This book won't promise your child will turn professional — and it says so, in writing. What it offers is a genuine, age-appropriate way to understand the game and enjoy it more by playing it smarter. That honesty is the point.
Wingers who understand why they're being asked to do something buy into it — and stop chasing the ball just to feel involved. Understanding lowers frustration and raises enjoyment.
Because it's written to the player directly, it respects them as capable of thinking about the game. And because it's structured, it's easy to dip into one chapter at a time.
See how it reads before you buy — the full first chapter and the one-page Scanning Checklist, free.