About the Development Program
About the Development Program
The DP season plan is based around the Australian football pathway but also includes more detailed aspects of technique and tactics of game play. The plan is general and each coach within the DP will be allowed to include his or her own personal interpretation of selected skills and strategies.
Structured Weekly Environment
Development Program teams:
- Train twice per week
- Work with professional coaching staff
- Compete in weekend matches guided by dedicated parent volunteer coaches
This dual structure creates balance.
Professional coaches focus on:
- Technical and tactical development
- Game understanding
- Individual player progression
- Training intensity and standards
Volunteer coaches lead weekend matches, ensuring:
- Team identity
- Communication with families
- Strong connection between players and community
Together, professional staff, volunteer coaches, and parents collaborate to create the best possible environment for players to grow — not only as footballers, but as confident and respectful young people.
Selection Process
Players are selected into the Development Program through the club’s Junior Grading process, held annually in November.
DP Coaching Approach
The BDFC Development Program (DP) coaching approach is aligned with the Football Australia development pathway, providing an age-appropriate environment where players can develop their technical skills, tactical understanding and decision-making abilities.
Rather than relying solely on a traditional season-long training plan, our Development Program is structured around a set of Playing Principles that guide how we train, play and understand football.
Our Playing Principles
Our Playing Principles provide players and coaches with a consistent framework for understanding different situations within the game.
They focus on three key areas:
Attacking: How we use the ball, create opportunities, maintain possession and move forward.
Defending: How we respond when the opposition has the ball, apply pressure, protect space and work together.
Movement Without the Ball: How players position themselves, create space, support teammates and contribute to the game even when they are not directly involved with the ball.
Each principle is supported by simple, recognisable keywords and visual coaching cues.
For example, messages such as “Pass and Move”, “Look Around”, “Go Forward” and “Nearest Danger” help players recognise situations and make decisions independently.
By consistently reinforcing these messages during training, our aim is to help players understand not only what to do, but also when and why to do it.
Age-Appropriate Player Development
While the Playing Principles remain consistent throughout the Development Program, their application and complexity evolve as players develop.
Our coaching framework is divided into two main age groups:
U8–U12: Developing fundamental technical abilities, confidence on the ball, spatial awareness and an understanding of individual and small-group Playing Principles.
U13–U16: Building on these foundations with more advanced tactical understanding, team organisation, decision-making and the application of Playing Principles in increasingly complex game situations.
Our DP coaches have the flexibility to adapt individual training activities and coaching methods to suit their teams while working within the same overall framework.
One of our key priorities is to strengthen the connection between midweek Development Program (DP) training and weekend matches, ensuring that players receive consistent coaching messages and can apply what they learn during training in game situations.
To support this, BDFC is introducing several initiatives for the 2027 season:
Communication and feedback: Parent volunteer coaches will have access to a simple online feedback form after each match, allowing them to highlight areas where their team performed well, identify challenges and raise any concerns. This feedback will be shared with the relevant DP coach to help inform upcoming training sessions.
Coaching guidance: DP coaches will take a more active role in providing parent volunteer coaches with guidance on our Playing Principles, coaching strategies and key development priorities. Our aim is to establish a consistent approach that players can recognise during both training and matches.
Weekend coach mentoring – 2027 pilot: BDFC has allocated a dedicated budget for DP coaches to attend selected home matches, observe teams and provide practical feedback and mentoring to parent volunteer coaches. This initiative will be trialled during the 2027 winter season, with attendance dependent on match schedules, coach availability and opportunities to support multiple teams.
Learning opportunities: Parent volunteer coaches are always welcome to attend and participate in DP training sessions. We strongly encourage this, as it provides an excellent opportunity to develop coaching knowledge, observe different coaching approaches and strengthen the connection with their team’s DP coach.
Our Goal
We recognise that parent volunteer coaches play an essential role in our Development Program, and we want to provide them with the support, knowledge and confidence to help their players develop.
By improving communication, introducing structured match feedback and providing additional mentoring opportunities, we aim to create a stronger partnership between our professional DP coaches and parent volunteers, ultimately providing a more consistent and effective development experience for our players.
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