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 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.
Within the overall DP plan, we have two main plans – one for U8 till U12 and one for U13 till U16.
To support the plan, we aim to build a strong and connection between the DP coaches and the parent volunteer coaches. This is to help the parent coach take lessons from the DP sessions into games and to also allow for learning from games to be fed back into the DP training sessions.
- The parent coach should be aware of the training plan and after discussion with DP coach help to incorporate relevant problems from game days.
- The parent coach is welcome to consult or be part of sessions at any time.
- We strongly recommend participating and coaching your team, gaining experience and learning new approach to coaching.
- The DP coach will follow the BDFC annual plan but will be open to accommodate your thoughts on improvement.
The annual DP training plan is based on:
Individual game skills
- Attacking skills
- Behaviour without the ball
- Passing the ball
- Receiving the ball
- Dribbling
- Beating an opponent
- Shooting
- Defending skills
- Marking player with the ball
- Marking player without the ball
- Marking space
- Capturing the ball
Game combinations
- Attacking combinations
- Passing
- Position swap
- Action pass and go
- Defending combinations
- Securing other teammates
- Passing over responsibility for attackers
- Multiplying defenders, doubling up
- Cohesion in zonal defending
Game systems
- Attacking systems
- Combination play
- Contra attack
- Build up
- Defensive systems
- Zonal defence
- Personal defence
- Combined defence
Have a question?
Get in touch to find out more!