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We're all about playing games at The Coaching Lab, it's what we love and definitely want players love, thats why they keep asking to play games. Struggling to add games into your sessions? Try these 5 easy session design principles:

  • Start training with games

  • Have 4 core games you rotate into your sessions

  • Play games in the middle of the session and not always at the end

  • Start training with the same game you finished on

  • Use game scenarios

If you started training with 10 minutes of games each week, what would the impact be? 1) They'd arrive on time more often 2) Players would start games quicker! 3) Grow a greater connection between teammates.

"I am so stoked to bring these out to support coaches and teachers be game changers. Footy MatchPlay Cards©️ will change the game FOREVER!"  Jacko, Founder of The Coaching Lab

How would adding team and player challenges into training influence player behaviour? 1) Better problem solvers 2) More communication 3) More engaging and interaction.

Pick one these session objectives and see how you add Footy MatchPlay Cards©️ into your AFL sessions. Footy MatchPlay Cards©️ are packed with team and player challenge cards, there's over 40 to play!

Preparing to play a certain opposition

Give one team a Footy MatchPlay Card©️ to play for the game. Pick a challenge card that represents the future opposition you're about to play.

Games with a technical skills focus

Every game you play should have a focus, play with purpose. Pick out a Footy MatchPlay Card©️ for a certain group of players or for a teams to play, the card you pick should afford players lots of opportunities to use the skill. Repetition without repetition.

Getting players to communicate more

The first thing would be for coaches to talk less, the more we talk the less space there is for players to do so. If you want players to talk more there has to be information to share. Give a Footy MatchPlay Card©️ to one team member to then share with the rest of his/hers team.

Increasing complexity and decision making

The more Footy MatchPlay Cards©️ you add into the game, the more explexity. Try this! Every time a goal is scored in the game training game, a new Footy MatchPlay Card©️ is added.

"We made Footy MatchPlay Cards©️ because coaching footy is hard. It's complex, we're all short of time and players constantly want engaging activities. We've made coaching footy easy!" Jacko, Founder of The Coaching Lab

Explore our Footy MatchPlay Cards©️ club bundles to support your club coaches! Access exclusive prices, bespoke support and a seasons worth of training games.

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We’re here to make you a game changer.

After launching in 2018, The Coaching Lab's MatchPlay Cards were quickly recognised by Richard Branson's Virgin Startup as a “bright idea”, accelerating our reach to impact teachers and coaches across the world to improve their coaching, strategy and gameplay.

MatchPlay Cards are now loved in 75+ countries, used at the games grassroots and with the world's elite.

Our cards were designed to engage the kid at the back; to help the coach who is short on time and the teacher looking for an innovative way to engage a mixed ability group, MatchPlay Cards are the solution.

OUR STORY