Neil ConnorLibrary
Books, research and references for your coaching and development.
Coach to coach
Explore session plans shared by other coaches, or submit your own for Neil’s integrity review and approval. Every published contribution keeps its author’s credit.
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First-draft game model · For discussion · 16-page PDF
Positional freedom. Shared responsibility.
Explore the decisions behind GO, HOLD and RECONNECT, the support around a centre-back stepping forward, and the team’s response when possession changes.
This first-draft game model is shared for discussion. Use the sequence to question, test and adapt the ideas within your own environment.
On The Pitch
Recognise pressure, create the forward option and exploit the advantage. A complete session from physical preparation to reflection.
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Recognise when central access is protected, create and use the wide overload, attack around pressure, then regain inside access with purpose.
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Recognise central protection, create the overload outside, find the spare player and progress beyond the first line. A complete 90-minute in-possession session.
View The Session ↗Texts that have informed or challenged my thinking about learning, coaching, performance and development environments.
A detailed examination of how skilled behaviour emerges through the relationship between the individual, the task and the environment. Particularly useful when considering representative practice design and the coach’s role as a designer of learning environments.
Why it matters: It connects learning theory to the practical decisions coaches make when shaping practice.
View the sourceAn accessible introduction to designing practices through constraints, representative information and player-environment interaction. It offers a useful foundation for coaches seeking to move beyond isolated repetition.
Why it matters: It helps explain why the design of the environment can be more powerful than prescribing every solution.
View the sourceA collection that positions coaching as a complex educational and social practice. It encourages coaches and coach developers to look beyond technical delivery towards relationships, judgement and the realities of learning in context.
Why it matters: It provides a valuable lens for thinking about how coaches teach, influence and continue to learn.
View the sourceA systematic overview of match analysis, observation and the use of performance information in football. It offers useful context for turning match evidence into clearer feedback, planning and development priorities.
Why it matters: It reinforces the importance of connecting observation and evidence to purposeful coaching decisions.
View the sourceResearch that provides evidence, language or a constructive challenge for football-development practice.
Practitioner resources that help connect research with the realities of coaching practice.
Conversations and explanations exploring perception, action, skill acquisition and practice design. The archive makes complex research accessible while retaining a strong connection to applied coaching questions.
Why it matters: It is a useful bridge between academic ideas and the decisions practitioners make in the field.
View the sourceDigital tools that can support the planning, communication and review of football-development practice.
A living library
The collection will grow alongside the work, with every addition connected to one or more development areas and accompanied by a concise explanation of its practical value.
See how these ideas connect to practice