It's Only Kids Football

What happens when a Premier League striker swaps stadium roars for Sunday league sidelines? In this emotional and brutally honest episode, Charlie Austin returns to the pod to talk with Ben and Mike about his two-year journey coaching his son’s grassroots team. From coaching kids with ADHD to navigating “dad vs coach” guilt, Charlie opens up on what it really taught him about football, parenting a...

This week, Ben and Mike, chat with Ben's old football manager Martin Skinner—a legendary (and unfiltered) former coach of the Brentwood Boys. In this episode, Martin unloads a treasure trove of memories: crazy van rides, dodgy leg rubs, makeshift training camps and a philosophy that mixed old-school discipline with raw devotion. With his trademark wit and razor-sharp memory, Martin reflects on how...

This week, Ben and Mike sit down with Paul Barry, head of coaching at Crystal Palace for U8–U12s and a 28-season veteran of the foundation phase. Paul offers real insight on what really matters when coaching kids—from using words like "fireworks" and "magnets" to help the kids understand tactics and shape, to handling overzealous parents with clear communication and understanding. Expect smart, pr...

In this episode of It’s Only Kids Football, Ben and Mike are joined by former Arsenal and England full-back Kieran Gibbs for a chat about the grassroots experiences that shaped his professional journey and the mission driving his post-playing career. From Sunday mornings with the Purley Panthers to the pressure cooker of Hale End and winning trophies with the Gunners, Kieran shares vivid memories,...

Ben and Mike mark 50 episodes with a tournament win that means way more than it should. They laugh, cringe and nearly cry as they relive the game, the chaos, and the goal that set off a celebration even more embarrassing than Mike’s tiny car. They relive every kick from the tournament and talk about what these little moments really mean as dads and coaches. They also reflect on two recent friendli...

This week, Ben and Mike sit down with Paul Horwood, co-founder of PL One Goalkeeping, the leading goalkeeping academy in Essex. From transforming our very own Alby into confident shot-stoppers to dealing with parents on the sidelines, Paul shares honest, practical advice for coaches navigating the unique challenges of developing youth goalkeepers. Drawing on his extensive experience, Pau...

This week, Ben and Mike are joined by renowned neuroscientist and best-selling author, Dr Dean Burnett, to explore what’s really going on inside young players’ minds and why even the calmest parents can turn into full-blown lunatics on the touchline. From daydreaming and memory lapses to executive function and emotional regulation, Dean unpacks the science behind how children develop and why grass...

This week, Ben and Mike sit down with Josh Paul, the inspiring coach behind Fit4Football, to explore the power of the “three-second rule” to the simple, game-changing strategies that keep kids engaged. Josh shares his no-nonsense wisdom on getting players to listen, talk and move with purpose. They unpack the realities of grassroots football—losing players, managing teams and dealing with social m...

This week, Ben and Mike are joined by Danny Welch - Ben’s dad - for a brutally honest, funny and nostalgic deep-dive into youth football, fatherhood and tough love. Danny reflects on his old-school approach to parenting, his sideline shouting and why he believed being hard on Ben was the only way to build resilience. They swap stories of freezing rain, tough tackles and touchline scraps, painting...

This week on It’s Only Kids Football , Ben and Mike are crawling out of the wreckage of presentation night to relive the laughter, logistics and tears of their team’s end-of-season awards. The duo break down who won what, how the kids performed throughout the season and why every player went home feeling like a star. From picking walkout music for each player and the response to some questionable...

This week, Ben and Mike are joined by Mike's wife and Raph's mum... Estelle Clark, for a refreshingly honest conversation about what it’s like when your family signs up for grassroots football… and it takes over your life. Estelle opens up about the good, the stressful and the downright ridiculous: from losing weekends to social plans ruined by tournaments. She talks parenting guilt, football obse...

This week, Ben and Mike are joined by Gemma Davies, proud mum of Alby, the goalkeeper who went from pirouettes and daydreaming to a fearless shot-stopper. It’s a funny and deeply honest look at what it’s like to watch your child struggle in youth football — from Alby’s unpredictable early days outfield to the surprising moment he found his calling in goal. Gemma gets real about the challenges of w...

This week, Ben and Mike dive into a tournament day full of sunshine, thrilling football and a semi-final face-off that left everyone in shock. But this one’s not just about the results, it’s about the messy, beautiful business of raising kids through football. There’s Alfie’s meltdown that triggered a total rethink on parenting and coaching, a mindset coach who helped turn it around and Mike has h...

In this episode, Ben and Mike sit down with Dave and Billy, father and son, coach and player, for a raw and emotional look back at their 10-year grassroots football story. What started as a simple volunteer gig turned into a decade of highs, heartbreaks and sideline memories that shaped them both. As Dave steps away from coaching, he reflects on the emotional weight of managing young players, the...

This week, Ben and Mike sit down with elite mindset coach Matt Baxter for an episode that digs deep into the emotional lives of young athletes and their parents. From confidence crashes and comparison traps, Matt talks through the common themes troubling young athletes and how parents and coaches can help them. Matt shares the everyday mindset tools he uses to help kids bounce back from mistakes a...

This week, Ben and Mike wrap the final three games of the season. From a triumphant win overshadowed by tears to a painful derby defeat, this episode explores what happens when kids lose confidence on the pitch. We hear how Alfie's off day became a turning point thanks to a powerful parenting tool called the “three-second rule” and why it’s helping players (and parents) process mistakes and move o...

This week, Ben and Mike are joined by Frankie Hession-Harris, the mastermind behind Ballers Elite. In this episode, we hear about Frankie’s experience playing in the U.S. college system and how it shaped his approach and why he believes repetition, ball mastery, and 1v1s are the real building blocks of brilliance. He explains why he stays quiet on the touchline, how mixed messages from coaches and...

Ben and Mike are back and this one gets messy. Fresh from an unforgettable visit to Tottenham’s training ground, where their sons squared off against academy talent, the dads are riding high on pride... but it doesn't last long. The team gets dismantled by a man-child on a mission to break every goalscoring record in a single game and when emotions boil over, complete with full-blown meltdowns fro...

Ben and Mike are joined by some actual experts this week – which is a first. Ex-pro Katie Chapman and psychologist Dr. Simon Moore are here to drop some truth bombs about how we really impact our kids' game. Turns out, it's not just about the kids on the pitch. We're diving deep into sideline confessions, with Ben and Mike admitting they've been part of the problem. During their fascinating chat,...

Ben and Mike are buzzing after a couple of wins – turns out, it only takes a sniff of success to turn these two into emotional wrecks planning birthday parties like they're 21 again.  But don't get comfy, because controversy is never far away. Ben's managed to spark a full-blown touchline war and attract the wrath of the social media police. Plus, there's a deep dive into the joys and stark l...

The lads are back, and this week, it’s all about the minefield that is coaching your own kid. Ben’s convinced he’s holding his son to impossible standards, Mike’s trying (and failing) to stay calm and they’re both wondering if they should start charging parents just to keep themselves in check. But things get deeper (and a bit existential). How do you actually know if you’re pushing your kid too h...

Ben and Mike are back and this week they’re breaking down two big games: one where they were unlucky and one where they were actually good (a rare moment of self-praise) and of course, there's reflection on their latest emotional breakdown. But controversy is never far away. Ben is accused of breaking touchline rules (again) and sparking s touchline war with rival fans, while Mike is begging for s...

Ben and Mike call in the big guns, elite coach Edu Rubio, to help them crack formations, teamwork and how to stop their lads from bunching. Along the way, they confront their own coaching disasters, debate England vs. Spain’s youth setups and uncover the real secret to coaching kids: it’s not tactics - it’s psychology. The key takeaways? Get to know your players and make them feel valued, because...

Ben’s losing his voice, Mike’s losing his mind, and the kids are losing their markers. A 5-1 win had them dreaming, but a 7-4 battering brought them crashing back to earth. A shambolic training session saw Ben and Mike lose their rag with their own lads, bringing on instant regret and damage control. In a bid to lift the mood, Mike unleashed his inner Ted Lasso with an American Soccer Dad routine—...

In this episode, Ben and Mike and joined by The Athletic's Rory Smith. Rory has spent his career dissecting elite football, interviewing some of the greatest minds in the game, but none of that prepared him for the minefield of coaching his son’s under-7s team. Rory confesses to a few questionable touchline moments, wrestles with the impossible task of getting kids to understand positioning (spoil...