Football journals for kids and teenage players
A football journal for kids is where a young player keeps their season: a target written down before the match, their numbers and feelings afterwards, and what they learnt at training. We have two, by age, to print at home, for boys and girls in any position.
For ages 7 to 13, the kids' football journal has 100 pages: a player profile, 5 season targets, a fixture list, 18 matches with 3 pages each (a “Before kick-off” page with a pitch to mark their position, the match in numbers, what they'll remember), 12 training sessions on 2 pages each, 8 skills rated at the start and the end of the season, a note from the coach, messages from teammates, a photo page and end-of-season awards. For ages 13 to 17, roughly U14 to U18, the football season journal has 120 pages: 5 targets and a self-rating, a game plan and a tactical job before each of 25 matches, stats afterwards (minutes, goals, assists, duels won, ratings from 1 to 10 and a box for goalkeeper saves), 15 training pages and an end-of-season review in 6 areas, with the coach's view. It uses the words players in the UK use: fixtures, full-back, clean sheets.
Both journals are US Letter: on A4, choose “Fit to page” in the print window. The inside pages are black and grey, so a black-and-white printer is fine. Print the whole journal at the start of the season or a few match pages at a time, and print extra match pages for family use if the season runs long. Families in the US can use it as a soccer journal for kids: the pages just say football.
To fill in the target box, read our personal goals for football players. Shopping for a birthday or Christmas? Our football gifts for kids are sorted by age.
Our guides
Personal Goals for Football Players: 25 Examples
Personal goals for football players, with 25 examples by age and position: how to write a goal the player controls, track it after each match and review it.
Read the guide →Football Gifts for Kids: 20 Ideas by Age, 5 to 17
Football gifts for kids by age, from 5 to 17: 20 ideas, the right ball size for each age group, stocking fillers, a thank-you for the coach and what to avoid.
Read the guide →
Questions
From what age can a child fill in a football journal?
The kids' journal is designed for ages 7 to 13. At 7 or 8, many children like a grown-up to read the questions with them, and several pages leave room to draw. The season journal is for ages 13 to 17 and speaks directly to the player.
My child plays more than 18 matches a season. What then?
Print the match pages again as often as you need: reprinting is allowed for family use. The same goes for the season journal beyond 25 matches.
Do the journals suit girls and goalkeepers?
Yes. Both are written for boys and girls, in any position. The match pages of the kids' journal have a box for saves in goal, and the season journal has a goalkeeper saves box on every match and counts clean sheets in the season review.
Is a football journal a good Christmas or birthday present?
It works well at the start of a season, for a birthday or at Christmas. The PDF arrives straight after payment, so there is no wait for the post: print it, then bind it or slip the pages into a ring binder with a good pen.