Social media is full of memes about do-it-yourself (DIY) projects gone wrong. We might think of them as an extension of the 'why bother reading instructions?' tropes that form the butt of so many tech magazine jokes. Such self-assured DIYers net certified technicians hefty paydays because they have to first fix whatever the DIYer did wrong and then, tackle the actual problem.
But does anyone need soccer instruction? Playing soccer isn't like fixing a refrigerator or replumbing a house, after all. Aspiring players can read the rules online and just get out there and play. Well, they'd probably need to become a club member and join a team, first.
But reading instructions and taking formal training have a lot going for them, even where soccer is concerned. For one, proper coaching helps soccer trainees reduce their risk of injury. As soccer instructors impart the skills their pupils will need on the pitch, they reinforce healthy habits and best practices.
As these practices become ingrained, you build soccer skills and learn ball technique. Soccer players make it look easy to control the ball and make it go where they want it to go but it takes skill and practice to do it. Especially while you're running flat-out.
Whether you want to join a community team or just kick the ball around with your mates. it's best to learn how to play soccer from someone in the know. To help you into the right club, Superprof presents this guide. In it, you'll read all about the best soccer training for adults in Australia.
Adult Soccer Training in New South Wales
It should come as no surprise that clubs for adult soccer training abound in Sydney and neighbouring towns. Just one company, The Football Factory, offers classes in five different locations. You might wonder why they tout football when you want to learn soccer, though.
Australia has its own versions of football, including Australian Rules football, also known as Aussie Rules; a game apart from soccer. Each team has 18 players while soccer only has 11, including the goalkeeper. Aussie Rules uses an oval ball and plays on an oval field. Soccer players face off on a rectangular pitch and play with a round ball.
The differences go on. In soccer, the goalkeeper is the only player who may touch the ball with their hands. All the other players may use any part of their bodies, including their chests and heads to engage with the ball. But if they use their hands, they will receive a penalty. By contrast, Aussie Rules allows all players to handle the ball.
For most of the world, soccer is football. Only a handful of countries call this game 'soccer'; Canada, South Africa and the United States among them. That's because, like us, they have their own versions of football and prefer using 'soccer' to distinguish between the games. Just so you know, the game this article discusses is formally called Association Football.
That can get confusing, especially with a club like The Football Factory. Its name implies that it champions one sport while giving classes in another. Luckily, we grownups are less likely to get confused by this switch than kids taking soccer lessons. So what does this Factory have to offer grownups?
These coaches specialise in individual skills like how to control the ball and how to kick it into the goal. You'll learn various techniques related to passing to a teammate, blocking opponents' access and changing directions as you sprint across the pitch.
Once you've mastered individual skills, you'll hit the pitch for team training. These sessions last between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. The coach will demonstrate the finer points of strategy and teach you how to adapt your technique and skills to actual play. Of all the soccer lessons in Sydney and NSW, we found these soccer classes the most comprehensive.
Soccer Lessons for Adults in Victoria
Often, soccer clubs and schools make no distinction between men's and women's lessons. In Melbourne, This Girl Can makes it a point to promote women-only soccer lessons for adults. Their page links to a football club resources page that will help you towards the soccer tutelage you want. You only need to enter your location to get a list of football clubs near you.
These clubs usually don't advertise who their lessons are targeted at. It seems they assume everyone is able-bodied and capable of high-intensity activity. It's refreshing to discover women-only classes whose end goal isn't to make everyone the next Sam Kerr.
Football Victoria is another brilliant resource for female football hopefuls to find adult soccer lessons. But they don't just promote athletic opportunities for women in Melbourne and around Victoria. You can find soccer lessons for adults of all types and children, too.
Adult Soccer Training in Queensland
Brisbane and surrounding areas are not to be outdone in the adult soccer training category. Even more impressive: most of them offer courses for kids aged five and up all the way to enthusiasts past 35 years old. They welcome male and female sports enthusiasts, too.
Kangaroo Point Rovers leads a handful of exceptions to that rule. They only offer lessons for grown-up men and women 18-35 but they're missing a coach to lead the women-over-35 instruction. But if you happen to be in the Bowen Hills area, you may have to drive a bit further for your lessons. They accept male players 5-35 but only welcome females between the ages of five and 11.
The Toowong Football Club in Auchenflower is much more inclusive but they don't mention soccer lessons for other-abled students. In fact, none of the clubs we've visited so far have mentioned anything about wheelchair soccer sessions or classes for other-abled enthusiasts.
Football clubs are noisy hives of activity. These stimulating environments may turn off hopefuls who are sensitive to such situations. For these athletic hopefuls, Superprof presents the ideal solution.
Private soccer sessions with a Superprof soccer coach will teach you the soccer skills you need in a one-to-one, quiet setting. Superprof soccer lessons deliver other benefits, too. Your private soccer tutor provides all the mentoring to make you a competent player and boost your self-confidence. To meet Superprof soccer coaches near you, click on any of the profiles displayed on this page or head to our tutor search page.
Soccer Lessons for Adults in South Australia
In contrast to the bounty of soccer lessons for adults in other states, South Australia seems rather stingy. Many football clubs in Adelaide offer a narrow slice of lessons to select demographics. Often, lessons for females are lacking.
For instance, the Adelaide Blue Eagles in Marden offers lessons for female students aged five to 18. Males may continue learning and playing well into their middle-age years. And Adelaide Thunder in Mile End has nothing for female football enthusiasts.
However, people of (almost) all ages may enjoy learning futsal at the FFSA Futsal Club in Hindmarsh. This game is usually played indoors, where teams of five face off on a smaller court. This club has no futsal lessons for people 12-18 but full-grown males and females are welcome to join them.
Adult Soccer Training in Western Australia
Perth seemed equally stingy with their lessons until we ran across Subiaco AFC in Shenton Park. Subiaco welcomes male and female students of all ages (but still no word on other-abled players). We were even more thrilled to stumble on Football West. This club, in West Perth, has a Women's Summer Series that welcomes enthusiasts aged 12 and up.
But most of Western Australia's football clubs reserved their pitches for people who already know how to play. Such is the case at Western United Football Club in Highgate, as well we Perth Celtic and Perth Soccer Club - though they offer kids' classes. It seems that Perth soccer hopefuls would be better served with a Superprof soccer coach.
Soccer Lessons for Adults in Northern Australia and Tasmania
Compared to Western Australia, this territory makes it easy to happen across soccer lessons. If you live in Darwin, you might stop by the Port Darwin Football Club or Stormbirds Soccer Club. Both of these venues offer a full complement of classes to soccer enthusiasts of all ages (but again, no mention of other-abled players). If you really want to go all out, you can join the University Azzurri football club; they are equally welcoming.
For a more exclusive soccer club, direct yourself to Garuda in Leanyer. There, adult males 18 and older may learn how to play soccer; they welcome females aged 12-35, too.
Unfortunately, soccer fans in Tasmania will have a hard time finding a soccer teacher. We couldn't locate so much as a soccer club, let alone any local organisations that offered soccer lessons for grownups. But things aren't as bad as they seem; Superprof soccer coaches give instruction online, too. You'll be surprised at how well online soccer sessions can teach you ball mastery and other soccer skills!
Find the perfect coach for private soccer training here on Superprof!
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