If your kids have been inspired by the performance of the Matildas in the World Cup or have been nagging you for a while about playing soccer, there's no time like the present to get them started.
In this article, we'll be looking at the options you have for getting your kids started with soccer and the advantages of different kinds of soccer coaching.
Soccer Academies and Clubs in Perth
There are plenty of soccer academies in and around Perth. We won't list them all here, but here are a few that you might want to check out when starting your search.
Read about the origins of soccer in Australia.
2H Football Development
2 Halfs Football Development is a soccer development coaching team based out of Joondalup. Their approach focuses on the use of sports science to improve the technical, tactical, and physical abilities of players.
First Kick
First Kick, as the name suggests, runs soccer fundamentals programs for very young children with a focus on motor skills, foot-eye coordination, health and fitness, teamwork and communication, and building kids' confidence.
Football Method
Football Method offers soccer development programs for various ages. From ages 3 and 4, kids can learn more about soccer with professional coaches.
Their development programs aim to teach kids the fundamentals of soccer including technique and strategy.
Grasshopper Soccer Perth
Grasshopper Soccer Perth offers non-competitive soccer programs for children aged between 2 and 12 years old.
While they offer soccer coaching, the focus is on character development and developing all the extra skills and qualities you can gain while playing soccer.

Discover the best soccer academies in Sydney.
Matej's Soccer Academy
Matej's Soccer Academy was founded by Matej Centrih, a Slovenian professional footballer. The academy offers weekly group training programs on the weekend and private coaching lessons.
The Football Centre
The Football Centre offers junior coaching for kids from preschoolers to ages 13 with kids soccer matches on Saturdays for 6-11-year-olds.
The Advantages of Soccer Coaching with Academies and Clubs
With quite a few different academies and clubs in Perth to choose from, you might be wondering why so many parents choose to send their kids to learn how to play soccer at these places.
Here are just some of the advantages your children can enjoy by learning to play soccer with soccer academies and clubs.
Chances to Get Scouted
For any child with aspirations of becoming a professional soccer player, academies and clubs provide them with opportunities to play in front of scouts or get ready for trials and tryouts.
Develop Skills Specific to Soccer
Naturally, every soccer academy and club will look to make their members better soccer players by teaching them soccer skills.
Whether it's dribbling, passing, shooting, defending, tackling, or position-specific skills like those for goalkeepers, your kids will improve their playing ability through soccer academies or clubs.

Find out how to get into soccer in Melbourne.
Develop Transferable Skills and Qualities
Soccer also teaches a lot of skills that can be used off the pitch. They can learn about teamwork, leadership, discipline, communication, and resilience through playing soccer.
Have Fun Playing Soccer
For most kids, if something isn't fun, they won't want to do it. The best soccer academies and clubs have plenty of ways of making soccer fun so that kids can improve while enjoying each session.
Learn About Soccer Tactics
Soccer is a sport that requires technical ability and an understanding of tactics and strategies. Without both, you can't become a good player.
In soccer academies and clubs, they'll learn as much about technical soccer skills as they will about how the game works and the tactics.
Of course, how much they learn about tactics will depend on their age and level and fundamentals skills will take priority over sessions on tactics when kids are very young and just getting started, but over time, they'll study the more complex tactical aspects of the sport.
Opportunities to Play Competitive Matches
Whether it's in matches against other members of their academy or club or against other clubs in a local league or tournament, kids who play in academies will have lots of opportunities to play soccer in competitive and non-competitive environments.

Learn about getting into soccer in Brisbane.
Study Soccer with Professional Coaches
Any kid can pick up soccer by grabbing a ball and going to the park with their friends, but in academies and clubs, they'll learn from professional coaches and in the right way.
Work Towards Becoming a Professional Soccer Player
Soccer academies and clubs are some of the best ways for aspiring players to work towards becoming professionals. In addition to scouting, it's also an established way for them to get playing in local leagues and tournaments and work their way towards the soccer youth system and finding professional clubs to play for.
The Benefits of Private Soccer Coaching
Soccer academies and clubs aren't the only way for kids (and adults) to get better at playing soccer, though, and private soccer coaches in Perth and around the country can help.
Private soccer coaching also comes with plenty of benefits that you mightn't necessarily get to enjoy when learning to play soccer in a group with other players.
Adapted Sessions
One of the biggest advantages of private soccer coaching is that the sessions can be adapted in any way to suit the student.
This can mean changing drills according to the player's fitness levels or technical abilities, focusing on techniques that they need to work on, and even altering the pace of each session if they're finding them too quick or too slow.
Custom Training Plans
In the same way that the sessions can be tailored to the player, the entire training plan can be custom-made for them.
Private soccer coaches can talk with the players (and their parents) to discuss what they want to learn, what their goals are, and how they can work with their coach to achieve them.
Get Ready for Tryouts
A private soccer coach can help players prepare for trials and tryouts for professional clubs and academies. In addition to working on a player's weaknesses, they can also show them what club scouts will be looking for and even take them through what to expect on the day.
Instant Feedback
With a private soccer coach, you'll get instant feedback. Feedback is a huge part of learning any skill and as players will work one-on-one with their coach, they can enjoy tailored feedback on any mistakes they're making.
In group sessions, the coach mightn't be able to take the time to point out every single mistake or area for improvement, but with a private soccer coach, they can enjoy individualised feedback without having to worry about being criticised in front of all their teammates.
Improved Confidence
Private soccer coaching provides players with an environment where they can build up their confidence.
They won't have to worry about embarrassing themselves in front of their peers and can comfortably try new skills and techniques.
Learn More Quickly
Players working one-on-one with coaches will learn more quickly than those working in groups because the entire focus will be on them in each session.
However, you can't learn how to play soccer independently as it's a team sport so private soccer coaching will need to be combined with regular matches or even group coaching so that they can put what they learn into practice, especially when it comes to tactics.

Discover Adelaide's best soccer academies.
Positional Training
With custom sessions and training plans, there are more opportunities for players working with private soccer coaches to train to play in specific positions and roles.
This is particularly useful for specialists like goalkeepers who have to train to develop skills that the other ten players on the pitch won't ever need to work on.
Set Achievable Goals
Since private soccer coaches can create custom plans, they can also set achievable goals for every player they work with.
While group coaching sessions will set more general goals for the entire group that some players will achieve and others mightn't, private soccer coaching can set goals that they know the player will be able to achieve with their help.
Whether you're interested in private soccer coaching for you or your child, you can search for soccer coaches in and around Perth on the Superprof website.
From there, you can compare different coaches' profiles, see how much they charge, and see if they offer that all-important first free lesson. Try out a few different private soccer coaches before deciding on which one is right for you because ideally, you'll want to spend a decent amount of time working with them to enjoy all the benefits.
There are coaches for different levels and budgets so take your time before making your decision. Fortunately, even if one doesn't work out, there are plenty of others out there and you can always change from one coach to another if you need to.
Discover the perfect coach for 1 on 1 soccer coaching on Superprof!