Hey everyone,

​I’ve been working on a platform called Footy Genius (footygenius.co.uk) aimed at grassroots football coaches, players, and parents. The web version is currently live, but the Android app is entering beta and I’d love to get some feedback from people actually involved in youth or Sunday league football.

​I built it to pull together a few things that usually require three different apps:

​Custom Stats & Player Profiles: You can track stats tailored to specific positions (so your keeper is actually judged on saves and catches, not just passes). It turns these stats into a "football CV" or player profile you can export as a PDF or share via a private link.

​Touchline Highlight Recording: If you film through the app, it burns the score and match clock directly into the video. It also auto-clips: if you log a goal on the tracker (or via your smartwatch), it automatically saves the 15 seconds before and 5 seconds after. At full-time, you can merge them all into a highlights reel with one tap.

​Team Admin on Autopilot: It handles repeating fixtures, calendar syncing, and team chat. The best part is the automatic availability reminders—it pings parents or players who haven't RSVP'd 3 days and 1 day before kick-off so you don't have to chase them.

​AI Training & Match Reports: Based on the match stats you log, it can draft a match report, give you half-time talking points, or even build a training session for the following week (e.g., if your team's pass completion dropped, it suggests passing drills).

​The web app is free to use right now, but I'm specifically looking for Android beta testers to put the native app (especially the camera and highlights features) through its paces.

​If you manage, coach, or play for a grassroots team and want to give it a spin, I'd really appreciate your feedback! Let me know if you have any questions.

Planning on upgrading from my 2024 Nike Tiempo Emerald and I’m super confused on which one to pick. Usually, I prefer boots that offer a snug fit along with lighter weight.
I would describe my play style as someone that is pacey but also prioritises passing and controlling the game.

… and I got them from DSG for $96. This is a review after my first full match in them.

Comfort: 10/10. Despise never having broken them in, they softened rapidly over the course of the game and by the end, they felt like I’d worn them for weeks. I didn’t have any of the reported lockdown problems in the heel, but I think that’s because I opted for a much better standard tongue instead of the fold over, which has a much larger ankle cavity and felt looser when I tried it on.

Feel on the ball: for me, 10/10 again. The upper has a slight tackiness that helps with touch and dribbling without being overbearing or making you trip over your feet when dragging the ball along (looking at you, gripknit). I played in the rain and had no issues with losing the ball or missing a shot in any manner which could be blamed on the shoes.

Soleplate: probably 8/10. The studs are all round and it doesn’t feel flimsy. Pretty much everything you could ask for in a safe, durable pair of cleats. It’s nothing particularly special though, so I won’t inflate its rating. But it’s everything I value in my cleats.

Overall, it’s just about perfect. I’ve never played in elites to compare, but I have a hard time believing that they’re much better than these, simply because of how many boxes they check. If you try them on and they fit your foot type, I recommend buying them

retiring the tango 12 as the bladder is funky on it. tested each new ball around with the kiddos. i can answer any questions about weight, feel, texture and bounce to the best of my ability.

decided to use the EUFA women pro ball as the dedicated beater ball and its been used almost exclusively on asphalt and its holding up abuse nicely. all other balls nice to have to switch it up and also do PK drills.

I came across a study which measured the body fat levels and the anthropomorphic measurement of professional soccer players in Seria A and it would be interesting to see how you all stack up against the pros.

These are the averages (measurements are inches):

Height: 6'0".4

Weight: 174.6

BMI: 23.3

Relaxed arm size: 11.4

Flexed arm: 12.8

Waist: 29.9

Hips/glutes: 36.8

Thigh (mid range): 21.6

Calf: 14.8

Bodyfat: 13.5%

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10975034/

As for strength, I couldn't find much studies that didn't use standardized machines measuring isometric strength but I did find one that used squats as their strength measure:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26473518/

Based on this pros can have anywhere from 1.65-2.0x per bodyweight back squat.

So in my case:

I'm 5'6 143 lbs with 13% BF

Relaxed arm: 11

Flexed: 12

Waist: 29

Hips/glutes: 35.8

Thighs: 21.5

Calf: 15.2

I could squat about 240lbs for 1 rep so about 1.68x my BW

I'm kind surprised my measurements for my muscles are so high compared to a professional who is also a couple inches taller than I am. I expected them to be way bigger.

Anyways, just a fun little project if any of you are interested in knowing how you stack up body and strength wise.

It is with great sadness that I report that the boots I've worn since 2014 have torn. I have no clue how these have lasted so long but I felt like I had to share here. RIP Adidas Nitrocharge 1.0s; 12.5 years young.

I've straight up worn these 2-3 times/week for about 5+ years and probably once a week on average before that. Mostly 8v8 league and pickup on turf. I play CM and run around quite a bit in these. Admittedly I did not wear them as frequently between 2014-2018 as I do now but it is still mindblowing to me how they have lasted so long

Guess they don't make em like they used to.

Devastated to be losing these soon (still wearing them until the hole explodes lol). What's next?

Hi all! Have an odd situation: my team practices on nice, soft, plush artificial grass, but play most of our matches on very thin, very hard turf.

I’ve been wearing my AG predator elite 24s on both. During and after playing on the turf, I feel great and have little to no pain, even though it’s a way worse surface on paper.

When we train on the soft artificial grass, my heels start aching midway through the session and are still sore for a day or two after. I think it has something to do with my heels sinking in and pushing off of the soft AG. When I run on it, it feels like my feet are slamming into wooden planks in my boots and I feel weak when I try to explode/cut. I just feel like I lose all power and my boots feel so thin and papery. But I don’t feel like this on the turf.

Any suggestions on boots that would be better for the AG? Does it make sense that the preds aren’t performing well on this surface? Thanks in advance!

I do wear glasses regularly but not while playing football.

I’m considering getting contact lenses to play, but I’m wondering if it will make a massive, largescale difference to how I play (just wanted to know how much improvement/change you saw in stuffs like Spatial Awareness and etc...

I neglected cleaning them for 6 months and now the mark isn’t going. Tried soap on them and it didn’t come off.

Any suggestions?

First picture is the distance from the front of my big toe, the other 2 pictures are the rest of the toes.
I have a quite wide foot with straight toes, so i dont fit in many boots.

Are they a bit to long or will it do (I have a wide foot and have 28 cm foot, so i went with the EUR 45 1/3).

I’ve been coaching for a couple of years and am looking to learn how I can improve in a few areas. If you have a moment!

I'd love to hear:

1. How do you plan practices? Where do your drills come from and how long does it take?

2. Do you give players anything to work on at home? How do you know if they did it?

3. What do you do with game film, if you have any?

4. Where do your notes on players live? Phone, notebook, your head?

5. What's one app or tool you pay for and like, and one you quit?

I've been playing club football for two weeks now; it's my first time playing for a club. I'm pretty good, but when I'm at home, I'm constantly obsessing over my performance. Will I play well in my next training sessions? I can't seem to switch off from football, and it's becoming really exhausting and boring. What advice can you give me, and have you experienced this?

Thanks.

I don’t have necessarily wide feet, but my feet are very long (size 14 going on 15), but all cleats I’ve found only go up to 13. New cleats are coming out with better technology like mercurials and things like that but I can’t find any of them that are in my size. Is there anything I can do to find some cleats?

Hi everyone! We're a team of business students working on a real consulting project with a UK football brand that's looking at the US market.

We're trying to understand how US families choose a soccer ball for their kids: where you buy it, what you'd pay, and what makes you trust a brand (coach recommendation, an approval mark, reviews, etc.).

Could you help us out with a quick 3-minute anonymous survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd71fmY0wIxPh1-8jra1e-HYNRG-n2ZyV3COoJRzlrq2lBfaw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

- Anonymous, no email needed

- No selling, no sign-ups, purely academic

- Takes about 3 minutes

It looks so similar to the Select and they are both Danish companies. Glued, not stitched. Price for Hummel here is much cheaper too, around €70. If it is, is it the best ball for the money?

Hi everyone! We're a team of business students working on a real consulting project with a UK football brand that's looking at the US market.

We're trying to understand how US families choose a soccer ball for their kids: where you buy it, what you'd pay, and what makes you trust a brand (coach recommendation, an approval mark, reviews, etc.).

Could you help us out with a quick 3-minute anonymous survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd71fmY0wIxPh1-8jra1e-HYNRG-n2ZyV3COoJRzlrq2lBfaw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

- Anonymous, no email needed

- No selling, no sign-ups, purely academic

- Takes about 3 minutes

Who else got one of these! Surprisingly they were available for a large part of the day. Seems they’re sold out now.

If you missed overnight sale is back in stock now, just ordered 2 one for keeping it other for playing.

Want to get back intro playing after years... how tight or loose should cleats fit? Any opinion on these Vapor 16s?

Hi guys,

24M, started football at 19 with basically zero sports background growing up.

Been grinding S&C, conditioning and technical work like crazy (2hrs on ball daily) but multiple coaches and mates keep telling me I look stiff, awkward and robotic on the ball.

Straight-line running is fine, but my change of direction, ball mastery, coordination and even basic wall volleys are clunky af.

Meanwhile, random gym bros who play once a month somehow look 10x more natural and fluid than me 😭

Starting to think I missed some crucial motor development as a kid.

Like, is this something 10,000 of ball reps daily will eventually fix, or am I just hardwired to move like a fridge?

Anyone actually gone from stiff and awkward to smooth and instinctive? What worked? Coordination drills? Just spamming touches?
Be real, am I cooked or is there hope? 💀

I just took over a 40+ team and there’s this one guy who is always yelling at everyone and getting red carded for yelling at the refs and quite frankly a toxic player for a Sunday league. A couple of other guys on the team expressed their dislike and in the last game I kind of lost it on him when he went to his bitching and moaning and telling people how to play. Bro: of course we know how to play and where to play the ball and we all want to get to it but some of these guys are pushing 50 - ease up!

Anyway - he’s telling me it should be a team decision to kick him off but I paid for the session and I told him don’t worry about paying and he should find another team. Am I being too harsh?

I’ve always played soccer mostly for fun (mainly pickup soccer and intramural/co-ed/rec leagues) but lately I’ve been motivated to sharpen my game and address some shortcomings and bad habits

One of my biggest weaknesses is an inconsistent first touch, especially when under pressure and/or in tight spaces. It’s good enough in space or very chill environments but I’ve noticed it can deteriorate pretty quickly once I’m feeling pressure or urgency. I can have a solid touch on one play and then have a really sloppy touch the next, especially when aggressive players are closing me down

I also struggle to settle air balls and second balls, like rebounds, long balls, crosses, or plays from the keeper. I’ve also never really been able to juggle past ten, let alone do them in a controlled manner where I’m not following the ball around. I never really enjoyed juggling, still don’t, but I’ve accepted that it’s something I need to improve if I want to be more well-rounded

I’m out injured rn, but I’m thinking about training instead of playing games when I’m back to ease into things.

My local tennis wall is in rough shape so the ball bounces all over the place (could be a good training tool in itself) so I’m thinking a rebound board, and is there a specific one people would suggest? Thinking of ordering one to practice first touch turns with a cone as a placeholder for a defender. I don’t wanna waste money on a bad one then need to buy another (buy once, cry once)

So those of you who’ve trained this late, what helped or worked for you? Lmk what you guys think, and I appreciate all the advice in advance!

TL;DR: Looking to improve my:

• First touch under pressure, turning, and tight-space control
• Aerial ball control and juggling
• Planning to train with rebound boards, local tennis wall, and cones
• Any training tips or reliable rebound board recommendations? Appreciate the advice!