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Football Pre-Season Training Plan | Complete Guide for Coaches (2026)

Every football team is different, so there is no single pre-season plan that works for everyone. The age of your players, their fitness levels, the number of training sessions each week and the length of your pre-season will all influence how you structure your programme. However, having clear objectives for each stage of pre-season can help ensure players progress steadily and arrive ready for the first competitive fixture.

The week-by-week guide below provides a simple framework that coaches can adapt to suit their own team. Rather than prescribing exact sessions, it outlines the main areas to focus on each week, allowing you to choose practices that best support your players while gradually increasing the physical, technical and tactical demands of training.


Week 1: Reintroduce the Ball & Build a Foundation


The opening week of pre-season should focus on helping players regain their touch, confidence and understanding of your playing principles. While fitness is important, avoid excessive running without the ball. Instead, use possession games, rondos and small-sided games to build football-specific fitness while reintroducing technical skills.



Main focuses:

  • Reintroduce the ball

  • Passing & receiving

  • Individual defending

  • Possession games

  • Light aerobic conditioning


Recommended practices

  • Rondos

  • 4v2 possession

  • Passing circuits

  • 4v4 small-sided games

  • Technical finishing


Week 2: Increase Intensity


Players should now be comfortable with the training load, allowing you to increase both the physical and tactical demands. Sessions should become faster, with more transitions, pressing situations and realistic match scenarios.


Continue to use the ball throughout training wherever possible. This not only develops fitness but also improves decision-making under fatigue.



Main focuses:

  • High pressing

  • Transition moments

  • Defensive organisation

  • Playing forward quickly

  • Higher intensity games


Recommended practices

  • Transition games

  • Pressing exercises

  • 5v5 + neutrals

  • Counter-attacking practices

  • Directional possession


Week 3: Tactical Development


By week three, players should have regained much of their match fitness. This allows coaches to spend more time developing the team's tactical identity and preparing for the types of situations they will face during the season.


Begin introducing your preferred formation, attacking patterns, defensive shape and set-piece organisation.



Main focuses:

  • Team shape

  • Build-up play

  • Defending as a unit

  • Attacking principles

  • Playing through thirds


Recommended practices

  • 11v11 tactical walkthroughs

  • Pattern play

  • Positional games

  • Functional practices

  • Conditioned matches


Week 4: Match Preparation


The final week of pre-season should closely resemble the demands of competitive football. Training should be sharp, realistic and focused on reinforcing your team's principles rather than introducing new ideas.


Friendly matches become increasingly important during this stage, allowing players to put everything into practice under realistic match conditions.




Main focuses:

  • Match preparation

  • Decision making

  • Set pieces

  • Communication

  • Confidence


Recommended practices

  • Match scenarios

  • 11v11 games

  • Set-piece work

  • Finishing under pressure

  • Matchday rehearsal


Ready For Your Best Pre-Season Yet?


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Also access 750+ other football practices within the drill library, our Session Builder for creating your own sessions, and our Session Generator for building complete training sessions in seconds. Everything you need to plan better, coach better and prepare your team for the season ahead.




 
 
 

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