Understanding soccer is easy, when compared to understanding the children that are playing it. Each age brings unique problems. Emotional, physical and social development will vary a great deal within the players at the Wanneroo academy; while this variety poses a challenge to the coach there is one factor that will bring all of the children together. One element that will reach everyone - Kids want to have fun.

Enjoyment is the unifying motive.
Some children don't want to learn. Some don't care about winning. A few have no interest in hard work and one or two can't remember which goal they're attacking. Many dream of playing professional soccer, some might! Others will switch to different sporting codes. In spite of all of their different agendas they all want to have fun and play a game, that is how they have come to this point in their soccer “careers”. They also want to be children. All too often the coach (or parents) sees them as an extension of their vision and they become puppets to it. The time spent at practice and at the games is a part of their childhood. It should not reflect the adult world. Some adults forget this and it is quite often their expectations that take the fun out of their children’s experience.
While keeping in mind the fun aspect of the game, our aim is to develop players, and for this to happen we need a total commitment from players and parents to support the directives and aims of the Wanneroo academy. This requires a collective responsibility on focus, dedication, effort, hard work and motivation from everyone involved.    
Growth in the learning process can be measured by the child's contribution to the game in the two main phases, “Own team in possession" and "Opponents in possession". The greater the contribution that the child makes the further their learning process has developed. This measure, coupled with an improvement in techniques is part of the benchmarking standards, which can be used to validate the child’s development during the time they spend with the Wanneroo academy.
A child with a strong internal desire to master the game will succeed to the best of their abilities. A child that needs constant external support will not, this child will only grow as far as he can be carried. Their level of motivation being one of their most important limiting factors.
In order to make a contribution it's important for them to learn how the game unfolds and to have an impact on it. Soccer is a dynamic and fluid game. Pictures and decisions change in a second. This active element creates situations that drills do not adequately address. It involves the child in reading situations, analysing them, making predictions, arriving at decisions and finally acting on them. There are three factors that will determine how far a child can go in their development.

• Talent.
  This is a quality for the fortunate few. Great athletes share similar attributes and if the basic package is missing, then it limits what a coach can do. Competitiveness, personality, motor skills, intelligence or instinct among other factors must already be present.
• Motivation.
  This comes in two types, internal and external. The internal motivation is what is important. Without a strong internal drive to master the proficiencies an athlete is working on talent alone. While the coach can provide some external motivation it will be of limited use and of short duration.
• Environment.
  This is the one area that the coach has the greatest impact on. A talented child with a strong internal drive placed in the correct environment has the greatest chance to succeed to the best of their abilities.