In this episode, former Crystal Palace and Brighton striker Glenn Murray joins Ben to reflect on his childhood in grassroots football, the memories that shaped him and the pure joy of playing with friends before the pressures of the professional game took over.

He opens up about the car-ride home truths that built his resilience, the emotional tightrope parents walk, and why honest feedback matters — but only when delivered with care. Glenn also reveals what he’s like on the touchline watching his own sons play, how he navigates being “the professional in the crowd,” and why modern youth football sometimes forgets its purpose.

Glenn Murray is the 2025/26 Utilita Kids & Girls Cup ambassador. The annual football competition sees more than 20,000 schoolchildren each year take to the pitch for the chance to represent the 72 EFL Clubs across England and Wales, bolstering the existing ties between Clubs and their local communities.

The Utilita Kids & Girls Cups inspire children to be active, healthy, and develop a strong sense of teamwork, while offering the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium ahead of major EFL finals.

The competition helped discover stars such as Adam Wharton, Jamal Musiala, and Scott McTominay. Find out more here: www.efl.com/competitions/utilita-kids-girls-cup

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Ben and Mike deliver their most emotionally honest episode to date — a rollercoaster through three tough grassroots games, a confidence crisis for both of their sons, a sideline flashpoint and a revealing look at the hidden strain of being a parent-coach.

They talk honestly about shouting, pressure, overthinking, the pain of watching your child struggle and the moments that make you want to walk away from coaching completely. But this isn’t just about their team.

The episode widens into the bigger picture of grassroots football as they break down the results of their new nationwide survey — revealing how widespread sideline abuse, parent tension, lack of volunteer support and emotional burnout really are. From shocking anonymous stories to why coaches feel isolated, under-appreciated and overwhelmed, the survey becomes a backdrop to everything the boys experience on the pitch.

Amid the chaos comes hope: breakthrough conversations, growth in the toughest moments and a reminder that kids’ football is about building resilience, not protecting egos. This episode asks the uncomfortable question all parent-coaches face sooner or later.

Our latest research, in partnership with LoveAdmin and GoCardless, reveals a community full of passion, but stretched thin by patchy support, time, and financial pressure: Read the full report here.

New research highlights the need for calmer, more supportive sidelines in youth football - read more here.

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In this episode, Ben and Mike welcome Nick Green, Football DNA ambassador and seasoned youth coach with experience across England and Australia, for a deep dive into the emotional and tactical side of coaching young players.

Drawing from his work in academies and grassroots football, Nick shares how to create a positive environment that builds belief and resilience in kids—especially when confidence dips or results don’t go their way. From using reflection and delayed feedback to managing “car-ride emotions” as parent-coaches, the conversation explores how to keep football enjoyable while fostering growth and grit.

Nick also offers practical insights on helping smaller players thrive, developing defensive skills, handling positional challenges and creating club-wide coaching plans that align players, parents, and coaches.

Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/

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Ben and Mike are back with their most explosive episode yet — a day that should’ve been all about wonder goals and winning football turns into a masterclass in how not to behave on the sidelines.

After a brilliant first half, a confrontation between parents spills over, forcing Ben to face the uncomfortable truth: for all his talk about calm and composure, he’s just as capable of losing it when the kids are caught in the crossfire.

With the dust barely settled, the pair welcome their fiercest rival, Rhys — the larger-than-life manager everyone has an opinion on — for a brutally honest chat about passion, perception, and why every dad-coach ends up shouting at their own kid.

Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/

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In this episode, Ben and Mike welcome clinical psychologist, performance coach and author Dr Kate Lund to unpack one of the hardest balancing acts in youth sport—how to build resilience in children without turning them into emotionless robots.

Drawing from her work with young athletes and parents, Dr Lund explains why modern resilience goes beyond “toughen up and get on with it.” She shares practical strategies for coaches and parents to help kids manage frustration, recover from mistakes and thrive under pressure—from relaxation and visualisation techniques to the “daily wins” exercise that shifts focus from failure to growth.

The trio dive deep into the contrasts between old-school grit and emotionally intelligent resilience, how parental behaviour on the sidelines shapes a child’s response to setbacks and why communication and self-awareness matter as much as skill drills.

Dr Kate Lund's new book: https://www.katelundspeaks.com/book

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Ben and Mike return with one of their most honest episodes yet, tackling a feeling every parent-coach knows but few admit: the desperate, irrational need for your child to play well when someone’s watching.

What begins as a normal weekend of grassroots football — a couple of big games and the usual sideline chaos — spirals into a raw reflection on pride, pressure, and parenting. When Ben’s son Alfie picks up an injury and struggles through a match with a friend in the crowd, it triggers a wave of guilt, frustration and self-awareness that hits harder than any defeat.

Between the laughs, match analysis and familiar coaching highs, the dads ask the real question: are we pushing our kids to enjoy the game — or to protect our own egos?

Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/

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What happens when a Premier League goal scorer goes back to where it all started — the grassroots pitches that shaped him? In this heartfelt episode, Dwight Gayle opens up to Ben and Mike about his journey from being a child prodigy at Arsenal’s academy to rediscovering his passion for the game after being released at just 12 years old.

He shares powerful insights on identity, rejection, and resilience, explaining why being “Dwight Gayle the footballer” almost cost him his love of the game — and how returning to grassroots football helped him find joy again.

Now coaching his son’s under-9s team, Dwight reflects on the joys and struggles of being a football dad, from managing touchline emotions to teaching respect, teamwork and humility.

Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/

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Ben and Mike return to the touchline for an episode that captures everything maddening and magical about grassroots football. One match leaves them questioning their tactics, their tempers and even their sanity — but also delivers a reminder of why they keep coming back week after week.

In the latest instalment of their season diary, the dads relive a pair of unforgettable games — both dramatic, both wildly entertaining, but each ending in very different emotions. From the elation of everything clicking to the despair of watching it slip away, it’s grassroots football in all its unpredictable glory.

There’s also a deep dive into their time with Ballers Elite, taking on Brighton’s academy and Ipswich Town’s development squad. As Mike wrestles with frustration from the sidelines, Ben finds perspective in watching Alfie grow in confidence and begin to play with genuine freedom.

And through it all runs the toughest challenge of all — being a parent-coach. How do you build confidence and fearlessness in your child when they’re already tired of being told what to do by the same voice at home and on the pitch?

3 v 3 tournament - Aubrey’s Charity Fund Raiser: https://ballers-elite-1.classforkids.io/info/30

Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/

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