# The ultimate defensive cheat code for grassroots football

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-s-only-kids-football-6977406/the-ultimate-defensive-cheat-code-for-grassroots-football
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-s-only-kids-football-6977406/the-ultimate-defensive-cheat-code-for-grassroots-football.md
Podcast: [It's Only Kids Football](https://stenobird.com/podcast/it-s-only-kids-football-6977406)
Published: 2026-03-23T05:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://linktr.ee/itsonlykidsfootballpodcast
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/66a361b8d34ffa9141b184b4/e/69bd3c4c1861d127d5b0692f/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/it-s-only-kids-football-6977406/episodes/the-ultimate-defensive-cheat-code-for-grassroots-football
Duration seconds: 4014

## Resource

Every grassroots coach faces the same nightmare: a defence that’s "all over the place" and young players who just want to be on the ball. In this episode, Ben and Mike, chat with Mac Smith, a football director and coach at Moreton City Excelsior FC in Australia’s Queensland NPL, who reveals why traditional tactical plans fail young players and how to instead build "defensive habits" that stick. Learn the high-reward scoring game that makes kids love winning the ball back, the "Gabriel & Saliba" method for teaching positioning, and the "click moment" for stopping ball-watching. Mac explains how to stop treating defending like a boring chore and start building a solid foundation. Football DNA is the ultimate platform for coach and player development: https://footballdna.co.uk/sessions/ Get FREE delivery when you spend over £100 at https://www.discountfootballkits.com/ using code IOKFFD — but hurry, it ends at midnight on March 31st, 2026. Power your grassroots team with effortless payments — sign up with GoCardless today at https://gocardless.com/g/payments-sports-clubs/ and spend less time chasing fees, more time developing your players. LoveAdmin takes the admin off your plate so you can spend more time coaching and less time chasing parents: https://loveadmin.com/ Save £200 on the Veo Cam 3 👉 Use Code: iokfveocam3 Save 50% on the Veo Go 👉 Use Code: iokfveogo TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iokfootball Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iokfootball/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/iokfootball YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iokfootball Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsonlykidsfootballpodcast/ Email: itsonlykidsfootballpodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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