What is Football Syllabus? The Platform Connecting Coaching Philosophy with Training and Matches

From game model to training sessions, from matches to the next practice — all in one free app.

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Introduction

Most football coaches have their own philosophy and game model. But the game model, annual plan, individual session plans, and post-match notes usually live in different places: notebooks, Excel files, tactical board apps, chat groups.

The result:

• It’s hard to answer “what’s the point of this week’s drills?” because exercises aren’t linked to any team development goal
• Problems spotted in matches don’t systematically feed back into the next training session
• Everything lives only in the head coach’s mind — hard to share with assistants, hard to hand over, hard to reflect on

Existing software only covers one piece of the puzzle: drill design and PDF export, or video analysis, or team management. No product connects all 5 stages with data: game model → criteria → period → session → match evaluation.

Football Syllabus is the free web app that solves this problem.

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1. How Football Syllabus Works

Step 1: Document Your Game Model

Coaches write Concept / Principle / Keyword for the 5 match situations:

1. Attacking
2. Attack to Defense transition
3. Defending
4. Defense to Attack transition
5. Set pieces

The app doesn’t impose any particular school of thought. Whether you follow the Spanish, German, positional play, or counter-attacking approach — you describe it in your own words.

Step 2: Translate Into Success Criteria

From the game model, coaches write specific, observable success criteria. For example:

• Concept: “Control the ball and create chances from both flanks”
• Principle: “When in possession, push fullbacks high and wingers wide”
• Keyword: “Wide — Fast — Diagonal”
• Success Criteria: “Fullbacks receive the ball in the opponent’s final third ≥ 5 times per match”

Step 3: Divide the Season Into Periods

Coaches break the season into periods (Build Up, defensive phase, etc.). The yearly plan appears on a timeline, including training periods and match schedules. Progress for each period is calculated automatically.

Step 4: Select Drills Linked to Criteria

The drill library includes duration, player count, coaching points, rules/conditions, and a pitch diagram editor. Each drill is linked to the criteria it helps improve. When you pick a drill, you know exactly which goal it serves.

Step 5: Build Session Plans and Export PDF

Assemble sessions as W-UP → TR1 → TR2 → GAME, with automatic total time calculation, weekly grid view, and role assignment (head coach, assistant, GK coach). The head coach can provide real-time feedback on session plans with change history. Export A4 PDF session plans to print and take to the field.

Step 6: Evaluate Matches

Log the match (opponent, competition, score, video), then after the game rate each criterion on 3 levels:

• Achieved
• Partially Achieved
• Not Achieved

You can attach video clips to criteria and feed discovered issues directly into the next training session.

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2. Real-World Use Cases

U-12 Head Coach (Junior)

At the start of the season, the coach writes the game model and 10–15 criteria, divides the season into 4 periods. Each week, drills are selected from the library and a session plan is assembled in minutes, then printed as PDF for the field.

→ Every training session connects to the current period’s theme; assistant coaches can see at a glance what each drill is for.

Club / Academy With Multiple Teams and Coaches

Club management sets up Team Identity templates and shared criteria. Each team copies and adapts them for their age group. The drill library is shared across the club. The head coach provides feedback on other coaches’ session plans directly in the app.

→ The club’s philosophy flows down to every team, no longer dependent on individual memory.

High School / University Coach During the Season

After each match, the coach rates the current period’s criteria on 3 levels and attaches video clips. Criteria rated “Not Achieved” go straight into next week’s training.

→ The loop of “match → identify issues → next session” becomes a data-driven habit instead of post-match gut feeling.

Independent Coach Looking to Systematize Their Method

Save all drills, session plans, and results across seasons as a personal “syllabus.”

→ Use it for self-evaluation, to present to parents or a new club, and as reference material for coaching license exams.

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3. What Sets It Apart From Other Software

Connecting the Entire Chain With Data

YouCoach, Coachbetter, 360Player, Sport Session Planner, Hudl, and SPLYZA Teams each cover only one or two stages. Football Syllabus connects all 5: game model → criteria → period → drill → session plan → match → evaluation → next session.

Match Evaluation Based on Your Own Criteria

Not just gut feelings or scattered video tags. Every match is rated against the criteria your team set at the start of the period.

No Imposed Philosophy

Whether you follow the Spanish, German, positional play, or counter-attacking approach — you describe it in your own words. The app doesn’t force you into a preset school of thought.

Free

Competitors charge around ¥14,800/year or $7–12/month. Football Syllabus is free for coaches.

Youth Player Privacy

No real names, photos, or jersey numbers are stored. Player evaluations use nicknames only. This aligns with children’s personal data protection regulations.

JFA-Standard PDF Session Plans

A4 PDF session plans follow the field formats used by the JFA (Japan Football Association) in coaching license courses.

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4. Technology

Component	Technology
Backend	PHP 8.4 · Laravel 13 · Sanctum + Fortify · PostgreSQL 17 + pgvector
Frontend	React 19 · Vite 8 · TypeScript 6 · Tailwind CSS 4 · i18next (JA/EN/VI)
Realtime	Laravel Reverb (in-app notifications, session plan feedback)
AI (Phase 2)	Custom LLM + RAG, multilingual embeddings, vector search on pgvector
Files / PDF	Google Cloud Storage (video) · Browsershot + Chromium (A4 PDF session plans)
Operations	Docker Compose · GitLab CI

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5. Status and Roadmap

• In development: Fujigo Vietnam; product owner: M&C Holdings
• Phase 1 (full features, no AI): late November 2026
• Phase 2 (AI drill suggestions): late January 2027

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Conclusion

Football Syllabus doesn’t replace the coach. It helps coaches answer “why are we doing this drill?” and “how did the team perform against our own standards?”

If you’re a youth football coach looking to systematize your coaching method, or a club wanting to standardize philosophy across every team — Football Syllabus is the free tool to start with.

Contact Fujigo for consultation and demo.

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