18 soccer award ideas with specific examples and free certificates

A player checks over a shoulder before a pass arrives. A keeper rolls the ball into space. Those small choices can be worth an award, even if they never show up in the score. Name one thing you saw and tell the player why it helped.

Positive Coaching Alliance suggests awards for effort and learning, beyond game results. The award names, examples and certificates below are our own ideas. They are our own choices, not official soccer awards. We have not tested how players respond to them.

Each sample line below is made up. Use a real moment from your team in its place. The free selection sheet and three certificates can be copied or printed without signing up.

Choose the action before the title

Look back through practice notes and ask another coach what they noticed. Include quiet players, newer players and those who had fewer match minutes. A player may have tried more than one role. Choose an award that fits what they did this season.

Use one clear example for each award. Ask if the player wants to hear the award in front of the team or receive it in private. Leave out private facts about health, injuries or family life.

1. First-Touch Progress

Choose a player who made progress with their first touch. Look for a real moment in practice or a match. Compare it with that player’s earlier work.

Made-up example: “You worked on taking the ball across your body. That first touch helped you find space in our last match.”

Use Steady Practice Work if you saw lots of effort but no clear change in the touch yet.

2. Look Before Receiving

Choose this for a player who checks around before the ball arrives. Say what you saw. Do not guess what the player was thinking.

Made-up example: “You looked over your shoulder before the ball came. That helped you find the next pass.”

Use Support-Angle Helper for a player who moved to give a teammate a place to pass.

3. Support-Angle Helper

Look for helpful moves beside or behind the player with the ball. Any player can earn this by giving a teammate a clear place to pass.

Made-up example: “When a teammate was under pressure, you moved into space where they could pass back to you.”

Use Off-Ball Space Maker for runs that pulled attention away farther up the field.

4. Calm Keeper Distribution

Choose a keeper who made a good choice with the ball. Name a pass or calm restart you saw. Keep the award separate from the team’s goals allowed.

Made-up example: “You paused, found the open side and rolled the ball to a teammate instead of rushing the restart.”

Use Clear Team Talk when the standout action was a useful call to teammates.

5. Clear Team Talk

Choose a player who gives brief, useful information without blaming others. A keeper, defender or field player can earn it.

Made-up example: “Your early call helped a teammate know they had time to turn.”

Use Teammate Welcome for help that brought someone into the group away from live play.

6. Cover for a Teammate

Choose a player who moved to cover space behind a teammate. Describe that move. You do not need to claim it saved the match.

Made-up example: “When your teammate stepped toward the ball, you moved across to cover the space behind.”

Use Recovery Work if the key moment was getting back after the team lost the ball.

7. Recovery Work

Look for a player who returned to a useful position after a turnover. Reward the decision and effort, not risky contact or playing through pain.

Made-up example: “After we lost the ball, you got back into position and helped the team slow the attack.”

Use Cover for a Teammate when the player was already in place behind the teammate going for the ball.

8. Off-Ball Space Maker

Look for a run that helped the attack without a touch of the ball. Use a run that you or another coach saw.

Made-up example: “Your wide run gave the player on the ball more room to move forward.”

Use Unselfish Layoff when the main action was a pass after receiving.

9. Unselfish Layoff

Choose a player who passed to a teammate in a useful position instead of forcing a shot or dribble. A good attacking choice does not have to end in a goal.

Made-up example: “You set the ball back to a teammate facing forward instead of trying to turn into pressure.”

Use Off-Ball Space Maker when the player helped without a touch.

10. Restart Organizer

Choose a player who helps the team get set for a restart. The task should fit the coach’s plan, the age group and the type of game.

Made-up example: “Before the throw-in, you checked that we had a short option and helped everyone get set.”

Use Clear Team Talk for helpful information during open play. Do not turn this award into a heading or contact challenge.

11. Fair Play in Action

Choose a moment when a player showed respect for a teammate, opponent or official. It can be a good response to a call they did not like.

Made-up example: “You accepted the call, gave the ball back and got ready for the next play.”

Use Team Reset when the player helped the whole group get back to work.

12. Team Reset

Choose a player who helps the group move on after a tough moment. Leave other players’ mistakes out of the award speech.

Made-up example: “After a tough few plays, you helped us focus on our next job.”

Use Personal Reset when the player changed their own response rather than guiding others.

13. Personal Reset

Look for a player who got back to work after feeling upset. Compare this with how that same player used to respond.

Made-up example: “When a pass did not work, you took a moment and made yourself available for the next one.”

Use First-Touch Progress or another skill award for a change in how the player uses the ball.

14. Steady Practice Work

Choose a practice habit you saw more than once. Use the work the player did while there. Do not count missed days that were outside their control.

Made-up example: “At our passing station, you kept working on one small change and asked to try again.”

Use Learning Through Questions when the key step was asking a question and trying the answer.

15. Learning Through Questions

Choose a player who asks how to do a task, listens and tries the answer. A quiet question counts too.

Made-up example: “You asked where to stand for the next pass, then tried the new position in the drill.”

Use Steady Practice Work when trying again was the main habit.

16. Teammate Welcome

Choose someone who helps a new or returning player join in. Do not share why the other player was away.

Made-up example: “You asked a teammate to join your pair and showed them where to start.”

Use Practice Partner for support during the shared drill itself.

17. Practice Partner

Choose a player who helps a partner get useful practice. That might mean giving a playable pass, taking turns or listening to what the drill needs.

Made-up example: “You gave your partner steady passes and switched roles so both of you could work on the skill.”

Use Teammate Welcome when the main action was inviting someone into the group.

18. Care for Shared Gear

Choose a player who helps with a safe job the coach has picked for their age, such as gathering cones. Leave adult-only gear jobs to adults.

Made-up example: “You checked our cone area and helped return the shared gear after practice.”

Use another award if the example is mainly about a skill or teammate action. Do not ask players to move goals to earn an award.