The FA and McDonald’s have today launched an innovative app to help increase five to eight year olds football participation, fun and learning. 

Available free of charge, The FA SuperKicks app targets parents and coaches of children of any ability. With a focus on rewarding play and learning, the app is a valuable tool to encourage education and participation. 

The app is packed with over one hundred active and educational challenges, from football challenges like ‘defend your gate’, ‘cross the sea’ and ‘scoring zone’, to designing a team kit or writing a football story. The challenges have been created by FA coaches and established upon The England DNA foundation phase which introduces five to eight year olds to the philosophy. 

Each activity has an easy to follow video guide, with the star of the app called ‘Kicker’ - a football shaped character - acting as the child’s coach and mentor, providing encouragement throughout the challenges. Activities are across three levels of attainment and can also be played by one or two players for collective learning. 

To encourage continual development in a fun environment, children’s participation will be recorded and rewarded with animated badges, with achievements unlocking customisable features and ‘Super Points’ earned for attempting selected challenges. 

The app was unveiled at the launch of McDonald’s participation-based Fun Football programme. The FA SuperKicks app, informal coaching sessions, Fun Football Festivals and Activity Book will all form part of a pledge between The FA and McDonald’s to deliver five million hours of fun football to 5 to 11 year olds by 2022.

Steve Day, Head of Development at The FA, said: “Based upon The England DNA foundation phase, The FA SuperKicks app has been designed to help children have fun, develop their active lives and a love of football but also stimulate the learning of skills and abilities, which will be useful in all areas of their life. We hope this proves a valuable tool for parents and coaches and helps inspire a lifelong relationship with the game.”

The FA SuperKicks app is now available to download in the iOS (Apple) and Amazon app stores.