A. Watching and then practising what you have seen is a good way to learn. If you are interested in football, you will probably watch a lot of football on the television, but the best way to learn is from a qualified coach. Join a local coaching school. They are run through schools, through football clubs (professional, amateur and junior) or through youth clubs. If you live near a professional club, contact them and ask about their coaching schools. Many clubs and councils run coaching sessions during the school holidays. [See Kicking Off]

A. If you know of a team that plays locally, go along and watch them at the beginning of the season and talk to the manager about joining. Most junior clubs will register new players any time during the year but a good time to join is at the beginning of the football season, in August or September. This is when a club organises its squad. All junior clubs have a committee and each team in the club has a manager. This may be a parent of one of the players. [See Kicking Off]

A. For a list of local clubs and contact names, get in touch with the local league secretary. The local weekly sports paper should have a contact telephone number in the local league section. You may find that individual teams advertise for players in this section. Alternatively, you may hear of a club through friends, from a teacher or through local advertising.

A. You need your boots and shin pads and maybe shorts and socks. Most clubs provide you with a shirt in the club's colours. Some give you the full kit - shirt, shorts and socks. [See Kitting Up]

A. Yes.

A. Yes, but they play against other all-girl teams. Many top professional and amateur clubs have ladies' teams and some junior clubs have girls' teams. Ask around, contact the local league secretary or look in the local weekly sports paper for details.

A. Most professionals started their careers playing in a junior league. Many played for school, district and county teams. Some represented their country at national level with England schoolboys. They are all very talented players who work very hard at their game. If you want to become a professional, you need a lot of talent and a lot of determination to succeed.

If your club manager thinks you have the right talent, they can organise a trial for you with a bigger club. All clubs organise trials for young players who might have a chance of becoming a professional, but out of the thousands of hopefuls who go along, only a few are successful.