Individualised Soccer Support Plan

Hollier Sports
Last updated: 23 November 2026. Reviewed annually.

Purpose

Most families at Hollier Sports work to the same set of expectations. Our Standard Program Expectations and our Behaviour Management Plan cover what's expected of players, what's expected of families, and how we handle the times when things don't go to plan.

For some players, those documents don't go far enough. Where a player has additional needs, whether that's a diagnosed neurodivergent condition, a mental health consideration, a learning difference, anxiety, or anything else that affects how they experience our sessions, we work together with the family to build an Individualised Soccer Support Plan (ISSP).

This page explains what an ISSP is, what we can and can't offer, and how the process works. It forms part of the terms of enrolment for any player on an ISSP.

Who This Is For

We've supported players with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, anxiety, learning differences, and various combinations of these. The starting point is always a conversation with the family, not a diagnosis. If you think your player would benefit from something more tailored than our standard approach, we want to know.

You don't need a formal diagnosis to ask us about an ISSP. Sometimes a parent's observation about what does and doesn't work for their child is all the information we need to do better by them.

What We Are, and What We Are Not

Before any family commits to an ISSP, we want to be clear about what Hollier Sports is and isn't, so the decision is an informed one.

What we are:

  • Amazing soccer coaches and mentors

  • Holders of football coaching qualifications including UEFA A and FA B Licences

  • Trained in de-escalation, restorative practice, and adapting sessions to suit individual players

  • Experienced in coaching neurodivergent players alongside their peers in group settings

  • Committed to trying our absolute best to provide an environment where every player can thrive, and to making accommodations within our capacity and context

What we are not:

  • Child psychologists, therapists, or behaviour specialists

  • A registered NDIS provider

  • A one-to-one support service. Our sessions are group sessions with multiple players, and an ISSP does not change that

  • A substitute for clinical, therapeutic, or educational support delivered by qualified professionals

If your player needs one-to-one support, structured therapy, or a clinical intervention to take part in a group setting, our program may not be the right environment for them. We'd rather have an honest conversation about that upfront than enrol a player who isn't going to be able to thrive with what we can offer.

What We Can Offer

Under an ISSP, your player will have:

  • A plan built with you that captures your player's strengths, triggers, sensory considerations, and what works for them

  • Coaches who have read and are working from that plan

  • Adjustments to the session experience where they're practical and don't disadvantage other players or coaches

  • A calm-down and support strategy your player can use when they need one

  • A dedicated folder in our system where the plan, any documents you share, and any notes about your player's experience with us are stored securely

  • A scheduled check-in cadence so we stay in regular contact about how the plan is working

  • Honest feedback when we think the plan needs to change

The Same Safety Expectations Apply

Every player at Hollier Sports works within the same safety expectations, whatever their plan. The zero-tolerance line set out in our Behaviour Management Plan, intentional physical violence, verbal threats, sustained verbal aggression, and anything that creates a direct safety risk, applies to every player on every plan in every program.

An ISSP changes how we approach behaviour, including the patience and adjustments we bring to it. It does not change where the safety line sits. Other players and our coaches have a right to a safe environment, and we have a duty to provide it. That's true in every program, without exception.

How It Works

The ISSP process has five stages, from your opt-in at enrolment through to ongoing check-ins once your player is in the program.

  1. Enrol and opt in. When enrolling your player, tick the box that says you'd like to discuss support for your child. That single tick starts the process. The rest of the enrolment proceeds as normal.

  2. Receive your intake form. Within minutes, you'll get an automatic email with a link to our intake form and a brief explanation of what happens next. The email also includes the information you've just read, so you know what we are and aren't before you fill anything in.

  3. Complete the intake. The form asks for the information our coaches need to support your player well: strengths, triggers, sensory considerations, communication preferences, calm-down strategies, emergency information, and anything else you'd like to share. Document uploads are optional but encouraged.

  4. Plan agreed with you. Within five business days, we'll review your intake and book a short call with you, usually 20 to 30 minutes. The call is where we work through the trickier parts of the plan together, and where we have the honest conversation about fit if we need to. After the call, we draft the plan, share it with you for review, and both sides sign off.

  5. Coaches briefed, plan in use, regular check-ins. The signed plan is filed in your child's dedicated folder, and every coach working with your child is briefed before their first session. From there, we follow a scheduled check-in cadence so you and we stay in regular contact, and we update the plan together whenever circumstances change.

What's in Your Child's Plan

Your child's ISSP is a working document we build together. It captures what our coaches need to know to support your player well, the adjustments we'll make, and the agreements between us about how the plan runs day to day.

Every plan includes:

  • Player and family contact information

  • Your player's strengths, interests and motivations

  • Triggers and warning signs we should watch for

  • Sensory considerations specific to your player

  • The communication style that works best for them

  • The calm-down strategy your player uses

  • The specific adjustments Hollier Sports will make to how we run sessions

  • Expectations for your player, calibrated to their circumstances

  • Behaviours we'll handle with extra patience as part of this plan

  • Behaviours that remain non-negotiable, in line with our zero-tolerance line

  • The scenarios that would trigger an early-pickup call to the family

  • A coach action plan: a quick-reference guide of "if this happens, the coach will do this"

  • The agreed check-in cadence

  • Sign-offs from family, lead coach, and Hollier Sports management

Check-In Schedule

Check-ins are how we stay in regular contact about how the plan is working. They're short, usually a phone call or a structured email exchange, and they happen on a cadence we agree with you at the start.

As a default, we suggest:

  • In your child's first term on the plan, check-ins at the end of week 2, the end of week 5, and the end of the term. Three touch points to make sure things are settling in.

  • In later terms, at least once per term, more often if either side wants it.

  • Triggered reviews any time an incident is documented, any time you raise a concern, or any time a coach flags something significant.

The cadence is adjustable. Some families want more frequent contact, particularly early on. Others prefer less once things are working well. We agree on it together and we change it when it needs changing.

If You'd Rather Not Share Information

Sharing information about your child can feel exposing. Some families have done it many times before, with schools, doctors and other services. Others have rarely shared in detail and find the prospect difficult. We understand both, and we're not asking for paperwork for its own sake.

What we need is the information that helps our coaches support your child safely and well. We don't require formal documents. A phone conversation that covers the same ground works just as well as an uploaded plan. If there are things you'd prefer to share verbally rather than in writing, tell us and we'll work that way. How we handle and protect this information is set out in our Privacy Policy.

Where We May Not Be Able To Help

We make reasonable adjustments within our capacity, and the vast majority of players who come to us with additional needs thrive in our sessions. Occasionally, after we've worked together, we may find we genuinely can't give a player the support they need to be safe in a group setting with what we offer. If that happens, we'll talk it through with you honestly.

This is never a refusal because your child has additional needs. It's an honest acknowledgement, made case by case, that without the right information or the right setting, we can't promise the level of support your child deserves. We'd always rather work with you to get there, and where another setting would serve your child better, we'll say so kindly.

How This Fits With Our Other Policies

This plan works alongside our Standard Program Expectations and our Behaviour Management Plan, which apply to every player; our Medical, Allergy and Medication Policy, where there's health information to manage; and our Child Safety Policy. You'll find all of them, with everything else, on our Policies and Important Information page. If you've got a question or want to start a conversation about your player, talk to us any time.

Contact

For questions about Individualised Soccer Support Plans, or to start a conversation about your player, contact hello@holliersports.com.